FAQs

When compared to the typical 30-day (sometimes costing as much as $30,000), the THRIVE Girls Academy ministry student tuition is exceptionally reasonable and are listed in the application. As a ministry, it is our desire to help you and your family and we have kept costs affordable, especially when comparing the success rates of traditional programs to the well-documented success rate of Teen Challenge – 78%! •Costs: Please contact our Intake/Admissions at 512-545-2226 Monday -Friday 9am-4:30pm (central time) to learn more, and discuss applicable costs. • Intake Admissions appointments are set for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday @ 1:00pm. A date for her intake can be scheduled as soon as all paperwork is completed and has been received.

Financial-Assistance

We are not a medical/clinical facility. We are a qualifying care organization that helps young women, ages 12-17 recover from defiant behavior, abuse, neglect, self-harm, life-controlling substance abuse, and other tragedies. Students have weekly therapy with Thrive Works Therapists and Counselors which are an outside contact. Therapy is covered by medical insurance.

We encourage all parents/guardians to pursue student sponsorships from their immediate circle of influence such as church pastors & members, relatives, and friends. Some parents have a GoFundMe student sponsorship to use toward their daughter’s monthly tuition.

Teen Challenge is known to be the most successful ministry of its’ kind with a well-documented independent study reporting a 78% success rate! We believe in the “Jesus Factor” as the answer. Every aspect of our ministry – the curriculum, Advising/mentoring and 24/7 ministry – is Christ-centered and focused on teaching these young women that there is a hope, a future and a plan for their lives through Jesus. THRIVE Girls Academy students participate in daily devotions AM & PM, Bible study, foundational Christian curriculum, chapel every Tuesday, church / worship services Sunday Morning as a group, Scripture memorization and the daily living of Godly principles for relationships, personal responsibility and attitude. While Teen Challenge of Texas and THRIVE Girls Academy Home does not refuse admission to any child on the grounds of race, religion or ethnic origin, these activities are not optional activities in our ministry. Please do NOT enroll your daughter in our ministry if you or she are unwilling to agree to her full participation in all planned activities.

Completing the curriculum is a requirement of our ministry regardless of whether or not someone agrees with the message and each student will receive a transferable school credit when participating in Teen Challenge PSNL curriculum. Students also receive a ½ school credit for participating in the Life Skills classes. Attending church services are required and we ask that an attitude of respect is shown even if they do not desire to participate ‘whole-heartedly’. There will never be consequences given to a student for a student’s lack of agreement in what we teach. Each one of us has to make a decision of whether we want to accept the message of the Gospel or not. It is a personal decision that no one can force on anyone else. While we understand that not everyone may agree with the message, or appreciate the activities, we do require respect towards these areas and participation in all activities. Each student who completes also receives 1 credit towards PE that is transferable to any school or college.

No. We are NOT a lock-down facility but have security cameras on each floor and inside/outside grounds. Your daughter can walk out the doors anytime that she desires. We will not physically restrain her from doing so and will not chase after her. We do provide a GPS ankle monitor for girls who request or If parent/guardians request. Should they decide to run from THRIVE Girls Academy, or any place where we are visiting (church, concerts, banquets, etc.) our policy is to notify the police immediately. Their name is placed on a nationwide runaway bulletin and they will be detained upon being picked up. Parents are then responsible for retrieving their child and her belongings. While we rarely have students run away, most will decide that remaining at THRIVE Girls Academy is the preferable choice to running and the consequences that brings with it. A note of caution: If your daughter has a history of running from facilities such as ours, has family in the Texas area or other contributing factors to be considered that would make this a high-risk situation, a lock-down facility, or ministry in an unfamiliar area or different style of ministry may be a better option for her own protection. For referrals please contact our Admissions Coordinator at (512) 545-2226

Yes. We are partners with accredited schooling Alta & Ignitia Academics .1 st period is spent on Teen Challenge curriculum, 2nd and 3rd period is spend on class work from Alta & Ignitia Academics. With Alta & Ignitia Academics students start with 2 credits when enrolling and can take up to 6 credits while at THRIVE Girls Academy for the duration of the year stay. Students can receive 1 credit from THRIVE Girls Academy for participation in PE/recreation for the 12 months stay. Alta & Ignitia can provide recovery credits if needed.

