Cottage Life

Residential Program

For children who live too far from campus to attend as day students, the Residential Program provides a supportive, warm and understanding living environment while at the same time nurturing healthy bodies, the development of motor skills through participation in sports, and other recreational activities.

The residential facility (90-bed at full capacity) consists of two cottages, each with three wings connected by a food service building. Bedrooms are designed to accommodate two students. Breakfast and dinner are served in the individual cottages, and lunches are served in the dining room during the week. Formal dinners are served in the dining room for holidays and special events.

During the week and weekends, residential students participate in a variety of activities that include riding bicycles, swimming, shopping, barbecues, roller skating, and movies. Local events include a special Super Bowl party, Christmas Stroll in downtown Great Falls, Ice Breaker Fun Run, Great Falls White Sox baseball games, and Paris Gibson Square art classes.

Vital to the Residential Program is exercise and recreation. Students benefit from our complete gymnasium facility, the Mustang Center, which boasts a Nautilus weight lifting room, swimming pool, bowling alley, and a full-size basketball court. Residential students use the Mustang Center daily.

Students travel home once each month during the school year. These school breaks vary in length from two weeks at Christmas to "travel weekends" that are from Friday to the following Monday. The school provides for travel at no cost to the parents.

During school hours, the Residential Program maintains a staff of health service workers, kitchen and dining room staff, and housekeeping staff. All of the Residential Program administration and counseling staff have college degrees, as do a number of the house parents. All house parents complete training as certified child care workers during the first year of their employment at MSDB.

The Residential Program also employs behavioral counselors who provide students with the opportunity to participate in a variety of outing and counseling-related activities. Counselors are responsible for the management of the Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP). The purpose of the program is to assist our 12th graders and a select group of 11th graders in developing the skills they will need to successfully meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. Through the ILSP, students learn skills such as cooking, shopping, menu planning, time and money management, and simple community living skills.

The Health Services Program is directed by a registered nurse and staffed by licensed practical nurses. Health care is provided by scheduled and on-call staff 24 hours a day in order to attend to the health care needs of MSDB students. Medications and treatments are given under the orders of the child's health care providers, including medical, dental, and vision. Emergency services are available through Benefis Health Care.