Tennessee Children's Home

What Tennessee Children's Home does

Tennessee Children's Home is a faith-based nonprofit organization founded in 1909 in Maury County, Tennessee, originally as Tennessee Orphans Home. It delivers residential care, on-site education, alcohol and drug treatment, counseling, in-home support, and Christian-based spiritual guidance to at-risk males aged 13–18 across four Tennessee campuses: Spring Hill (headquarters and largest site with capacity for 32 youth), Henderson (capacity 24, including a Level II substance abuse program), Knoxville (capacity 16, site of Duncan Academy), and Clarksville (housing the Independent Living Program for youth ages 18–24 transitioning out of state custody). Service delivery uses the proprietary Equip Program model for behavioral modification through a peer-help approach, combined with evidence-based counseling modalities (CBT, EMDR, solution-focused) and the Hazelton Living in Balance substance-abuse curriculum.

The organization's integrated service stack differentiates it from peer providers: it operates fully certified on-site state schools (Cornerstone School, Duncan Academy, New Heights Schools) with a 1:8 student-teacher ratio, allowing youth multiple grade levels behind to return to grade-level work within six months. Residential placements are followed by in-home support averaging 4–9 months to enable successful family reunification, with at least two in-person meetings per week during the transition.

The business model is dual-track. Service revenue comes primarily from per-diem placements through the Tennessee Department of Children's Services for children in state custody (a referral pool of roughly 9,000 children). The second track is charitable revenue: individual donations, capital campaigns (most recently the $15M Building the Future campaign completed November 2024), planned giving instruments (Qualified Charitable Distributions, Charitable Lead/Remainder Trusts, bequests, IRA and life-insurance beneficiary designations), church partnerships, and community fundraising events (Pathways 5K, Singin' & Swingin', Turkey Burn race series). The organization has expanded historically through mergers (Happy Hills Youth Ranch in 2000, East Tennessee Christian Services in 2001) and capacity additions at existing campuses, and is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Gary Massey Jr. with Mike Yuhas serving as President.

Name

Tennessee Children's Home

Legal name

Tennessee Children's Home

Website

https://tennesseechildrenshome.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tennessee Children's Home is a Tennessee faith-based nonprofit founded in 1909 that operates four campuses providing residential care, on-site education, counseling, substance abuse treatment, and in-home support for at-risk youth ages 13–18, plus an Independent Living Program for ages 18–24.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Youth Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Therapeutic/Behavioral & Residential Treatment K–12 Schools (EDAJABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Residential child care
• Youth behavioral services
• Substance abuse treatment
• At-risk youth education
• Christian foster care

Headquarters

HQ city

Spring Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations provide primary funding. The organization accepts cash gifts, appreciated stock, and other assets. Recurring gifts can be scheduled via bank draft.
2. Planned Giving Programs: Accepts Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs, Charitable Lead Trusts, Charitable Remainder Trusts, beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts, and bequests.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: Building the Future capital campaign raised $15,000,000 for Spring Hill campus construction, completed November 2024.
4. State Government Placements: Children are placed in residential care through Tennessee state child services, providing service delivery revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tennessee Children's Home provides structured residential group-home care for at-risk males ages 13-18 across four Tennessee campuses, integrating on-site certified education, Level I and Level II alcohol and drug treatment, individual/family/group counseling, in-home post-residential services, and Christian spiritual guidance. The flagship Residential Care program is supported by Education, Alcohol & Drug Treatment, Counseling, In-Home Care, and Spiritual Guidance, plus an Independent Living Program in Clarksville for youth ages 18-24 transitioning out of state custody.