As an agency and nationally accredited Teen Challenge, THRIVE Girls Academy has minimum requirements for its staff. Minimally, each of the Direct Care staff has been fingerprinted, trained in CPR/First Aid, de-escalation, and meets annual Teen Challenge CEU requirements (24 per year). THRIVE Girls Academy is continually providing staff training to ensure that our staff is the best they can be! Additionally, the Advisors/mentors on staff are Biblical Advisors, well-trained in the dynamics of Biblical Counseling and working with troubled and at-risk youth. The Teacher on staff is a Nationally Accredited Teacher with Teen Challenge USA, having met the requirements of certification with our national office. Their work is overseen by a well-qualified Teen Challenge Director and Campus Manager. In general, THRIVE Girls Academy is proud to not only meet the minimum requirements set forth by the State of Texas, Cognia Accreditations, and Teen Challenge USA, in regard to education and experience, but far exceeds those requirements in all areas. All members of the staff are caring and compassionate and are held to a higher standard and Christlike example.

This is to be expected. Not many of the young ladies that come to THRIVE Girls Academy are thrilled when they first come to the home. They are scared, resistant to change and sometimes defiant. The young ladies that come to THRIVE Girls Academy must agree to come into our ministry, comply with the rules of the home and participate fully in the activities of our ministry. They do not have to be happy about it. At Admissions a child of understanding form will be given to parent and student to review and sign. After a short period of adjustment, most realize that THRIVE Girls Academy is a great place to learn, meet their goals, and improve their behaviors/attitude! We have a structured ministry and high expectations of each of them. Occasionally THRIVE will have a young lady who refuses to comply and becomes incorrigible and defiant refusing to comply with any rules or participate in any activities. We will do everything we can to encourage their participation however we will not ever physically force them to participate. If they continue in this manner, we will have a staff intervention. Some students are dismissed back into parents care and can be referred to a national placement specialist for a higher-risk program.

Your daughter’s legal issues may not prevent her from getting the help she needs at THRIVE Girls Academy. Simply fill out the information on the Application and provide us with all of the court information requested. Remember that you will still be responsible for any transportation to and from court appearances. If you are from a state other than Texas, you will need to secure an Interstate Compact from the state prior to your daughter coming into the THRIVE Girls Academy ministry as Teen Challenge of Texas abides by the Interstate Compact on Juveniles and Indian Child Welfare Act. Contact the Texas Secretary of State’s office for information.

Your daughter’s medical issues may not prevent her from getting the help she needs at THRIVE Girls Academy, however, we require that any routine doctor / orthodontist visits be taken care of before they enter our ministry. While we will immediately respond to any medical emergency that may arise, routine or scheduled doctor/orthodontist visits remain your responsibility and will only be allowed during regularly scheduled family visit times. Contact our Ministry Coordinator for any questions.

It is generally strongly discouraged that you have your daughter fly home for visits and/or completion of the THRIVE Girls Academy ministry without supervision. However, we understand that from time to time, you may not have any alternative. Should it be necessary for you to schedule flights for your daughter to take, we require that all flights be direct, non-stop flights from Austin or Houston to your final destination. You must coordinate all of these (pre-approved by the Center Director) arrangements with your daughter’s Advisor as you are reliant upon them for transportation to and from the airport. Parents must meet their daughter upon arrival and immediately contact specified THRIVE Girls Academy staff to confirm safe arrival and departure for return to the Home. A parental release form prior to leaving must be completed and emailed back to the center. The form is obtained from Campus Director.

As an Accredited facility, THRIVE Girls Academy is required to maintain a menu consisting of a well-balanced diet for all of our students. We do NOT make special menus for those who are vegetarians / vegans and require that they eat what is served here at THRIVE Girls Academy which will include meat and other proteins. We track eating habits when necessary and insist that all students eat the well-balanced meals provided (3 main meals and 3 snacks daily)323s If your daughter has a severe food allergy, we ask that we be notified of this prior to scheduling an Admissions date. Some food allergies are very difficult to accommodate in a group setting such as ours and we want to make certain that we are not putting your daughter at risk. Most allergies are not a problem to accommodate however, for our records, we would need to have written documentation of this allergy from her primary care physician to place in her file. We cannot guarantee that there will be no cross contamination of food.

You are requested to be an active participant in your daughter’s life. It is essential that you participate in any scheduled family therapy/counseling, weekly phone calls, family weekend visits as scheduled, parent counseling assignments, financial support/fundraising, on-going medical care of daughter, and understanding and cooperation with the rules. The assigned Advisor may request that you read books on specific subjects or work on specific assignments for family counseling. These will help you understand your daughter’s experience at THRIVE Girls Academy and how you can best help her now and when she returns home. We appreciate and need your cooperation and participation. An unwillingness to participate may limit the long-term success of your daughter’s recovery. There are 4 mandatory THRIVE Girls Academy sessions required within the 12 month stay.