Life Quest Girls Academy is not a therapeutic facility and does not have any therapists on staff. However, If parents feel that there is a need for their daughter to receive therapeutic services while enrolled at Life Quest, we can make recommendations for local therapists to contact. Life Quest would then help facilitate any appointments that your daughter may have while a student at Life Quest Girls Academy. If it is decided by the parents that therapy is needed, our recommendation would be for family therapy only and not individual therapy sessions to take place. We would also highly recommend that your daughter be willing to receive family therapy and willing to apply what a therapist would suggest in order to improve her life while enrolled at Life Quest. If she is unwilling to do this, our recommendation would be to not waste your money on therapeutic services.

Transitional Housing is available at Life Quest for students who are 18 or older. We understand that some situations may exist that require a supervised stay at Life Quest Girls Academy beyond 18 years old. We expect all Transitional Housing students to be willing to be at Life Quest Girls Academy, and be willing to follow our Code of Conduct. We help all Transitional Housing students with basic living arrangements such as learning how to do things on their own, cooking, laundry, finding a job, finishing high school, managing and organizing their meds, etc. It may be more manageable to ease into these things with staff supervision rather than jump right in on their own after turning 18. During this transition time, Life Quest staff are available as needed to guide, direct, set goals, plan for the future, etc. with students who are enrolled in our Transitional Housing option. Students will stay in a separate apartment that is connected to Life Quest Girls Academy. They will be able to come and go as needed but will also be expected to check in daily and keep the apartment tidy and clean. Students are expected to prepare their own meals, wash their own clothes, and hold a job. We recommend that students participating in Transitional Housing have some form of transportation. Either a reliable bicycle or a car if they have their license. If they don't have their drivers license, we highly recommend that obtaining a drivers license be the first thing they work on as an adult and we are more than happy to help them get started.

Short Term Enrollment can be as little as 1 day, or up to 90 days. We understand that sometimes families, and especially parents simply may need a break. A "Break" can look like many things such as a vacation, or just some time alone at home. Life Quest Girls Academy is super flexible and provides a daily tuition rate for parents seeking this option. If a student is going to be with us for more than 30 days, we will go through the process of requesting school records. If a student is going to be with us less than 30 days, we require them to bring their school work from home so they can work on school during school time with all other students at Life Quest. We expect all short term students to be willing to attend Life Quest Girls Academy and they also need to be willing to follow our Code of Conduct while here.

Long term enrollment is our standard enrollment for students. This enrollment is typically anywhere from 12 to 24 months. Students come from all over the country, they work on school, work on interests and hobbies, and some even get a job. On and off campus visits with family are allowed. Supervised "Outings" or "field trips" happen weekly in beautiful Southern Utah where students can explore and take in the sites. Students are assigned to a dorm where they have up to 2 roommates. All students are expected to follow our Code of Conduct and keep their dorms and personal belongings neat and tidy.

No. We take all students whether they are adopted or not. Students qualify by simply expressing a willingness to attend Life Quest Girls Academy. However, it is important for parents to understand that we specialize in, and have trained staff to handle Reactive Attachment Disorder. Unhealthy, and unsafe attachment issues inside the home is our specialty. It is also important for parents to understand that while we feel confident in our abilities to help all students who are diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, we do not treat Reactive Attachment Disorder specifically as we are not licensed therapist to do so. Because of this, any and all young ladies who are willing to attend Life Quest would be considered and could qualify for enrollment. Most of our students are adopted and have been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder but this is not a requirement for enrollment.

We can definitely help with required driving hours and taking the necessary written exams. However, we do not issue Drivers Licenses.

Students start their day off by making sure their dorms are clean, tidy and their beds are made before coming out for the day. A brief exercise session takes place before breakfast, after which each student logs in to work on school for the day. Periodic breaks are given during school hours as well as meals that are provided. Time for laundry, bathing, letters, and free time are also allocated during each day. The main focus each day is on academics.

Weekends are more focussed on Life Skills, group activities, and down time. Students can also work on school during the weekends if they desire.

We understand that young teenage minds are still in the process of consistently making wise choices. We have in place a system of accountability for all choices students make.  We expect all our students to follow the Code of Conduct on a daily basis. We recognize that all situations are unique and everyone handles them differently. Our staff is trained to help students recognize their choices, help them take accountability, and move forward in a kind and forgiving manner.  It is okay to make mistakes, however we don’t consider it okay to blatantly make mistakes in a rebellious manner. There are no "level drops" or "start overs" if a student makes a poor choice. We simply expect them to take accountability and fix any wrongs that may have been caused by their behavior.  

