FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the cost of the Bloom program?
The actual cost of the Bloom program is approximately $10,000 per student per month! We ask families to pay half of the cost of the program in four payments of $5,000 beginning at the day of Intake. Additionally, parents need to secure their Intake date with a non-refundable Intake fee at Program Acceptance). We are committed, with the help of generous donors, to provide each family with a 50% scholarship of the tuition cost ($20,000) to keep our program affordable. As a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit organization, these scholarships are provided through the generous donations of individuals throughout our business, individual and church communities. To help families in need, we have also partnered with Prosper Healthcare Lending to provide gap funding for the program tuition. Please visit the bottom of the Finances/Tuition page for more information on Prosper Healthcare Lending and how they can help provide affordable financing options.
What does the Tuition Fee cover?
The tuition fee for Bloom covers all program costs associated with your daughter’s stay once she arrives. Minimally, this includes her meals (at least 270 of them!), lodging (cost of home maintenance, utilities, telephone, etc), 24/7 supervision from qualified and well-trained staff, weekly individual, family and group counseling, customized Teen Challenge Nationally Accredited curriculum, recreation / educational activities, program travel, special event clothing, etc.
NOT included are incidentals, such as toiletries, clothing, books, prescriptions, travel for family visits, outside medical care, or damage / vandalism done by the student.
Is financial aid available?
As Bloom already provides a 50% scholarship to each family enrolled, no additional financial aid is provided unless we have been gifted with additional scholarship funds. If you are in need of help in financing the program costs, we have provided a link on our website to Prosper Healthcare Lending.
Are Intake or Tuition Fees refundable?
No. Intake fees secure the date your daughter is scheduled to come into the program. In the event that something prohibits her from entering the program on her scheduled date, we may schedule a different date for her intake and apply that fee to the new date. If a new date is NOT scheduled, this fee is forfeited. Reapplication and re-scheduling will require a new Intake fee payment unless it has been agreed to otherwise.
Paid Tuition fees are nonrefundable. Upon Intake, the initial payment of $4,500 is due. Should your daughter make the decision to run from the program, be discharged prior to completion or you decide to remove her from the program, except in the event of a medical emergency, you will NOT be issued a refund. You will NOT however, be responsible for the payment of any additional funds.
What do you mean by “faith-based” program?
Adult & Teen Challenge is known to be the most successful program of its kind with a well-documented independent study reporting an 86% success rate! The reason for our success is our unwavering commitment to provide Christ-centered care. Every aspect of our program – the curriculum, counseling and 24/7 supervision – 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.
We are a discipleship program designed to get to the root of whatever the problem might be and help our students view their issues and their lives through the lens of God’s Word. Our students participate in daily devotions, Bible study, Christian curriculum, chapel, church/worship services, and the daily living of Godly principles for relationships, personal responsibility and attitude.
Adult & Teen Challenge New England and Bloom will never refuse admission to any child on the grounds of race, religion or ethnic origin. However, the activities in our program are NOT optional. Please do not enroll your daughter in our program if you or your daughter are unwilling to participate fully in all planned activities.
What if my daughter doesn’t WANT to participate in these activities?
Each of us has to make a decision of whether we want to accept the message of the Cross or not. It is a personal decision that no one can force upon anyone else. While we understand that not everyone may agree with the message, or appreciate the activities, we do require participation and respect towards these areas. Completing the curriculum is a requirement of our program, regardless of whether or not someone agrees with the message. Attending church services is 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 their lack of agreement in what we teach – merely if they fail to show respect to others.
Are you a locked facility or can my daughter run away?
No. We are NOT a lock-down facility and your daughter can walk out the doors anytime she desires. We will not physically restrain her from doing so and will not chase after her. Should they decide to run from the home, or any place where we are visiting, our policy is to notify the local police immediately. They will no longer be eligible to return to Bloom and we will work with parents to find a program better suited to them and their desire to leave. While we will have students that run from time to time, most of our students will decide that remaining here is the preferable choice to running and the consequences that it brings.
A note of caution: If your daughter has a history of running from facilities such as ours, has family in the Cape Cod area, or other contributing factors to be considered, this could be a high-risk situation. A lock-down facility, a facility in an unfamiliar area or a different style program may be a better option for her own protection.
