Admission Criteria

Soaring Wings Ranch selects for admission to its program male and female children who are residents of the State of Arkansas. The Ranch admits children without regard to race, creed, color, religion, or national origin.

Additionally, children must have:

A legal guardian. Could be an agency
Between the ages of six (6) and seventeen (17)
A full scale IQ of at least 70. (Recent Psychological Testing; PACE Evaluation acceptable)
Cognitive skills necessary to perform routine living tasks
No violent behavior and pose no serious threat to self, staff or other residents
Have no serious criminal record (i.e. felonies, assault or violent crimes against people, current drug use)
A complete Ranch application
The ability to attend public school
The willingness to attend a Christian church with their Houseparents
The willingness to stay at least 1 year

All resident applications will then be evaluated on an individual basis to determine if the applicant could benefit from the program.

Applicants that will not be considered for admission:

Anyone over the age of eighteen (17) or under the age of (6)
Adjudicated delinquents with felony charges
Those with a history of violent behavior against self, others and property
Those with a full scale IQ lower than 70

Admission form
Download admissions form

Ranch Life

At completion, Soaring Wings Ranch will have a maximum of five homes for boys and five homes for girls. Six to eight children will live in each home with a full-time set of house parents. The house parents will be a committed Christian, married couple who have been "called" into this special work. The couple will have undergone an extensive interview/testing process before being hired.

The goal of each home is to maintain an environment that will offer each child a chance to develop into a confident young adult with a high degree of self-sufficiency, exemplary work ethic, a strong ethical base with a clear understanding of right and wrong, a team player mentality, and a biblical understanding of sin and forgiveness. In addition, they will receive instruction in social skills, proper etiquette, and appropriate physical hygiene.

Spiritual Development

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

The driving force behind Soaring Wings Ranch is for each child to "soar on wings like eagles" Isaiah 40:31 (NIV). This can only be accomplished with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It is our belief that a healthy and complete life begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ. To this end each child will have the opportunity to come to know Jesus Christ personally through:

daily devotions in the homes

attending church with their Ranch family

participation in Young Life, FCA, summer camps, etc.

living in a Christian home and being around a Christian staff

The development of character is an integral part of the life of the staff and the children. Each month we will be studying character and discussing ways we can build this area of our lives. We will focus on Biblical characters.

As a child demonstrates an interest in spiritual matters, Soaring Wings Ranch will provide a mentoring process in this area. House parent and staff will meet with the child regularly to develop this interest and nurture them.

Emotional Development

Children who come to Soaring Wings Ranch (and their families) have their own set of issues which precipitate their need for Soaring Wings Ranch. Each child will receive several pro-active levels of counseling concurrently:

weekly individual therapy

weekly group therapy in the house

family therapy with the child's natural custodial family and extended family members whenever possible.

If the child's natural family shows initiative and puts forth effort to do so, they will receive support and training in parenting their child and in helping him/her establish healthy intimacy with family and non-family members. Family counseling will be available only to families of children with potential to be reunited.

Physical Development

Soaring Wings Ranch will assist each child in developing a skill of their choosing. This will include such things as sports, martial arts, scouting, hiking, horseback riding, music, dance, etc. The emphasis will be on developing a skill that will last a lifetime.

Intellectual Development

Many children who come to Soaring Wings Ranch will be behind academically. Each child will have the opportunities he or she needs to improve their academic performance, which will aid in self-confidence.

The children at Soaring Wings Ranch will attend quality public schools. They will be tested upon arrival at the Ranch to determine if there are academic deficiencies. The children will have a learning center equipped with computers, a library and all the necessary materials to aid in the learning process. They will have tutors that will develop an individualized tutorial program, tailored for the individual needs of the children.