Product overview

Tennessee Children's Home is a faith-based nonprofit organization providing a coordinated suite of residential care programs for at-risk youth ages 13-18. The core offering is Residential Care, supported by integrated services including on-site Education (Cornerstone School, Duncan Academy, and New Heights School), Alcohol & Drug Treatment, Counseling, In-Home Care, and Spiritual Guidance. All services are delivered across four campuses (Henderson, Clarksville, Spring Hill, and Knoxville) within a Christian environment using the Equip Program behavioral modification model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Care Flagship program providing safe, structured residential care for at-risk youth in a group home environment with house parents/residential counselors, encompassing physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and educational support services across four Tennessee campuses.
• Education (Cornerstone School, Duncan Academy, New Heights School) On-site instruction by certified teachers for residential placements through fully certified State Schools, offering special education, tutoring, and truancy mitigation with a 1:8 student-teacher ratio that closes two-to-three-year academic gaps within six months.
• Alcohol and Drug Treatment Level I and Level II substance abuse program providing residential behavioral intervention using the Equip/Equipment model, weekly substance abuse group education following the Hazelton Living in Balance curriculum, and aftercare services for youth and adolescents.
• Counseling Professional family, individual, and group counseling services employing CBT, experiential, solution-focused, and EMDR modalities, supporting residential placements and families through reunification.
• In-Home Care In-home services for children who have completed the residential care program, providing emotional support for children returning home and their families through at least two in-person meetings per week.
• Spiritual Guidance Faith-based programs including daily Bible study, church attendance, weekly chapel and devotionals, and Christian lifestyle emphasis integrated into all residential, education, and counseling programs.
• Independent Living Program (Clarksville) Independent living program for youth ages 18-24 transitioning out of state custody, offering independent living support, life skills training, higher education assistance, and safe housing at the North-Central Tennessee (Clarksville) Campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children two and three years behind in school regularly return to grade level work within six months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• East Tennessee Christian ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001East Tennessee Christian Services merged with Tennessee Children’s Home in January 2001, transferring 17 acres of land including the Knoxville campus property to the organization.
• Happy Hills Youth RanchmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Happy Hills Youth Ranch in Ashland City merged with Tennessee Children's Home in 2000, expanding services to include displaced mothers' program.
• Hillbrook Christian AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Hillbrook Christian Association donated 54 acres of land originally owned by Harold and Della Duncan for use as a Christian facility for worship, edification, evangelism, orphan support, education, and benevolence. The property became the Knoxville campus.
• Harold and Della DuncancoreOthersHarold and Della Duncan donated 54 acres with the intent the property would be used for religious activities and orphan support. Their donation enabled the establishment of the Knoxville campus.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arrow Child & Family Ministries: Faith-based nonprofit operating residential group homes, family preservation, and education services for children in foster care across multiple U.S. states. Mirrors Tennessee Children's Home's faith-rooted residential and education model.
• Methodist Home for Children (Alabama): Faith-rooted nonprofit operating residential group homes, on-site education, and family services for at-risk youth in a single-state footprint. Closely comparable operational model to Tennessee Children's Home despite operating in a different state.
• Mercy Home for Boys & Girls: Chicago-based Catholic nonprofit providing residential care, on-site education, counseling, and aftercare for at-risk youth. Very comparable integrated residential-education-counseling model in a faith-rooted setting.
• Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina: Faith-based nonprofit providing residential care, family services, and on-site education across multiple campuses in North Carolina. Directly mirrors Tennessee Children's Home's multi-campus, faith-rooted residential treatment model.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Home Society of California: Long-established nonprofit providing foster care, residential, adoption, and behavioral health services for children and families. Comparable mission and beneficiary population, though larger and broader service portfolio.
• Boys Town: Nationally recognized nonprofit operating residential treatment, behavioral health, and on-site education for at-risk youth ages 12-18. Comparable to Tennessee Children's Home in scope of integrated services, though it operates on a much broader multi-state scale.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Large nonprofit provider of behavioral health, residential treatment, and educational services for children and adolescents with complex needs. Overlaps directly with Tennessee Children's Home's residential, substance-abuse, and on-site school offerings, but at national scale.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): National nonprofit providing community-based and residential services for at-risk and state-custody youth, including behavioral health and independent living programming. Comparable in serving state-placed youth and offering independent-living services.

Others

• Lutheran Services in America: Network of faith-based Lutheran social-service nonprofits providing foster care, residential, and child welfare services nationwide. Comparable faith-rooted nonprofit status and youth/family service delivery even where service mix differs.

Regional players

• Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes: Faith-based Tennessee nonprofit providing residential and family-style care for children in crisis, very similar faith-and-residential-care model serving the same state and overlapping donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tnchildrenshome
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/tennchildrenshome
• Facebookfacebook.com/tennesseechildrenshome

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tennessee Children's Home