Updated April 29, 2019

After four decades of working with the Tennessee Department of Education to provide early intervention services, the King’s Daughters’ School in Columbia will no longer be taking care of the region’s at-risk youth for the state.

Starting July 1, the services that have been provided by the local school for 40 years to residents in Giles, Maury,  and the surrounding area will go to another provider.

The contract’s will not affect any residential or school-aged services provided by The King’s Daughters’ School at either its Main Campus on West 9th Street or at the Center for Autism.

The King’s Daughters’ School will continue to work with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to provide specialized housing and care for the state’s children.

The local school said the state’s decision not to renew its contract reflects what appears to be a statewide shift from small community-based providers that act on behalf of the state to larger support organizations.

Officials say the contract that covers Giles, Maury and the surrounding five-county area, will likely go to a larger provider with a major foothold in the surrounding region.

The King’s Daughters’ School is a private residential school for students with intellectual disabilities and autism.