Located in the greater Tampa Bay area, Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee is the oldest and most established residential alternative school for girls in the state of Florida.
Founded in 1969, Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee helps girls reach their full potential through individualized academics, individual and group counseling, outdoor adventure activities and family support. If you know a troubled girl who continues to struggle despite community-based or school counseling, Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee is a proven solution.
The school has a highly successful 40+ year track record of helping troubled girls gain the skills and confidence needed to navigate the difficult road from adolescence to adulthood.
In fact, that’s why the program is named E-Nini-Hassee, which means “Her Sunny Road” in the Seminole Indian language.
Quick Stats (2024-25)
- School Type: Alternative School
- Grades: 6-12
- Average class size: 10 students
- Application Deadline: None / Rolling
- Source: Verified school update
School Overview
School Type
School Membership(s)School Assoc.
Grades Offered
Grades 6-12
Year Founded
1969
School Calendar
Student Body
Total Students
n/a
Student Body Type
Academics and Faculty
Average Class Size
10 students
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
School Notes
- A Proven Approach to Helping Girls Succeed
- For more than 40 years, Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee has specialized in helping troubled girls reach their full potential. Our approach focuses on instilling girls with a solid sense of self, a strong character, dreams and desire for a positive future, and the skill sets to become happy, healthy, successful women. Because most troubled girls respond best "learning by doing", our approach is highly experiential and includes:
- Individualized Treatment
- No two girls or their families are exactly alike. That is why each of our girls receives anindividualized treatment planbased upon a deep understanding of her unique needs. Upon admission, each girl’s academic skills, learning style, social skills, physical and mental health are formally evaluated and a customized academic and therapeutic treatment plan is developed to address her specific needs. Our individualized approach is a primary reason our girls make long-lasting changes in attitudes and behaviors.
- Individualized Academics
- Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee has a rich history of the teaching strategies and techniques that can motivate disengaged students to become lifelong learners. Classroom learning is complemented by experiential learning, hands-on inquiry, collaborative projects, group simulations, problem-solving practices and applied learning scenarios whenever possible. Our teachers work with your child to develop strategies that help achieve success and increase math, reading and writing skills, and expand life science, history and citizenship knowledge. All the while, she will be developing behavioral and social skills needed to succeed in school or at work. Emphasis will be on higher order thinking through analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating situations, ideas and themes (both individually and in team initiatives). Focusing on the development of critical thinking is imperative to improved decision making.Our on-campus education is overseen through contracts with the Pinellas County School System. All girls are enrolled in grade level subject areas that meet requirements for the Florida Department of Education student progression plan. Students participate in 1500 minutes each week of instruction focusing on 4 core subject areas: English/Language, Math, Science and Social Studies, as well as general education including electives. Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee follows a semester schedule with middle school units and high school credits being transferable. Honors or AP courses can be made available if required and will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Those students who are college bound will have instruction to prepare them for the PERT, ACT and SAT. Those students who are vocational bound will be provided assistance to improve TABE scores.
- Well-Established and Caring Leadership Team
- Our experience shows that girls respond best to treatment when it is delivered in a positive environment filled with compassion, trust, warmth and deep connections. Most of our leadership team have worked together at E-Nini-Hassee for nearly 20 years. We are deeply committed to helping each girl reach her full potential and believe the stability of our program’s leadership is an important differentiating factor. Most importantly, we sincerely believe that each girl can and will change.Positive, Strengths-Based Behavior ManagementWe take a positive, non-punitive and strength-based approach to behavior management. We do not use points, demerits or other externally-based systems to promote behavior change. We believe that such reward/punishment systems do little to promote long-lasting change in girls. E-Nini-Hassee’s strength based behavior management system promotes the development of positive change and provides a safe setting to work in team environments. With the use of creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills, routine practice and feedback provides opportunities for girls to internalize good decision making to guide them for the rest of their lives.Comprehensive EducationEckerd E-Nini-Hassee offers an on-campus, fully-accredited school, firmly grounded in experiential learning enhanced with direct academic instruction and computer lab, which are part of an experiential education system to meet the special needs of our girls. For many of the students we serve, underlying emotional issues negatively affect their academic performance. Our highly dedicated teachers are state-certified and trained in handling the special needs of troubled girls. Our low 1:10 teacher/student ratio means increased individualized attention and the ability to tailor the most effective approach to educating each student. Students earn academic credits that are transferable.
- Transformational Power of the Outdoors
- The healing power of being outdoors and participating in outdoor adventure activities is well documented. Our outdoor therapeutic approach enhances girls’ self-confidence, personal competence and also teaches them valuable teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills they will use for the rest of their lives.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the application deadline for Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee?
The application deadline for Eckerd E-Nini-Hassee is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
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