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Showing posts from December, 2011

Red River Academy - Buyer Beware - IMO

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Making the right choice takes time. Don't get scammed. As a victim of the WWASPS organization - I am often called or receive many emails about our (my daughter and I) experiences with them.  Obviously not pleasant.  Though I am happy to say the program she was at, Carolina Springs Academy, which attempted to go through a name change to Magnolia Christian Academy (or School) depending on the day you Googled it, is finally closed - it has been rumored some of the staff is now at their affiliate program - Red River Academy. Let me be clear for legal purposes - these are rumors - but if I were placing my child in program, I personally wouldn't take any chances - and furthermore, Red River Academy is clearly named in the current lawsuit which is extremely disturbing with allegations of fraud, abuse, neglect and much more - ( click here ) that is current. So when the "sales rep" tells you that " Sue Scheff " is a disgruntled parent - I say - YES, I was - y

New Youth Smoking Data

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New data, from the Florida Department of Health, shows a decline in the prevalence of cigarette smoking among Florida’s middle school and high school students.The National Institutes of Health sent out a release about the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), which shows that cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the MTF survey began polling teens in 1975. Release: http://www.nih.gov/news/ health/dec2011/nida-14.htm Below is a complete press release on the Florida youth data. The national 2011 results released last week showed that 18.7 percent of 12th-graders reported current (past-month) cigarette use. In Florida, that prevalence rate is below the national average at just 15.4 percent. Three weeks ago, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids ranked Florida Ranks 13th in " Protecting Kids from Tobacco. ” ( http://www.prnewswire.com/ news-releases/national-report- florida-r

Educational Consultants verses a Parent Consultant

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As a parent, YOU can make the right choices. Do you really need to pay someone up to $5000.00 to tell you that you need to send your child to the woods for a glorified camping trip aka Wilderness program then to a residential program or are you capable of doing this yourself?  Let's look at this..... Maybe you can save yourself some money...... Educational Consultants were originally designed to help parents with their teens to find the right colleges and with the application process. As the shift in teen help increased, they seemed to branch out into the residential treatment field. Most have not experienced what you are going through.  Most do not know what you are dealing with at home.  Only an experienced parent that has been there really knows that feeling of helplessness. What is the EC Shuffle ? Find out more and try not to get into the mix.  Parent Consultants do not employ this type of assistance for your needs.  " The EC I spoke with only wants $500.00,

Facebook Status Red Flags for Parents of Teens

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Especially at the holidays, teenagers can feel blue just like some adults.  Know how your kids are feeling.  What are their Facebook status saying? "Forgive me." "When will this end?" "I hate my life" RED FLAGS and parenting.  Know them! Facebook is the social hangout of the internet for all ages, but it is particularly true of teenagers. Teenagers often are much more open about what they are thinking and feeling in this cyber environment than most older adults. Since teens experience many emotional ups and downs, it can be easy to dismiss most of their dramatic postings as nothing more than normal teenage drama. However, there have been too many instances in recent years when parents had wished they’d paid more attention to what their teenager had posted as their ‘current status’. Here a few status updates parents should watch for and investigate further. I can’t take it anymore. Although, this could mean anything from homework overl