Frequently Asked Questions
While every child and family has different needs, the average length of stay is 14 to 18 months.
Yes. Each house has two awake overnight staff.
No. The horse program is strictly voluntary. We never force a child to participate. For many children coming to Sandhill, horses are a new experience. We carefully introduce the children to the animals and assess their level of desire to interact with the animals. The majority of our students eventually enjoy interacting with the animals and this is very therapeutic for them.
Phone calls between parents and their child take place once per week or more as deemed clinically appropriate. The first visit usually takes place approximately 6 weeks after admission and then about every 6 weeks thereafter. We recognize that each family has unique needs and individualize the visitation to each family.
The structure of a typical school day at Sandhill is as follows:
Weekday Schedule:
7:00 – 8:30am
Children are woken up by school staff and get ready for the day, eat breakfast and clean up. Having the school staff in the homes during this time provides for a better transition to the school day and allows the teachers and teacher’s aides to be aware of how each individual child is doing.
8:30 – 9:15am
Study Hall, transition to classrooms
9:15 – 12:15 pm
Core Curriculum Classes all grades
12:15 – 1:00pm
Lunch
1:00 – 2:00pm
Electives all grades
2:15 – 3:00pm
Pro-Social Group
3:00 – 4:30 pm
Afternoon activities. These will vary depending on the individual and group needs but are specifically meant to be neuroregulatory and therapeutic. Acitvities may include horseback riding, working with the barn animals, bike riding, exercise, group games, walks, local volunteer work, etc.
4:30 – 5:30pm
Evening hygiene and dinner prep begin, low key activities
5:30 – 6:15 pm
Dinner
6:15 – 7:45 pm
Showers, hygiene, regulating activities
7:45 – 8:45 pm
Quiet time. Staff read to the children and see them to bed
This schedule is only meant to be a sample. At various times a child’s schedule may change to accommodate individual therapy, family therapy, neurofeedback, and meetings with our psychiatrist.