Standard tuition starts at $5,500 per month. Depending on availability, and qualifications, financial aid scholarships can be attainable to help offset tuition costs. Our scholarships are based on the number of student beds we currently have available, household income, and family hardship situations that can be articulated to our admissions committee who decides on such matters.

Each room has up to 4 beds, a bathroom, a closet, a dresser and its own heating/cooling unit. The dorms are not overly large, but have everything each student may need. There is a limit on how many personal items each roommate can have inside their dorm, this is to help maintain a clutter free environment.

Yes. Each student has up to 3 roommates at any given time.

The Life Quest Practicum Course is part of each students journey at Life Quest and helps them be successful while enrolled. The Practicum teaches each student about our Code of Conduct, our values, daily schedules, weekly activities, procedures, etc. The Practicum also gives each student the opportunity to choose an area they would like to focus on. For example, a student may want to focus on music. With the help and guidance of staff, the Practicum would allow them to create after school activities that would give the student time for music exploration and music development. One of the main focuses of the Practicum is to learn how to set goals and achieve them. The culmination of the Practicum is a mandatory Capstone Project where each student gets to put on display what they have been working so hard to achieve. Upon successful completion of the Practicum, each student will receive academic credits towards high school graduation. The Practicum typically takes 10-12 months to complete.

Our staff have been trained with best practices when it comes to dealing with attachment issues associated with Reactive Attachment disorder. We understand that our role is to provide a safe, healthy environment, not necessarily to provide a nurturing environment. We allow student autonomy and expect them to make healthy, wise decisions after they have learned our expectations. Life Quest staff are trained on how to be effective mentors and advisors to each student. This includes setting healthy and appropriate boundaries, how to offer help, assistance, etc. The goal of our staff is to help our students recognize the importance of healthy, functional relationships and that respect and kindness in life will be reciprocated. Staff are also trained never to have a negative interaction with students and to always be the adult in the room, acting through kindness even with hard conversations while holding each student accountable for their choices in behavior.

After your daughter has enrolled as a student at Life Quest, an academy director dedicated to be your point of contact will be assigned to you. This person will reach out to you shortly after you daughter has enrolled to provide an update and to schedule continuous calls moving forward. During the first week of your daughter's stay, please feel free to call every day, or even multiple times a day if necessary. Once your daughter settles in to her new surrounding and environment, which usually takes about a week or so, we recommend that calls with your point of contact person become weekly calls during the designated and scheduled call time that has been agreed upon. We ask that all parents be respectful of the office hours of your point of contact.

For Health related, tuition related, or financial related questions, please ask your point of contact who the best person to contact would be. Your point of contact person can help you get in touch with the correct employee at Life Quest who can best answer your question.

It depends. Each family situation, and the specific needs of each family are so different, and so unique. We pride ourselves on being super flexible and accommodating when it comes to lengths of stay for each student. We recommend at least 10 months, or one full school year, but we also understand that this may be too long for some families, and not long enough for others. If a family simply needs a few weeks of respite care, we are happy to work something out with that family. If a family needs much longer, we can also work something out. It really depends on the needs of the family. Our goal and mission is to help families heal in a manner that is helpful to them. The ultimate success we see with students comes after an extended period of time at least one school year in length, but again we can be super accommodating to meet each families needs.

Many students are involved in outdoor activities such as hiking, wilderness exploring, and other activities in the 5 National Parks surrounding Life Quest Girls Academy. Other activities include sports like basketball, volleyball, yoga, pickle ball, and more. Our students also have the opportunity to garden, raise chickens, feed and water horses and other farm animals and participate in school-wide activities such as bonfires, cookouts, and more.  We are also heavily involved with many 4-H club activities such as horses and sheep that become available to the students after they complete their academics for the day. Our students also have opportunities each day to work on things of interest to them. Some students want to focus on music, some on art, some on reading, etc. Once students have determined what their passions are, we give them time to develop their proficiency in that area of interest.

Yes. These interactions are earned privileges. If a student is allergic to a specific animal, we request a doctor’s note be provided. Under close supervision, our students have access to dogs, horses, chickens, and other farm animals. Most of these animal opportunities are off campus and are temporary in nature.

Cell phones are not allowed at Life Quest Girls Academy. However, iPads are required for school work for each student. Each iPad is closely managed, and monitored by the technical supervisor at Life Quest Girls Academy. Student iPads are carefully monitored as students are given very limited access on their device. If any iPad misuse is detected, iPad privileges may be revoked and the student may have to complete paper packets in order to stay caught up in their school work. Students may also have preloaded music players (MP3's) that do not have internet access. There are also desktop and laptop computers for student use with internet filters installed designated for school projects.

