Frequently Asked Questions
We work with children ages 12-17
Yes, but he must do so voluntarily. Many boys choose to stay on beyond their required stay to work as interns, or to serve the program that has helped them so much.
Due to the nature of our program, and the lessons that need to both be learned and made a part of the habits and lifestyle of the individual before they return to their old environment and friends, parents and students make a MINIMUM 12-month commitment upon enrollment. At the 12-month mark, the child's progress is assessed and discussed with the parents accordingly to determine what future actions may be necessary.
We offer a curriculum that is self-paced, accelerated, and structured by our in-house teacher. It is designed to help students catch up on their coursework or retake courses to improve their grade point average. For more information, please visit our "what we teach" tab.
Our pastors and staff provide Biblical life direction to individual students and Biblical counseling is the mainstay of our program.
Parents fill out an initial application (free), which goes through a screening process to ensure the student is the right fit for the program, and then the parent can begin the process of enrollment.
Yes, our parent reference list, with contact information is available upon request. It is not posted online due to privacy restrictions.
If counseling at home and other measures are not working, we encourage you to prayerfully seek the Lord about a residential program such as Still Waters . We will work with your child to teach respect, and to bring about care for their faith, future, and their family.
Perhaps at first, yes. However, after a few months here, most kids come to recognize the help their parents gave them by enrolling them in the program. We also provide coaching and guidance to parents throughout the program for what to expect.
We perform thorough background checks on all staff, as well as regular and random screenings, and reviews of driving records.
We have 24-hour supervision with a 6:1 ratio of students to staff. We invite you to ask about our local reputation by speaking with the sheriff, city hall, or local social services.
We ensure that our tuition rates are as low as possible, so all families can participate. Donations to Still Waters helps to fund ministry wide needs, and whatever is left is spread over all residents and reflected in our low tuition rates. Sponsorships may be available from your local church. Banks are sometimes willing to provide loans for such cases as well.
We will work with families to find solutions in cases of difficult and changing financial circumstances.
Since we are a program designed to bring about change in attitudes and behaviors, we have found that initial contact with the family should be limited. There is no communication allowed for the first 30 days. After the first initial 30 days however, phone calls will be made every 2 weeks. Your child will call you accordingly, based on the phone call schedule that we will provide for your reference at the time of enrollment. Phone calls are limited to 10 minutes. Additional phone calls are granted, based upon behavior, on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, Father's and Mother's Day, and other such holidays. Written communication is unlimited, but all written communication will be screened upon receipt.
The application forms have a complete list of items that need to be supplied.
We accept students that we are confident we can help. If our program is not a good fit for your child, we will do our best to help you find the right program elsewhere.
We make it clear that expulsion (or attempting to run away) will not mean that he can go home, but that he will likely go somewhere that is much harder, and have to start over. This usually helps keep problems and thoughts of an “easy out” through expulsion in check. If your child is expelled however, we will do our best to help you find another program.
Still Waters itself does not offer loans; however, we have the Healthcare lending agencies that can help you with that. Ask us about it when you call.
Have more questions? Get in touch.