By Ann McCauley, director, Missouri Recovery Friendly Workplaces
When a Recovery Friendly School also becomes a Recovery Friendly Workplace, you create an environment that centers the living experience of individuals in recovery, both in and outside the classroom.
On October 24, 2023, the Excel Adult High School in Columbia became the first school in Missouri to earn the Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) designation. The Excel Center is an accredited tuition-free high school that gives adults 21 and older the opportunity to earn an actual high school diploma. While earning their diploma, students earn college credits and a variety of industry-recognized certifications to increase their earning potential and employability skills.
Recovery Friendly Schools transform student outcomes and employ staff who understand the socioeconomic and environmental factors that affect their academic success. Students who have enrolled in the adult high school have faced barriers such as unemployment, housing insecurity, a lack of transportation, and/or childcare issues.