No. Each student is allowed to wear their own clothing as long as it meets our Dress Code standards.

The Dress Code does not allow the following clothing, makeup, or hairstyles:

o No clothing that exposes the shoulders

o No clothing that exposes cleavage

o No clothing that exposes the midriff

o No clothing that exposes the upper thighs

o No extremely tight-fitting clothing

o No gang related clothing

o No obscenities allowed on clothing such as inappropriate language or images

o No extreme or conspicuous makeup styles

o No extreme or conspicuous hair styles

o No self-imposed body art or piercings such as stick & poke tattoos, ink pens, or permanent marker use on skin while enrolled at Life Quest

A typical school day will be about 5 hours Monday through Thursday and 4 hours on Friday. If requested, students may be allowed additional school time if they desire.

Free tutoring is available in a one-on-one online atmosphere. Paid in person tutoring is also available.

We believe that regular communication with your daughter is important and needed.  Students will have a scheduled call with their families once a week. If additional calls are desired, those can be arranged as time slots are available. 

Letters are always welcome and should be uplifting and supportive of your daughter and her progress. You may write your daughter as many letters as you choose. If your daughter chooses, she may write letters to her family and other approved contacts on a daily basis. Received mail is typically given to each student on the weekend. Packages should be fairly minimal. Sometimes students start to accumulate so much stuff that they run out of space to put it all and become very cluttered.

Absolutely! In fact, our staff may ask you at times to write a quick email to your daughter to help motivate her when she has tough academic days, or other struggles that undoubtedly will come throughout this journey. Email is quick, easy, and effective as far as communicating with your daughter.

Yes. We love giving families the opportunity to see each other face to face. If this is something you would like to set up on a consistent basis, just let us know and we will put it on our calendar and make it happen.

Yes! Visiting your daughter to show your support and love is highly encouraged. These visits can be right on campus, or if you feel the need to go off campus for a few hours that would be fine with us. The only request is that these visits are known to staff and your daughter ahead of time so progress in her academics can be maintained.

For the most part, our staff are successful using positive encouragement and motivation in helping diffuse situations that come up where students are not following rules.  A student who refuses to follow the rules will not be allowed certain after school privileges and access to off campus activities that require a student to be willingly following the Code of Conduct during the day. Ultimately if a student is unwilling to follow the Code of Conduct at Life Quest, other arrangements outside of Life Quest will need to be made for the student.

Yes. We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously. Students may be expelled for threatening that safety.  Also, students who blatantly and continuously conduct rebellious behavior risk expulsion.  We welcome and encourage all parents to come sit with their daughter at our school if the students behavior becomes such that would require this type of parent involvement.  Other arrangements will need to be made if it becomes evident that a student is unwilling to follow the Code of Conduct at Life Quest Girls Academy.

Yes. Cleanliness is expected everyday.  Specific chores are given to all students to help keep and maintain our campus in an acceptable manner.

Yes. The goal with laundry is to promote independence and accountability. Staff will be available to help show them what is expected if they are unsure.

Each student will assist in cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all students at least one day a week overseen by the Kitchen Supervisor. Each student will be trained and receive a Food Handlers Permit to ensure the safety of the food they prepare for themselves and their fellow students.

About once a week, students who demonstrate an acceptable willingness to follow the Code of Conduct can go on a weekly off campus outing. These activities can include but are not limited to hiking, fishing, swimming, seeing a movie, bowling, going to dinner, etc.

We maintain a 1 to 6 staff to student ratio between classroom, kitchen, office, and floor staff.

We do not administer any medications for students.  We do however safely guard all medications under lock and key and provide multiple times during the day for students to safely take their medications. Students who bring medication with them will have access to them unders staff supervision according to the student’s physician. If a prescription needs to be refilled, our Medical Supervisor will communicate with parents and the local pharmacy to ensure proper caution and proper arrangements are made.

Any medical/dental needs a student may have will be communicated to the Medical Supervisor and the appropriate appointments will be made. All needed communication with parents will be done beforehand, and after appointments as needed. In the case of an emergency, medical/dental attention will be immediately sought and the parents will be notified immediately before and after treatment has begun by medical professionals.

Yes. Special circumstances such as weddings, family emergencies, etc. may require a student to return home for a time.  Our students are also on individual academic semester timelines.  Basically, when a student finishes a semester worth of schooling, we recommend they take a semester break.  This break can be done at Life Quest, or at home.  We also offer a break from our daily routine and structure during the days of December 23rd through January 2nd where we encourage families to bring their daughter home during those days.  Families can also opt to keep their daughter at Life Quest during those same dates, but no structured activities or schooling will be expected or performed during those days. 

