Admissions Process
Eagle Ranch is not an emergency shelter or short-term residential program. The average length of stay is 24 months.
The child’s legal guardian must complete the admissions process which takes a minimum of four weeks if there is an available opening. The admissions process can be started by calling Eagle Ranch at 770.967.8500 or emailing our Admissions Team at admissions@eagleranch.org
The following is an overview of our process. We continually evaluate if our program can meet your family’s needs as you move through these steps. At any time in the admissions process, if the Eagle Ranch program is determined not to be the best option for your family, we will provide a list of potential resources.
Step 1 – Contact Eagle Ranch.
To get started, please call the Ranch Office at 770.967.8500 or email the Admissions Team at admissions@eagleranch.org. The Parent/Guardian will speak with a staff member and answer a series of questions about your child’s situation.
Necessary Documentation: At this point, if Eagle Ranch may be a fit for your family, you will be asked to send in some paperwork. Some of the paperwork required includes a completed program application, school records (academic & behavioral), referral forms, and mental health documentation as determined by our Admissions Team.
Step 2 – We Contact You.
Once all the requested documentation has been received, a member of the Admissions Team will contact you to advise you of the next steps. These steps include setting up the first family interview or reviewing referrals if our program is not the best fit. If the program is a good fit for the needs of your family but there are no current openings, the Admission Team will discuss the benefits of waiting for an opening or review alternative placement options that could help sooner.
Step 3 – First Family Interview.
The purpose of this interview is for our team to get to know your family better and for your family to gain a better understanding of the Eagle Ranch program. All family members (adults and children in the home) are required to attend this meeting. This in-person meeting generally lasts 1.5 hours. Following this meeting, if it looks like our program would be a potential fit for the needs of your family, we will schedule clinical interviews.
Step 4 – Clinical Interviews.
Clinical interviews involve one meeting with the potential home team and another meeting with a member of the Eagle Ranch School. The purpose of these meetings is for everyone involved to meet face-to-face and have all your questions answered. The entire family is asked to attend this 1 to 1.5-hour time frame.
Step 5 – Acceptance or Referral.
If accepted into the Eagle Ranch program, additional documentation will be needed for admission, and the date of admission will be determined. If the Eagle Ranch program is determined not to be the best option for a family at any time in the process, we will provide a list of referrals upon request.
Eagle Ranch is an affordable option for all families.
In our 35 years of operations, no family has been turned away because of finances as long as other placement criteria are met. Utilizing a Program Fee Financial Worksheet and FACTS Aid Assessment, Eagle Ranch is able to acknowledge household resources as well as other financial obligations and then determine a fee the family can afford. Thanks to the continuing generosity and faithfulness of our donors, no family pays the full cost of the program.
