CORE | Coalition for Residential Education

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Catherine Hershey Awards!

Student of the Year
Joseph Sinboonrawd, from the Crossnore School
“Joseph is who he has decided to be in the classroom, in the workplace, in the cottage and on the basketball court. He is an incredibly positive role model on this campus. He is a leader with an uncanny ability to repair anything and everything from relationships to DVD’s to bikes,” reports nominator Dr. Phyllis Crain, Executive Director.

Alumnus of the Year
Stephanie Rodgers, from Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes
“From a background of severe abuse, Stephanie has become a wonderful, positive, energetic role model for the children in our care, our staff and many others,” shares her nominator, David Perry, Executive Director. Among other accomplishments, “Stephanie recently served as the PTA president for a large local public high school, and is an active leader in her church.”

Administrator of the Year
Dwight Lord, of Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
“Mr. Lord’s passion is the day to day opportunities to work directly with our students and the staff who provide for their care and well-being. He leads by example!” enthuses Bill Frye, Vice President. Since taking over one of the ranch campuses, “staff turnover is minimal, he implemented the Positive Peer Culture model, created an Independent Living Curriculum that works, developed extensive community relationships that brought many volunteers and new opportunities for students, and succeeded in reopening closed cottages through a bold plan and relationships with other child caring agencies.”

Residential Educator of the Year
Dennis Moore, of the Milton Hershey School
“The nominee has the ability to connect with our students like few others do,” relate nominators Weber, Brenner, Fouche, and Cudworth of the School. “He is committed to a holistic educational approach that takes the whole child into consideration. The nominee functions as a listener and a negotiator… He communicates needs and desires across cultures, enabling others to see the choices that need to be made in order to find common ground and solutions that benefit all. Most important is the nominee’s reserve of internal peace and solace. Students, houseparents, faculty, and administration look to the nominee for guidance, support and advice.”

Residential Supervisor of the Year
Kent Nelson, of Hillcrest Family Services
“Kent has a vibrant spirit that is catching to those around him. He motivates others just out of the love he displays for his work, which shows through how he interacts with students and staff. Kent has a wealth of knowledge due to his long direct care work history (20 years) and training with Hillcrest, and others seek out his experience,” wrote nominator John Bellini, Director of Residential Education.

Philanthropists of the Year
Marianne and Jim Denning, from St. Josephs Indian School
“Jim and Marianne have become like family. They work tirelessly to meet our children’s physical needs. They also attend our wacipi – powwow — every year, and also graduations, helping us fulfill our students’ emotional needs by showing their love and generosity”, wrote Aleece Montoya and Mike Tyrell, Houseparent and Administrator, respectively.

Board Member of the Year
Sheriff Brad Steube, of Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches
“Sheriff Steube discovered early on the important role that law officers could play in helping these troubled young boys to achieve success. As Board Chair he has worked diligently in improving Board relations, increasing Sheriff’s participation and encouraging increased donations. He also regularly visits the programs, spending time with staff and students, and listening to their issues,” states Bill Frye, Vice President.

For more details about attending the conference and joining us in our celebrations, please click here!

This is just a sneak-peak at what we have in store for you:

Preparing Students for Career Success — The Power of Partnerships:
Presented by Robert Kemmery and Linda Rooney Davis of the Milton Hershey School (PA)
Students at the Milton Hershey School are better positioned for a successful entry into postsecondary education and the world of work having experienced a solid academic platform AND having all gone through relevant career / technical programs, including work experiences in local companies.

The Cottage Experience:
Presented by Heath Kull of The New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranches, Inc. (NM)
Learn about this 5-day intensive experiential residential training program wherein residential staff live in a cottage as students do. This greatly “reduces the systemic, rules-based tendencies of our staff.” says Kull.

Reducing Restraint and Seclusion in the RE Setting:
Presented by James Freeman of Casa Pacifica (CA)
“When less time is spent on crisis intervention and addressing challenging behaviors, more time can be invested in delivering high-quality education and services.” says Freeman. Casa Pacifica’s program is getting terrific results, and being replicated across the country.

For more details about the conference, please click here!

CORE welcomes Aviva Braun as the new Communications Director! A Washington, DC-area native, Braun moved back recently to the DC area from State College, PA where she received her Master Degree in Meteorology. While in graduate school, she discovered that she enjoys working with people more than solely with computers, and that her future is likely in non-profit organizations. She has developed an affinity towards at-risk youth and their communities — and volunteers once a week at a local hepatitis / HIV clinic. She is very happy to have found a home at CORE. We welcome her and know that she’ll bring a vast pool of knowledge to our organization!

CORE’s National Conference this year is March 16-18th. Make sure you, or somebody from within your organization, comes to share ideas and meet others from within the residential education field! We’ll also discuss significant CORE initiatives with our members! Please follow the link provided at the bottom of our home page to find out all the conference details and to sign up! We hope to see you there!