Yes. In fact, it is highly encouraged. Our Sports Center is geared for students of all athletic types.  Students who desire to play organized sports may even possibly try out for the local high school sports team of their choice if the proper authorization is given by both parents, the Executive Director, and the local high school.   

It depends. If your daughter has a specific food allergy we can definitely make accommodations. In these cases, we request a doctor’s note specifying the need. If your daughter is a picky eater or does not like the texture of certain foods, we will not make any such accommodations.

Life Quest staff are trained to immediately respond to any injury and assess the seriousness of it. Any minor injury will follow protocol of contacting the parents first and then treatment. In the case of an emergency, treatment by medical professionals will be sought first followed by parent contact.

Yes. Each student is enrolled in accredited Middle School and High School courses depending on their age and grade level.  Students who go at an accelerated pace can even graduate from high school much earlier than her peers back home.  

All students are enrolled in Alta Independent High School.  Alta Independent High School is 100% online and classes are taken and completed on the campus of Life Quest Girls Academy in Parowan Utah.

Yes. This option and opportunity is available to all students who have met high school course requirements and who are also doing well and advancing through the Life Quest Practicum Course.

Yes.  Upon completion of the Life Quest Practicum Course, each student will receive at least 1 academic elective credit towards high school graduation.

It depends. If a student does not appear to be able to graduate high school prior to their 18th birthday, the G.E.D. may become a viable option for her to pursue after counseling with the student and her parents. This option is only available for students nearing their 18th birthday.

We do not condone mean-spirited behavior or bullying. Our approach is to teach all of our students interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and stand their ground in a productive way, including setting specific boundaries with other students so these instances no longer occur on their terms. We teach all our students skills to become "Bully Proof" where they have the means necessary to take care of themselves and handle each situation. Of course our staff are always there to assist when and where needed. Our staff act as mentors and they help each student successfully navigate their way through life and the ups and downs that undoubtedly come.

Within reason. Each student room includes a bathroom that can be used at any time they are in their room. Students are always allowed to take bathroom breaks when needed during times they are not in their rooms, but if there is no evidence of sickness, abuse of bathroom use will be addressed.

Supervised online shopping is available for students who have special permission from parents and from the Executive Director of Life Quest.  We don’t want this privilege to be abused, but we also understand that there may be times when online shopping is necessary and convenient.  Shopping is also permitted during parent visits.

Yes. There are opportunities for students to work off campus. Students can qualify for job opportunities by meeting requirements for school and demonstrating patterns of following the Code of Conduct during the week. Life Quest Girls Academy has partnered with Soda Fix which is a specialty drink shop serving specialty soda pop, cookies, smoothies, popcorn, etc. Students who qualify to work at Soda Fix earn a paycheck and learn valuable, hirable skills and experience that will undoubtedly help them find consistent employment after they enter adulthood and become more independent.

Each situation is unique. If a student still has high school credits to earn after she has turned 18, we recommend she stay in order to complete high school and earn her diploma while enrolled at Life Quest Girls Academy. We do have some safe options for adult students, please inquire with our Admissions Director and request more information if this is an option you seek. We are confident we can help provide a safe environment if that is what your daughter needs beyond her 18th birthday.

Our facility is modest. The main building was built in 1953 as a nursing facility before being remodeled to serve as Life Quest Girls Academy.  We pride our building on its much character that is on display. There have been many updates and upgrades that make Life Quest Girls Academy a cozy, modern, comfortable place for all students and staff. The outside area includes a garden, chicken coop, dog kennels, sports court with volleyball, basketball, pickle ball, a barbecue space, a walking path, and lots of grass.

We do not give these incidents any unneeded attention. If the cuts are more superficial in nature we provide ointment and bandages and have the student clean themselves and apply their own bandages. We do not dress any superficial wounds as that could send the wrong message to the student and give the situation unneeded and unhealthy attention. If the cut is more deep and serious we will of course seek immediate medical attention as quickly as possible. In these circumstances, we recommend seeking out a licensed therapist for your daughter who can help her with her unhealthy coping choices. We can offer recommendations for those seeking local treatment while enrolled.

Life Quest is not a “LockDown” facility.  Due to the amount of activities we have off campus with students continually transitioning between outdoor locations on campus and between campuses, a student who is considered to be a “run risk” is not a good fit for our Boarding School environment. Other arrangements will be made for students who decide to run away from our facility as it will be determined that they need a higher level of care in a more lock down, therapeutic type of facility.