Residential Care

What is Residential Care?

The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches is a place for youth to grow up in a safe, loving, traditional family environment. “Ranchers” live in homes with a married couple, a “mom and pop”, who are devoted to encouraging the youth in their cottages to become their best selves. Our staff are trained in Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) in an effort to help them work through trauma and learn healthy coping mechanisms.

Our residential campuses operate under a four-pillar philosophy: Work, Study, Play and Pray. We provide structure and stability with daily schedules including school, an on-campus job, chapel services and recreation activities. We believe these four pillars, along with counseling services, family engagement, and unconditional love and support from our staff, produce lawful, resilient and productive citizens.

If you’re interested in enrolling your child in one of our residential programs, fill out our Interest Form and a Family Engagement Specialist will contact you!

The Youth Ranches has three residential care campuses throughout the state of Florida. Each one is staffed by qualified, mission-driven people who want to see their youth succeed in every aspect of life. To learn more about our campuses, click on one of the locations below.

The Youth Ranches has three residential care campuses throughout the state of Florida. Each one is staffed by qualified, mission-driven people who want to see their youth succeed in every aspect of life. To learn more about our campuses, click on one of the locations below.

Locations

Boys Ranch

Live Oak, Florida

In 1957, a small group of Florida Sheriffs saw the need for a residential care facility for troubled boys. With a little bit of cash and a big dream, they pooled their wisdom and efforts and watched their dream become a reality. Within a short period of time, they were helping many young boys turn their lives around to become productive and responsible adults.
 
Today the Boys Ranch is a co-ed campus and has the capacity to accommodate 82 boys and girls ages 3-20. The boys and girls participate in many different activities such as swimming, baseball, volleyball, canoeing and arts and crafts. In addition, each youth attends school, either on campus or in the local public school system in the Live Oak community. Each boy and girl also participates in a structured work program.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals and groups around the state of Florida and other states, the Sheriffs’ original dream has become a reality for many youth and their families. As a result of their caring gifts, the Boys Ranch is now one of three Youth Ranches residential co-ed child care facilities and three camping programs.

Physical Address

1813 Cecil Webb Place
Live Oak, FL 32060

Mailing Address

PO Box 2000
Boys Ranch, FL 32064

Telephone

(386) 842-5555
(800) 765-2697

Fax

(386) 842-1012

Donald Ralph Cooke School

Live Oak, Florida

The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches program is built on four pillars: Work, Study, Play and Pray. As part of the “Study” pillar, the Boys Ranch has a school located on campus for youth to attend. With smaller class sizes, personalized learning plans, and access to alternative degree options, the Donald Ralph Cooke School is exactly what many boys and girls need to get back on track with their education. 

Visit our Cooke School webpage for more information! 

 NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS

The Donald Ralph Cooke School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.

Physical Address

1672 Don McLeod Place
 Live Oak, FL 32060

Mailing Address

PO Box 2000
Boys Ranch, FL 32064

Telephone

(386) 842-5555

 

Fax

(386) 842-1061

Youth Ranch

Safety Harbor, Florida

The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch in Safety Harbor was the third residential child care program established by the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, Inc. In early 1975, the Youth Ranches was still searching for the means to launch a coeducational program – a facility which would allow brothers and sisters to stay together as they worked out their problems. Later that same year, the lengthy search ended with a generous donation from the Salls family. 

Today, Youth Ranch Safety Harbor is home to sibling groups who need a place to grow up in a safe environment as a family. While this campus does not have the same sprawling 3,000 acres as the Boys Ranch, it’s location in a cultural hub of Central Florida offers a lot of opportunities to the children we serve there. The program operates under the same “Work, Study, Play and Pray” philosophy as our other residential programs with a family model of a mom and pop in a cottage with the youth. 
Physical and Mailing Address

3180 Enterprise Road E
Safety Harbor, FL 34695-5205

Telephone

(727) 725-4761

Fax

(727) 725-4761

Don Genung Training and Resource Center

Safety Harbor, Florida

The Don Genung Training and Resource Center is located at the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Safety Harbor campus located at 3180 Enterprise Road East in Safety Harbor, Florida. At the Don Genung Resource and Training Center, we exist to empower organizations around the State of Florida, with the knowledge they need to meet the needs of those they serve. We aim to equip law enforcement, teachers, biological/adoptive/foster parents, churches and systems of care with various Trauma-Informed Care Services that include employee training, TBRI® evidence-based trainings, and implementation strategies to help create trauma informed communities. We believe empowering communities with tools and strategies to use in everyday life will ultimately bring hope and healing to our families and communities around us.

Polk Sheriffs Charities Scholarship House – Bartow, Florida

Bartow, Florida

Originally the Florida Sheriffs Youth Villa, this campus was converted to a home for young adults transitioning out of state foster care or residential care programs in 2019. The Scholarship House is designed to help young adults learn independent living skills in a safe learning environment. A residential life coach lives on campus and serves as a mentor, helping with the many “firsts” of adulthood such as opening up a bank account or purchasing a vehicle. Students are encouraged to find employment, manage their college or trade school schedule, and learn how to manage their finances.

The Polk Sheriffs Charities Scholarship House fills a gap in the lives of youth who grew up in challenging environments. Our goal is to equip our youth for success, even after graduation.

Physical and Mailing Address

3350 State Road 60 E
Bartow, FL 33830

Telephone

(863) 533-0371

Fax

(863) 533-7006

Residential Care Interest Form

For more information about admission to the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Residential Care Program, please complete the form below. If you have additional questions please call 1-800-765-2697.

In order to assign a Family Engagement Specialist to return your call, you must provide the Florida County in which you live, into the form below.

You can download a copy of our residential application below:

When you click the button below it will download a copy of the application to your computer. Open it up, fill it out, save it, and then email it to  

If you are unable to fill out the application found below, please fill out the interest form below and a Family Engagement Specialist will contact you. 

To download a copy of the Residential Care Application please click the button below:

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