Explorations

My experience was very negative at Explorations. I can not recommend enough that you send your child somewhere else, and find a new educational consultant if the one you have recommended this place.

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I can't believe this place is still in business. The things I saw and endured here are unimaginable for most people. They left me and other girls in the supervision of a male 'counselor' who assaulted me multiple times. He wasn't the only abuser. I was 13 years old. Trying to report it or get help made it worse. Every time I tried to speak up they told me I was lying, put me in isolation (with the abuser supervising the isolation), and wouldn't let me communicate with anyone. They told my Mom I was making it all up. Breaks my heart to think of how many children have suffered here over the years.

I lived at explorations for about 6 months and was miserable the entire time. The owner, Penny James, is a person parents naturally like off of first impression, but she is really a horrible person once you get to know her. She treats the kids extremely unfairly, liking some and giving them extra privileges, and the ones she dislikes she will treat them extremely rude, and very disrespectfully. I am now home free thankfully, and just learned that during my stay at explorations, Penny would make false reports about me and recommend that I need to be in an 'extremely restrictive environment' which resulted in me being taken to a very secure facility in Texas. All because I was disliked by Penny. To any parent reading this I strongly warn you about sending your son or daughter to live in this house. It is unsafe, and you are putting your child at risk of all types of abuse. I can say 100% honestly that Penny James is one of the worst human beings I have ever met.

I worked for and with Explorations for a couple years and I appreciate the work that's done here immensely. I worked both in the field as a wilderness guide for a summer and then helped run the summer program another year. In between I worked with the kids in the house. It was a very special time for me. I fell in love with the area and look back on it as one of the best times of my life.