Brehm’s Boarding Program
Benefits of Brehm’s Boarding Program
Brehm’s Boarding Program is a vital component in keeping with Brehm’s holistic model. Aligning with our mission, our boarding program supports the whole student and focuses on their complete development, so we are not only addressing the academics but also the social and emotional aspects that come with being a young adult with a learning disability. Students are assigned to dorms based on gender, age, and the level of hand-over-hand support the student needs. Our dorms provide a family-style and supportive environment where students feel safe to try, fail and try again.
Our structure gives students a sense of independence while maintaining 24-hour supervision.
Kenya Govan, MS. Ed
Director of Student Life
“I love working at Brehm because of the students.”
Dormitories
Brehm has 5 dorms, each equipped with a least 8 rooms, a kitchen, a student lounge, a bathroom, and a laundry room.
Bedrooms
Brehm has a minimum of 85 available beds for students. That includes a bed, desk, closet space, and drawers.
Independent Living Skills minutes
A minimum of 1445 minutes are spent on independent living skills per week.
Staff-to-Student Ratio
During all the hours of Student Life time, students have 1 staff available for every 5 students.
Boarding
Highlights
Social Skills Sessions
Students participate in weekly social skills sessions led by dorm parents to help them navigate various social situations more effectively.
Independent Living Skills
Independent living skill instruction occurs throughout the Brehm experience to guide each student to their personal level of independence.
Shopping and Budgeting
Students shop for wants and necessities such as specialty snacks, laundry soap, and personal hygiene supplies. The staff helps students budget and become mindful consumers.
The Dorm Parent
Our Dorm Parents are a dedicated team of professionals who meet students where they are in terms of the level of support they require while preparing them for independence. Dorm parents ensure your child is well-balanced, supported, and challenged. The Dorm Parents’ primary focus is on independent living skills such as:
- room cleanliness
- daily chores
- laundry
- meal preparation
- budgeting
- self-advocacy
Weekly Social Skills
Structured Daily Activities Keep Students Focused
Our weekly Social Skills meetings, facilitated by Dorm Parents in each dorm, focus on our students’ social challenges that may impede learning. The curriculum teaches students self-advocacy skills, how to initiate and appropriately end conversations, resolve conflict, distinguish between healthy and unhealthy relationships, maintain appropriate boundaries, recognize and pick up on verbal and nonverbal social cues, prepare for job interviews, budgeting (wants vs. needs) and a host of other topics and strategies.
Because many of our students are visual learners, depending on the subject, the sessions include role-playing and skits. The social piece is as important as learning to read and write.
Campus Forum
There is also a weekly Campus Forum meeting with all students during which issues are presented and discussed. Topics range from upcoming campus events to matters that are global in scope. This meeting allows students to discuss issues and concerns with an emphasis on problem-solving and self-advocacy.
Tier System
Brehm also has a Tier System that objectively measures behavior academically, socially, and emotionally. The tier system provides opportunities for independence based on the level of support required, rewards responsible behavior, and provides accurate feedback to students and parents in preparation for transitioning into post-secondary experiences. The Positive Reward System allows students to earn points for completing daily tasks.
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Academics
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Emotionality
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