Start a Residential Education Program
If you are interested in starting a residential education program, good for you! Though it is a very worthy and needed endeavor, it is not easy. There are many choices in program models, a great deal of funding must be secured, local people must be convinced that your program is valuable to the community, and more.
CORE can assist you in several ways:
- By becoming a CORE member, you will meet and have access to existing residential education programs through CORE conferences, a set of industry programmatic standards (CAREStandards), monthly e-bulletins, listservs, queries, and other means.
- CORE can send you documents to help guide you as you get started.
- CORE is the only national nonprofit organization with a variety of residential education programs for disadvantaged youth in the United States.
- CORE has the expertise, experience, and connections that will help you design a world-class residential education program, including experience assisting new programs in getting started, connections to residential education programs nationwide and worldwide, up-to-date information on the models, many “promising practices” in residential education, advice on “next steps,” and ongoing, first-hand knowledge of the latest public policy developments affecting this option for youth.
YOU know the assets in your community.
YOU know the likely detractors of a project such as this one.
YOU, the local leader(s) of this initiative, will make this happen – or not.
Based on our past experience with helping individuals, organizations, and communities start new programs, we recommend the following critical steps:
- Articulate your ideas in writing
- With this concept paper in hand, develop a strong, well-connected, and diverse team of supporters. Continually fine-tune your concept paper with your team of supporters.
- Consider the many options in program design
- Select a model for your program and create a governance system (Board of Directors, Advisory Committee)
- Brainstorm about existing and potential resources
- Think ahead of time about some of the possible roadblocks to success, and factor these into your planning.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How does residential education differ from residential treatment?
See What is Residential Education?
What models exist?
Despite their philosophical commonalities, residential education programs differ widely. Some are self-contained communities in which students live and attend school on campus. Others are primarily children’s homes and students attend local public schools, but there are strong educational supports in the student homes and on the campus. Still others serve day students in addition to their residential population in their on-campus schools. Some programs house students in family-style homes in which children live with a married couple, while others utilize dormitories. A few programs are five days per week, while most are seven days per week. Some house students only during the nine-month academic year, while others are year-round programs. In most cases, the needs of the target population will drive the model that you select.
How are residential education programs typically funded?
Funding models vary as greatly as the program models. Some programs are entirely publicly funded, some are entirely privately funded, and others use a combination of public and private funding. Additionally, some use earned income models, where the program is funded by proceeds from a business or industry. Recently, the most popular funding model for new programs is public/private partnerships, particularly residential charter schools.
How much do residential education programs cost?
The cost per student per year ranges from $20,000 to $75,000, depending on a number of factors including staffing patterns, number of students served, geography, and whether publicly-referred children are accepted.
Which model does CORE recommend?
CORE does not endorse one particular model that should be replicated across the country. We believe that each community has different needs and resources, and that a residential education program should be designed to fit the needs of the local target population, the founder’s vision, and the local political realities. However, we always strongly advise against programs that are based strictly on public funding, as they come with too many harmful strings attached, and we know that when times get tough economically, the children we serve will be among the first to have their services/funding removed. Therefore, CORE advocates private funding or public-private partnerships.
Once you have made some headway, and have decided to continue pursuing this goal, join CORE so that we can share more resources with you, attend our conferences, and use our consulting services which would be geared towards your specific project. CORE has developed a national network of existing and newly developing residential schools and children’s homes for economically and socially disadvantaged children. The models are varied, though the desired outcomes are very similar. We meet every year in a different place, always hosted by a member program. You are welcome to join us! Also, feel free to read some of the articles we have published or been interviewed for. They should give you some good background.
CORE wishes you the very best on your worthy endeavor!