Lean about New Leaf Academy private girls schools StarSteps program that helps troubled teenage girls.

A unique system of self-development and self-knowledge - Based upon the writings of psychologist Erik Erikson, StarSteps has three stages of personal development. Each student must complete certain requirements and reach certain milestones before continuing to the next stage. The three steps take an average of six months each to complete.

Parents are a vital part of StarSteps - No girl can complete StarSteps without the intervention of her family. Parents participate in Education Seminars twice a year, and on-site Family Counseling six times per year. In Sun and Moon Steps, girls and their families have weekly telephone counseling. Girls visit home every six weeks in Star Step.

Group and private counseling sessions help each student achieve her goals - Students and their families work closely and often with the New Leaf counselors at least several times each week throughout the entire program. A student must petition her counselors and teachers for permission to move to the next step.

Character education is as important as academics - The staff at New Leaf Academy teaches social skills through friendship and community. Taking responsibility for a small animal helps a young girl learn gentleness, caring, and reliability.

The first step is about self-understanding and becoming part of the New Leaf community. Sun Step is learning to accept boundaries and rules, assessing strengths and weaknesses, relating well with the other students, and being of service to others. Every student has an individual session with her primary counselor at least once a week, attends special workshops and two group counseling sessions every week.

The second step is about insight and responsibility. In Moon Step she works on the skills of friendship, healthy self-expression, and becoming responsible for her behavior. She learns how and why she makes choices, the real consequences of those choices and the behavior that follows. She understands that she is still a child and that it is appropriate that adults are in charge of major decisions in her life. She understands that structure and rules benefit her.

The third step is about leadership. Acceptance into Star Step is a moment that a girl has been working for since she arrived at the New Leaf Academy. It means she is ready to take on responsibility and has reached a certain level of growth and leadership. She tests her skills during home visits with parents, siblings and friends as often as every six weeks.

The final step is graduation. A student must demonstrate her readiness for graduation by her behavior and leadership. The New Leaf Academy holds three graduations a year: two in summer and one in December. As proud parents attend and applaud, their accomplished daughter receives her diploma and says her final good-byes. She has come to the end of her StarStep Journey. She has proven herself ready for a new beginning.