Our Program

Throughout our entire program we stress the critical values of self-reliance and cooperation, organization, individual and group problem-solving, development of effective study habits and social skills, respect for individual differences, contribution to the community, and the pursuit of excellence.

Academics

  • Enriched, challenging, developmentally appropriate academics
  • Average core class size of 8 students, with a maximum of 12 students
  • Individual attention given to students
  • Developmentally appropriate scheduling
  • Core subjects and various electives available to students
  • Daily development of social, life, physical, and academic skills
  • Certified teachers with specialized training of the unique student population

Play

Our academic program requires students to work hard. However, we also want to let our students be kids. We take time to to allow students to engage in both unstructured and structured play.

From the American Pediatrics Association:
Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles. . . . Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts and learn self-advocacy skills.

Residential Program

  • Family type atmosphere in which staff care for students 24 hours a day
  • Full time house parents
  • Focus on the development of social and life skills
  • Beds, desks, dressers, closets, and linens provided
  • Weekend outings and activities
  • Proctored study hall time
  • Supervised Internet access available for study purposes
Houseparents perform all the administrative and parenting duties of the home they live in. Our houseparents are full time, which provides the children with a consistent and caring structure. Houseparents are responsible for maintaining a cohesive family unit and maintaining communication with parents, guardians, teachers, and any therapists. They acknowledge appropriate behavior and correct negative behavior, tutor, plan activities and events, counsel/advise, and teach the students to work through daily problems that may come up in the course of a day.

Weekend Activities

The weekend is a time for rest, relaxation, and fun! Weekend activities are planned and directed by our weekend coordinator. Activities may include group games, trips to the movies, theme parks, going to the beach, attending a professional sporting event, ice skating, roller skating, laser tag, bowling, white-water rafting, and other fun activities. The weekend also provides time for students to pursue their hobbies and catch up on any classwork or homework.

Daily Schedule

Our schedule is designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We include fruits and vegetables at meals, have a developmentally appropriate wake-up and bed-time schedule, an afternoon rest time, and nine to ten hours of lights-out so students may get an appropriate amount of sleep.

As a small boarding school which operates around the clock, we have tremendous freedom to alter the schedule to suit the needs of the individual students.

Proposed Yearly Schedule

The school year is expected to begin the day after Labor Day. A 32-36 week year will likely be implemented, and exceed the normal number of hours students spend in a typical public school setting. Our schedule allows for a week long break during the Thanksgiving holiday, a two or three week break for the winter holiday season, a one week winter break, and a one week spring break. This schedule will allow students to visit with family for extended periods of time throughout the year.