Will my daughter go to school while at Bloom?
When you enroll your daughter at Bloom, she will also be enrolling as a student with New Testament Christian School in Cedarville, MA. The Adult & Teen Challenge curriculum as well as some Alpha & Omega curriculum will be taught on site, graded and then submitted to New Testament Christian School for assessment and the awarding of report cards/transcripts. Parents can then submit those to the school she will be returning to. They will determine what credits will be received by them. School credits are only given to those that complete our program and the average number of credits received ranges between 7-15 credits. Remember that our first prior as a short-term program is to make the most of the time that we have with your daughter to overcome her life-destroying behaviors.
What are the qualifications of the staff at Bloom?
As a state-licensed agency and nationally accredited Adult & Teen Challenge program, Bloom has minimum requirements for its staff. Minimally, each of the direct care staff (house-parents) have been fingerprinted, CORI, SORI and background checked. Additionally, each of the Bloom staff have been trained in CPR/First Aid, de-escalation and meet the annual 24 CEU requirements for the State of Massachusetts. Our clinical counselor is a LICSW and our Biblical Counselors are overseen by a Master’s level counselor/case manager.
What if my daughter does not want to go?
It is understandable that your daughter may not be thrilled to come into our program. She likely isn’t thrilled to be going anywhere! She was enjoying doing what she was doing and may not have been motivated to change!
She will be scared, resistant to change and probably a little defiant. That is to be expected. Chances are… this was YOUR idea for her and she is only willing to go along with it because there are no other options… We do ask that each young lady that comes to Bloom agree to comply with the rules /expectations of the program and participate fully in the activities of our program – even if they may not be thrilled with it.
After a period of adjustment, she will likely realize that Bloom isn’t that bad after all and that they can, with the right attitude, actually learn a thing or two while they are here! We are very structured and will have high expectations of them, but we are confident that they will rise to the challenge and follow the rules relatively well.
It is possible on occasion that we may have a young lady who refuses to comply and becomes incorrigible and defiance, refusing to follow the rules of the program 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, and we are unable to convince them otherwise, we will be left with no choice but to dismiss them back into your care and help you find a program that can better encourage their participation.
What if we are coming from out of state and my daughter needs to fly home for visits or at the completion of the Bloom program?
We strongly encourage 48 hour visits to be done in the immediate area to avoid the time being used for travel instead of reconnecting. When Bloom has a longer student visit (Christmas time) or when it is absolutely necessary that your daughter fly home unaccompanied, we require that all flight be from Providence, RI (TF Green Airport). You must coordinate all of the arrangements with the case manager as you are reliant upon them for transportation to and from the airport and additional staffing is required. You will also be responsible for securing chaperone badges for staff that will accompany her to the gate until her flight leaves the airport, regardless of your daughter’s age.
What if my daughter is a vegetarian / vegan or has other dietary needs?
As a state-licensed facility, Bloom 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 all students eat what is served which will include meat and other proteins. The staff observes the individual eating habits of each student and flags for the counselor any eating habits that appear unusual or concerning.
If your daughter has a severe food allergy, we ask that we be notified of this prior to scheduling an intake 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.
What is required of parents during their daughter’s stay?
Parents are an important part of their daughter’s lives and are also an important part of the Bloom program. This program is as much for you as it is for her! You must be an active part of her stay here and as such, you will be required to participate in regularly scheduled family counseling, weekly visit phone calls, parent workshops as scheduled, parent counseling assignments, financial support / fundraising, on-going medical care of daughter, and understanding and cooperation with the program rules.
You will be required to read books assigned on specific subjects and complete specific assignments for family counseling. These will help you understand your daughter’s experience at Bloom and how you can best help her now and when she returns home. We appreciate your full cooperation and participation. Remember that your attitude towards the program can become hers. If you choose not to participate, you cannot very well expect her to!
If you have any questions regarding any of the above FAQ, or other questions regarding the Bloom program, please contact our office at 774-300-8070. We want you to have as much information as possible prior to enrolling your daughter in Bloom – A Place for Girls.