Lone Oak Learning Center
Services and partnerships offered by Lone Oak Learning Center (LOLC) provide innovative pathways for students' achievement of social, emotional, & educational goals. LOLC serves multiple levels of learning, and we are constantly adding new services! LOLC currently serves grade school aged youth (K-12) and adult learners (bachelor's, master's, doctorate, continuing education credits.
Grade School Aged Programs and Opportunities (K-12)
We have demonstrated our ability to meet diverse student needs by partnering successfully with the following school programs:
River Rock Academy
River Riders attend Lone Oak once a week. While at the farm, these students are provided with therapeutic services in a context of trauma-informed care, and taught strategies that are effective in horsemanship and in adapting to academic rigors, prosocial behavioral expectations, and community membership. Students that attend our 9-week program receive credit for school and an Equine Specialist Certificate.
New Story Academy
After learning of the River Riders program, Lone Oak was approached by New Story. We were asked to develop a program much like River Riders for their students, with a slight increase in mentoring and emotional support. The program is called New Story Navigators. We achieved dual objectives by tasking our River Riders with the mentorship of the Navigators. The result was a successful program that offered students opportunities to achieve behavioral and social goals, while building a youth community at Lone Oak.
​
Ephrata School District
Lone Oak has partnered with Ephrata School District to provide a four-week program to students focusing on empathy, education, emotional regulation, and equestrianship skills.
​
Acorns Club
Acorns Club was developed to meet the needs of programming for elementary aged students. This is currently an after-school program that focuses on education about nature and care of horses.
​
The Mix
The Mix is a community-based youth and family center in Lancaster City. Lone Oak has partnered with The Mix to provide summer camps, afterschool programming, and this summer,
extended year academic enrichment.
One Herd
In partnership with Donegal School District, Lone Oak has provided weekly programming for children in the district’s emotional support classrooms. In collaboration with the classroom teacher and paraeducators, we devised a curriculum to support students’ achievement of IEP goals, including improved emotional regulation, development of prosocial behaviors, and collaborative learning skills. We are also offering a week-long “camp” as part of students’ extended school year.
Join Up
With funding from an LEA (local education agency), Lone Oak collaborated with school counselors in several school districts to identify students who were classified as McKinney-Vento funding-eligible. This is our second year of the Join Up program, which provided several weeks of camp to identified students. Participants receive hygiene and academic supplies. The camp curriculum emphasizes building friendships and communities that transcend socioeconomic status and geographic location. Transportation and food are included in the camp experience.
Community Service
Lone Oak has been asked to become a community service site for Juvenile Probation and Parole as well as provided hours for youth seeking community service to complete regular school requirements for graduation.
Credit-Bearing Programs
Manheim Township High School has agreed to give a Lone Oak youth 2 credits for his work - study with us, thereby providing him with the opportunity to graduate on schedule.
Conestoga Valley High School has agreed to give one youth 2 credits for a flexible work study program that includes direct supervision and therapeutic support at Lone Oak.
Manheim Central High School is currently considering offering credit for a work-study program as well.
Executive Summary
To address deficits in traditional education and meet more effectively the learning needs of diverse students, LOLC partners with schools and organizations to provide innovative pathways to academic achievement and social, emotional, and behavioral health. LOLC’s program, which are trauma-informed in structure and content, are situated in our innovative ARCH model, which creates a framework of attunement (emotional reciprocity and awareness), restoration (increased awareness of strengths), connection (building relationships), hopeful purpose (positive mindset and meaningful work).
Lone Oak, LOLC’s parent organization, is classified 501c(3). Services offered to date through our Learning Center include extended school year programming; home school and cyber school supplemental activities; credit recovery; work - study; community service (both voluntary and mandated); therapeutic services (individual, family, group, program supplemental); and continuing education trainings.
Lone Oak staff include mental health professionals, teachers, and equine specialists. We hold advanced degrees in our fields and are supported by our community volunteers. We have the space and flexibility to provide services despite inclimate weather and / or COVID-related distancing requirements. We partner with 16 equines, many of whom are rescued animals who have found their forever home with us.
