Owner Alex Baalmann understands the challenges of caring for a child with Developmental Trauma (formerly known as Reactive Attachment Disorder) — as a child who struggled with developmental trauma and knowing the toll it took on his family.

Alex was adopted from an overcrowded orphanage in St. Petersburg, Russia and joined his family in Missouri in 1998. As his family grew, the effects of developmental trauma became more visible. He struggled with behaviors such as lying, manipulation, and intense emotional outbursts that could last for hours or even days. Traditional discipline often intensified these challenges, as he was not bonded with his family.

At age nine, Alex entered specialized treatment in Colorado. While treatment introduced him to tools for success, what ultimately made the greatest difference was structure, consistency, and learning what it meant to be a family kid. With support from his hometown therapist, psychiatrist, and determined mom, Alex gradually began applying the tools he had learned. The journey was far from linear, but by age fourteen/fifteen, he began forming stronger connections with his family and taking greater responsibility for his actions.

Alex went on to reach many of the same milestones as his peers—earning his driver’s license, graduating from high school, and completing a bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College.

After graduation, he moved to Colorado and began working at the same treatment center that had helped him years earlier. There, he supported youth and families experiencing developmental trauma by providing the same structure, consistency, and understanding that had once helped him. Furthering his knowledge in Program Management at Adam’s Camp, he supported children and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Before breaking away to develop Blue Sky, Alex was working with justice involved youth at The Urban Farm teaching job skills and life skills.

Today, Blue Sky Youth Respite Care, LLC. has a mission to provide families with a place where their children are supported with patience, structure, and compassion to become a family kid.

At Blue Sky Youth Respite Care, we believe families should never feel alone in their journey and should have a solid team to support them.

2 1/2 years old in St. Petersburg Orphanage. Sad distance in eyes.

Giving mom away on her wedding day - An unimaginable honor, a decade prior.

Ready to start Blue Sky Youth Respite Care - Geared up to give back.