Carol Emig, President of Child Trends, the nation’s leading independent research and policy center focused exclusively on improving outcomes for children, will offer the Opening Keynote address at the 2011 CORE National Conference on March 16, at the Milton Hershey School, in Hershey, PA. Ms. Emig was recently Executive Director of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, and directed all aspects of this important panel. Other conference highlights include: Student-led tours of the Milton Hershey School, a focus on outcomes collection, a half day on student use of technology – the opportunities and challenges, Catherine Hershey awards for those in the residential education field, workshops, and more.

CORE just completed a national survey of existing residential education programs.  The 2010 survey “Residential Education In The United States: An Overview,” garnered a 61% response rate, with 107 residential education programs serving approximately 12,550 children and youth answering questions on Program Models, Student Demographics, Outcomes, Budget, and more.

Findings show residential education programs overwhelmingly exemplify a dedication to modeling themselves after a family lifestyle: 92% accommodate students in houses or cottages; 75% utilize full-time, live-in house couples. View Program Model Findings

To receive a complete copy of survey findings, please email coreinfo@residentialeeducation.org

Dr. Ed Knight, President of Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services of Austin, TX and Tina Aycock, Executive Director, Hope Village for Children of Meridian, MS joined the CORE Board of Directors at CORE’s Annual Meeting September 30, 2010. “The addition of these new board members significantly strengthens our collective expertise, and our ability to better serve vulnerable children, youth, and families,” said Executive Director and Founder Heidi Goldsmith.

Tina Aycock is Hope Village’s first Executive Director, assisting the program’s creation, in partnership with television star Sela Ward. Tina has served at-risk in Mississippi since 1988, as a Rehabilitation Counselor and as Executive Director of East MS Children’s Shelter. Hope Village is a residential education program that provides a broad spectrum of specialized programs, services, and facilities to youth in the foster care system. These services include Emergency shelters for children ages birth through 18, therapeutic group homes for children ages 12 through 20 and two transitional homes designed for young adults preparing to age out of the foster care system. Tina’s degrees include a BA in Social Work from Mississippi State University and an MS in Counseling and Psychology from the University of West Alabama.

For the past 25 years, Dr. Ed Knight has worked tirelessly to expand offerings to under-served populations in Texas and Louisiana. Since becoming President of Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services in 2002, he has expanded offerings to include six residential campuses in different cities in Texas for abused and disturbed children; one residential campus for single mothers and their children; community-based foster care in several communities, family preservation programs in eighteen cities in Texas and Louisiana, and an advanced education program for high school graduates. Ed’s many degrees include a Doctorate in Organization Development, Colorado Technical University and Master of Science degree in Social Work, University of Texas. Ed is recipient of the 2008 Catherine Hershey Administrator of the Year award. “I am proud to be a part of this national association.  I can think of no higher calling than to support the advancement of residential programs in America that nurture young lives and work to enhance each youth’s educational experience.  The work of our member agencies across the country, to offer new opportunities to disadvantaged youth, makes our nation stronger.”

CORE member programs will gather on Capitol Hill on September 29 to showcase to policymakers and Administration officials what (and how) residential education programs offer youth, their families, and our communities — and how policymakers can ensure our programs’ continued effectiveness and best uses of resources.

CORE will also unveil the most recent findings from its national survey – the only one of its kind currently conducted – Residential Education in the U.S.: An Overview. The findings provide an overall landscape of the residential education field, including who is served by residential education programs, program models used, funding and referral sources, and compelling overall outcomes.

For more information, please contact the CORE office.

We are pleased to announce that an impressive 78.5% of 2010 CORE-member residential education program graduates will attend two- and four-year colleges this fall.

Another 13.1% will attend trade and technical schools, while 1.6% will join the military and 7% will enter the workforce.

This achievement is especially impressive given the backgrounds of these youth: the vast majority are from low-income, single or zero parent families, with many from the foster care system. A significant number were homeless prior to enrolling in one of the approximately 40 residential education programs in CORE’s network.

When compared to the national college enrollment rate for all high school graduates of 70.1% (2009, latest figure, Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor), one can see the effectiveness of residential education for disadvantaged youth who are traditionally underrepresented in post-secondary education.

CORE applauds all graduates and their programs for this outstanding success. Congratulations!

CORE is thrilled to announce a strengthened partnership with Bryan Samuels, Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he is currently serving as the federal head of foster care. CORE and its member programs will meet quarterly with Commissioner Samuels to discuss advocacy, outcomes measurement, research, and more.

Those who attended this year’s CORE National Conference will remember him as the inspiring and very effective closing keynote speaker.

We look forward to continuing our dialogue with him!