Aspen Education Group

One child at a timePresident Jim Dredge shares with Jenn Monroe Aspen Education GroupÔÇÖs formula for helping troubled kids. With a combination of therapy and education, Aspen Education GroupÔÇÖs programs have been changing the world one child at a time for more than 20 years. According to president Jim Dredge, the organizationÔÇÖs 30 programs are designed for students who have demonstrated behavioral issues that are interfering with their performance in school and life. Aspen is headquartered in Cerritos, California, but its programsÔÇöwhich include boarding schools, residential treatment centers, experiential outdoor education programs, and summer campsÔÇöare located across the country in eleven states. ÔÇ£I believe strongly that by providing value to our clients, Aspen will continue to grow and expand across the country as the leader in the provision of innovative educational and treatment programs that promote academic and personal growth,ÔÇØ Dredge says. ÔÇ£We are expanding to be able to provide additional programs in more geographic areas to give families wider choice.ÔÇØ Aspen Education Group offers 360┬░ Education and Whole Child Learning to its clients. 360┬░ Education includes academics, creative development, personal growth and physical health and is the means by which the programs educate the whole child. Whole Child Learning is an approach to teaching that takes into consideration a childÔÇÖs individual strengths and helps children who may have struggled in a traditional learning environment to achieve success.Although unique in the industry, AspenÔÇÖs programs have one primary commonality: all are focused on meeting the needs of children. To this end, all 2,000 Aspen Education Group employees must have this same desire at their core.ÔÇ£For all employees, the number one issue is the commitment to the betterment of youth,ÔÇØ Dredge says. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs the philosophy and energy throughout the organization; this idea of changing the world one kid at a time. WeÔÇÖre dedicated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to improving the lives of troubled kids.ÔÇØ Aspen Education GroupÔÇÖs interview process typically begins with a pool of 100, which is narrowed to five, with the final two being offered positions. ÔÇ£ThereÔÇÖs no magic behind it,ÔÇØ Dredge says. ÔÇ£We find people with all the traditional methods youÔÇÖd use. We look for the traditional degrees youÔÇÖd expect, but then thereÔÇÖs also that special ingredient, that personal commitment.ÔÇ£We try to find folks whoÔÇÖve had a touch point,ÔÇØ he continues, ÔÇ£a family or personal experience. That gives them the extra energy and juice to see this as not just a job but a lifetime commitment.ÔÇØAs for himself, Dredge came to Aspen from a career of working for the public good, most recently creating technology solutions for the education sector. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖve been in some type of education my entire career,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£I did one year in public administration because I wanted to change society; IÔÇÖm one of the ÔÇÿdo-gooders.ÔÇÖ In the course of that, I realized I could reach the population that is dealing with dislocated kids.ÔÇØ Often full-time employees come from AspenÔÇÖs summer crews, college students and teachers alike. Once they become part of the organization, they usually stay. ÔÇ£We donÔÇÖt see a lot of turnover,ÔÇØ Dredge says, ÔÇ£but we see a fair amount of movement within our organization. Most of our executive directors have come from within. We find that the best people are already here.ÔÇØEmployees are prepared for movement within Aspen Education Group through training that supports their growth, some of it offered online through AspenÔÇÖs parent company, CRC Health Group. But what may be more important than the training is the level of autonomy that Aspen headquarters gives to its programs. ÔÇ£We reinforce the idea of ÔÇÿoperate independently, compete collectivelyÔÇÖ,ÔÇØ Dredge says. ÔÇ£Our goal is to reinforce the uniqueness of each remote location, to allow each to reflect the local cultural flair. We donÔÇÖt superimpose corporate structure.ÔÇØThat said, Aspen does subscribe to and follow best practices developed by its own employees. ÔÇ£These best practices provide consistency in quality, process and method,ÔÇØ Dredge says. This shouldnÔÇÖt be surprising, seeing that Aspen is serious about doing what it does better than the others. For example, itÔÇÖs the only company of its kind that has done outside research to measure the efficacy of its programs. Dredge says the organization found the ÔÇ£best and brightestÔÇØ from each of the programs and brought them together to identify which key metrics would be at the heart of AspenÔÇÖs best practices. These are academics, therapeutics, outdoor life, residential life and medical/safety. These metrics are discussed every year through workshops and monitored by peer review. ÔÇ£Their own peers are observing them, and then they talk about improvement plans,ÔÇØ Dredge says. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs very powerful. People feel embraced and empowered. This differentiates us from others.ÔÇØIn addition to boosting morale, these best practices have also helped Aspen Education Group expedite the accreditation of its programs, which is currently under way. Future growth for Aspen Education Group will rely on both continuing aggressive acquisitions as well as expansion of its programs. The only thing that might slow growth is the fact that they are 95 percent private pay. This, however, has allowed Aspen the freedom to serve its clients in ways others have not. Moving forward, Dredge says he sees a great opportunity in providing programs and services for families before they reach the point of ÔÇÿlast resortÔÇÖ. ÔÇ£Families will deal with a situation for multiple years before they reach the level of acuity to be referred to our programs,ÔÇØ he explains. ÔÇ£We need to learn how to deal with families while they are in their home, to deal with families in their current environment.ÔÇØAwareness of Aspen Education GroupÔÇÖs programs is also an area Dredge is looking to improve. Currently the company relies mostly on referrals from healthcare providers. ÔÇ£Almost 55 percent of the time the health practitioner is doing the referral, and 40 percent of those families have used the Internet too. We see a business opportunity in bringing more awareness to the therapeutic world.ÔÇØ┬á