Waterford — Waterford Week may be a thing of the past, but that's not the case for Family Fun Day at the Farm, the longtime Waterford Week finale event hosted by Waterford Country School, which will occur again for the 21st time this Saturday.

"We want people to know we are here. We want them to know who we are and why we are here," said Bill Martin, executive director of the school, which for decades has worked to meet the special needs of children and families at risk.

The focus of the WCS is to help children who can't be helped elsewhere, Martin said.

"When you hear our name, we sound like a prep school, not a treatment center," he said.

"Our niche is the child who struggles; that's where we come into play," Martin said, adding, "Our work is dedicated to kids and families that are struggling."

The school doesn't just work with families and children, but also cares for injured and abandoned wildlife and nondomesticated animals, including horses, a pig, a llama, alpaca, goats, parrots, snakes, turtles, owls, a swan and more.

On Saturday, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the 350-acre campus at 78 Hunts Brook Road in the Quaker Hill section of town will be open to the public, with free hayrides, pony rides, animal petting, face-painting and more.

The only cost is for food, if guests choose to buy it. Otherwise, all activities are free and the public is invited to visit the school, its grounds, nature trail, farm and wildlife rehabilitation center.

Julianna Velazquez, the school's director of development and community support, said staff and volunteers turn out year after year to support the Family Fun Day event.

"We want to give back to the community. We don't want to be a secret, we want people to see what we do here," said Velazquez.

Martin said the nonprofit WCS's unique focus on struggling youth and families and rescued animals that need to be rehabilitated has proven to be a big success.

"A key to treatment here is our relationship with kids," Martin said. "If we can't connect with the kids, we can't help them."

But over time, students learn to trust staff, make progress on their issues and help to care for the animals. Connecting and caring for the animals is often an important part of the child's development and progress, Martin said.

"We offer opportunities for kids to succeed," Velazquez said. "We take children from an environment where they were unable to succeed and give them avenues to resolve their conflict. They learn to trust humans, and the animals play a role in that, especially when the students realize that the animals have been rescued."

At Saturday's Family Fun Day, visitors can visit the Rick McPherson Outdoor Education Center, where the farm animals, birds and reptiles such as turtles, snakes and iguanas are located.

For more information, visit www.waterfordcountryschool.org

a.baldelli@theday.com

Twitter: @annbaldelli