- What is the total cost of the program?
Schools vary widely in how they fund themselves. Some ask you to pay the full amount up front, or require some kind of financial guarantee. Others will begin with your insurance, and then negotiate with you on the balance. Be sure to ask whether the fee is all- inclusive, or whether recreational costs, equipment, field trips, etc. are billed as extra expenses each month. How much does that average? Do you have a choice on whether to include your child in the activity? Will your child be left out if you can’t afford some of the “Extras”? Does the school work with tuition payment plans or medical cash advance plans? If so, ask which ones.
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- How does this program work with your insurance company?
Speak directly with your insurance provider. What precertifies your case with your insurance company? What is the record of payment for this program? Do they help you connect to people within your company who might be able to help you? If you are only covered for outpatient therapy, do they break those figures down for you and try to help you obtain some reimbursement?
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- Who is providing the therapy in the program?
The majority of these programs are therapeutic in nature, offering different ratios of licensed professionals to trained personnel. Perhaps the most important factor in therapy is connection. Your child may benefit more from a counselor trained at a specific program than from a degreed professional. It is important to understand how much therapy (individual and group) is offered on a weekly basis and by whom. Keep in mind students do better when they have a new environment with new role models and a consistent set of consequences. With whom your child connects most, whether it be a trained staff member within the program or a licensed psychologist, may be irrelevant. Most important is that your child has made a connection and is beginning to head in a healthy direction.
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- How is the educational program organized?
Academics are normally not the most important part of an emotional-growth program, they are secondary to the emotional needs of your child. However there are a few programs designed to use demanding academics as a motivator, but most programs use some kind of self-paced academics with the help of a tutor, because many of the students have sizable gaps in their educational portfolios. Once the student begins to feel better about himself/herself and self-esteem issues improve, the academics usually follow and education is once again important. For many students, a self-paced curriculum is very motivating because he/she is not in competition with anyone but himself/herself.
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- What other skills do you teach students besides school and emotional growth?
Some schools teach wood working, farming, gardening, animal care, food preparation and the arts. Most of these help the program operate and teach your child the value of honest labor. Through these, the students get the opportunity to contribute to the school community overall. Once this is established and trust is gained, community service off the school grounds can begin; usually a very rewarding experience and necessary for the child to learn to operate within as well as give back to his/her community.
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- What kind of students do you serve?
Many parents are concerned about the other students that their child will be living with. Most of the programs you visit will have students whose parents are paying some or all of their child’s tuition. This separates your child from students that are wards of the state. Whether these kids have been using drugs, have an eating disorder, or are oppositional, they all share something in common: inner personal pain. What is important to look for is the “commonality” that the majority of the kids share.
If possible, visit the program/s you are considering and it is most helpful to consult with parents of children who have attended or are attending the program. Programs usually have a parent reference list and those parents are more than willing to share their experiences and “their story”.
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