Sandra G.

My son's academics have improved because the teachers take the time to cater to his learning style and see what supports are needed. He feels successful for the first time in a long time in school. He has the option to join extra-curricular activities, sports and clubs. The facilities are brand new and provide the setting of a private boarding school. The natural beauty that surrounds the school is majestic.

I didn't send my son to DRA because he was doing well at home. I wasn't looking for a ‘fun' boarding school where he could have leisure time and hang out with friends. I sent him to DRA because he was in desperate need of redirection. I sent him to DRA because it's a ‘hope' away from home. I am one of those parents who needed support to educate my son because he made wrong choices at home and was spinning out of control. I was enabling my son without knowing.

I'll spare you the details of why or how we arrived to the decision of going to DRA. I will let you know that if you are reading my comment it is because you are seeking a place where your son or daughter could be guided in the right direction. Daily, as adults, we must face our realities head on…as teenagers this is a very difficult process. Usually, parents can cope and have systems in place to support their teenagers. But when we lose this thin line, this thread, we could lose our son or daughter. There are many schools advertised on the Internet making it a difficult choice to send our children away. Perhaps many are good intentioned institutions and perhaps they are not the right choice. When looking for a place away from home, it's not easy…first because we don't want to send our children away from us, it gives us a feeling of failure and second, we are taking a leap of faith.

Today, DRA gives me hope that my son will have a better future. Although it is completely up to him if he turns the page and goes in the right direction, I couldn't think of a safer place to have a teenager who needs support away from home. Ultimately, he is being taught to rethink, to empower himself out of the mess he got into in the first place. The program is comprehensive. I'm not sure it's for all children; I recommend you ask admissions if it is the right program for your child. Personally, this is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make. It's the partnership, the weekly glimpses of hope that let's me know I made the right choice.