​
LOLC emerged in response to clear and well-recognized deficits in traditional educational settings. Decades of research demonstrate that traditional settings have failed students in myriad ways, and the limitations of public schools have most significantly failed students who learn through nonlinear instruction; require interactive or experiential pedagogies; are affected by poverty or lack of other kinds of support; have been diagnosed with behavioral health disorders; and/or have different learning needs.
To better meet all students’ needs, LOLC partners with other individuals, schools, and programs that, like us, are dedicated to better supporting and educating all of our children. At Lone Oak, we created an inclusive, contextual model of support. The “ARCH” model of community-based care differs in important ways from traditional educational services that require linear, sedentary learning and rely on somewhat antiquated, behavior modification strategies.
Adult Learning Opportunities
(Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, CEU's)
LOLC is committed to providing learning opportunities at every level and is a proud partner with Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Multiple professionals at Lone Oak are faculty at Millersville University and have created a bridge for learning opportunities:
​
Continuing Education Credits
Lone Oak Learning Center strives to meet educational needs for young students as well as professionals who are lifelong learners. We are qualified to provide CEUs in several different training areas.
​
Millersville Work Study Community Service
Lone Oak has partnered with Millersville University Financial Aid to become a work study, community service site. In this role, students can engage in community service at Lone Oak and earn financial assistance for school.
​
Student Access and Support Services Program
Lone Oak has partnered with Dar Newman at Millersville University to connect first-generation students with community service, learning, and mentorship experiences at the farm.
​
Trauma Informed Behavioral Health Certificate
Millersville University's School of Social Work offers Post Graduate Certificate Options. These certificates can be completed during a student's graduate degree or even after graduation as a professional. Dr. Heather Girvin, Associate Professor and Expressive Arts Certificate Coordinator conceptualized and created the Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Certificate (TIBH). There are two tracks offered in this particular certificate including Expressive Arts and Equine Assisted Therapy & Learning. ​
​
The Expressive Arts track provides students with knowledge and skills related to the use of visual, classic, fine, and applied arts to practice professionally with diverse clients and groups at all levels (micro, mezzo, macro) of practice.
​
The Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning track provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to utilize equine-assisted and nature-based interventions to practice professionally with diverse clients and groups at all levels of practice. Equine assisted strategies are widely accepted and utilized to address a variety of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and substance use. Benefits of equine-assisted therapy and learning transcend categories of diagnostic mental and emotional health, providing a foundation from which clients and learners can explore key relationship issues, including trust, emotional regulation, connection, empathy, communication, and healthy attachment. Partnerships with horses require clients and learners to regulate their emotions, remain present, and move with awareness. Working with horses requires clients and learners to grow, both physically and mentally, building a healthier self-image and increased confidence.
​
Internships
Lone Oak provides rigorous internship opportunities for social work, psychology, biology, business, communication (and other) majors. Lone Oak has partnered with Millersville University, Messiah College, and Walden University to provide internships to students in their bachelor's and master's degrees. Internships are often required by universities and colleges for students to apply concepts they have learned in the classroom to the real world. ​
​
PRIME
​Millersville University offers the Promoting Rigorous & Interdisciplinary Mental Healthcare Education (PRIME) to Social Work and Psychology students. Lone Oak is a PRIME site, meaning that we are able to provide an internship focused on rigorous and interdisciplinary mental healthcare education opportunities.
​
The Learning Institute
Millersville University offers The Learning Institute, which provides thematic trainings, workshops, global immersion experiences, and community service-learning opportunities. Lone Oak regularly provides trainings and immersion experiences through this program.
​
Service
​Lone Oak is a site of service for professors and students at Millersville University as well as other higher education institutions. Both students and professors donate their time to Lone Oak to help the community.
Let's Work Together
Contact us for more information or to schedule a time to talk about our tailored services.