Summit School at Nyack Residential Program

Residential Program

The Summit School at Nyack’s residential program is designed to allow students to develop the tools and skills necessary to be independent, successful, and fulfilled individuals. We focus on creating authentic experiences that mimic the circumstances students will find themselves in after they leave Summit.

Expect support, guidance, and consistency.

Tiffany Reid
Director of Residential Programming

We are committed to providing an enriching, supportive, therapeutic, comfortable, and fun program which allows each student to become an integral member of a thriving community. Through group living, students learn to take personal care of themselves and their possessions, compromise and negotiate with others, as well as develop leadership skills.

Summit’s residential program is most effective when students are active participants in their own social and emotional development. We recognize that although all residential students are voluntarily placed at Summit, the transition to living away from home can be a trying experience for some. We make every effort to provide a feeling of comfort and warmth for residential services.

Keeping with our goal of providing a real world experience, Summit students are allowed personal electronics and other comforts of home, when appropriate.

The residence program is staffed by a group of dedicated, patient, and experienced counselors, most of whom who have made career long commitments to the Summit community. Focusing on teaching skills, reinforcing expectations, and actively acknowledging positive behaviors, the staff helps guide students towards good decisions in the present, and the creation of a healthy and adaptable approach to life.

The bonds developed during residential living often extend far beyond the student’s time at Summit into lasting friendships.

Being praised for self improvement is great, but being accepted for who you are is ideal. True happiness is knowing that the space between who you are now and who you hope to become is beautiful. Summit staff member Francheska Fernandez shares her thoughts about how happiness is not one size fits all; at Summit, students are encouraged to discover what happiness means to them. “…That is the big picture of Summit,” she explains. “It’s a safe space where you can be you.”

Home Visits

Social workers maintain contact and provide support to family members to establish effective home rules and predictable responses to problematic circumstances. Parents are empowered to make the decision for home visitation, thus demonstrating to their children that they are ready and capable of making decisions that are in their child’s best interest. Confidence for both the students and families builds up through repeated home visits, ultimately setting the stage for a successful transition back to home when the time comes for graduation or a return to the local school district.

At times, home visits are not practical or appropriate for Summit students. Students may hold local jobs, have far to travel, or not yet be in the position to experience success while at home. Students remaining at Summit on weekends or school breaks enjoy the ability to interact with a smaller group of students. A modified recreational schedule is maintained throughout these time periods, as well as additional free time on campus that is typically enjoyed in adolescence.

Success comes from helping students repair relationships with their families and transition back to their communities.

Anthony Geathers
Assistant Director of Residential Programming