The goal of the transition program is to build students’ confidence in transitioning from secondary education to achieving their post-secondary goals related to living, learning and earning within the community.

In the Structured Learning Experience (SLE) program students volunteer at a setting that matches their skills and interests, learning the additional skills necessary to work in that field. Our students have volunteered at Marshalls, the Hat Factory, Encore Caterers, Born To Run Farm and Arlene’s Bridal.

Our students learn a variety of clerical skills in our clerical room, where there  is an area for data entry, collating, mail sorting, and letter assembly.

In the culinary room students advance their Activities for Daily Living (ADL) skills such as setting a table, sweeping and vacuuming.

Community Based Instruction (CBI) happens throughout the school, as students learn appropriate and acceptable behaviors in a community setting. Outside the school instruction is provided about community & safety awareness and retail & shopping, among other topics.

Pre-Vocational Skills

The pre-vocational curriculum teaches students the skills necessary for employment—generalizing learned skills to pre-vocational and functional tasks. Among the skills addressed in this area are clerical tasks, sorting, stocking shelves, assembly, and packaging. This segment of the curriculum prepares students for secure employment, supportive employment and competitive employment. Individualization of the program is crucial, as students have a wide range of skill and interest levels.

The Gramon Family of Schools also has an established in-school vocational program for the students who have mastered certain skills. This program allows the students to rotate through various placements to determine the activities that best match their skills and interests. In-school placements include cafeteria team member, recycling team, assistant librarians, school maintenance, front office helpers, and school messengers.

Career Education

The transition program at The Gramon Family of Schools includes career awareness experiences through which our students prepare for the world of work outside of school. Students are matched to prospective work opportunities based on their demonstrated areas of interest and skills. Students also learn about what may be expected of them when they leave The Gramon Family of Schools.

Work Based Community Learning Program

Our work based learning program provides our high school students with an opportunity to combine traditional academics with the task-oriented focus and interpersonal skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. Students receive close on-site supervision throughout the learning experience, and interact with adults who model successful workplace behaviors and interpersonal skills. Their transition activities build confidence, pride and initiative while allowing students to see themselves as contributing members of society.

Culinary Arts

In our new state-of-the-art kitchen, students learn a variety of culinary preparation and presentation techniques as they work with foods commonly used in restaurants, cafeterias and institutional settings. Students also learn table service, dining room protocol and business operation as an introduction to the culinary arts and food services industry.

Employment Camp

All students who participate in the Structured Learning Experience (SLE) at the Gramon Family of Schools also participate in the summer employment camp. The camp, held over our summer extended school year program, is designed for students age 16 and above to focus on their vocational and work skills. Camp activities build students’ endurance for work related tasks, expose them to a variety of work and work sites, and permit instructors to assess their strengths and interests.

Green Vision

 Green Vision Inc. is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) tax exempt program that teaches adolescent students and adults with developmental disabilities  how to properly dismantle and recycle unwanted electronics. Each year Americans discard over 400 million units of e-waste. Less than 12% is being recycled.

Green Vision challenges our students with tasks that allow them to use problem solving skills while dismantling a wide variety of devices. As the e-waste is being taken apart, our students sort the materials so that they can be recycled. Green Vision is 99.7% landfill free, and all of the recyclable materials go to federally licensed facilities. Green Vision provides not only a service to our students by giving them meaningful job skill training, but also an environmentally sound “green” solution to the local community.

NBistro

 We are very excited about our newest vocation at the Gramon Family of Schools, “NBistro.”  NBistro is a coffee shop run by the students in the transition program at The Gramon Family of Schools. Students involved in this vocational program learn how to operate a cash register, interact with customers, take orders, and perform other related tasks associated with working at a cafe.

Clerical Room

The transition program includes career awareness experiences through which students prepare for the world of work outside of school. Students are matched to prospective work opportunities based on the demonstrated areas of interest and skills of each individual student. Students learn about what may be expected of them when they leave Gramon Schools.

In-house jobs

The pre-vocational curriculum teaches students the skills necessary for employment—generalizing learned skills to pre-vocational and functional tasks. Among the skills addressed in this area are clerical tasks; sorting, stocking shelves, assembly, and packaging. This segment of the curriculum prepares students for secure employment, supportive employment and competitive employment. Individualization of the program is crucial, as students have a wide range of skill and interest levels.

Gramon School also has an established in-school work program for the students who have mastered certain skills. This program allows the students to rotate through various job placements to determine which job they are best at. In-school jobs include cafeteria team member, recycling team, assistant librarians, school maintenance, front office helpers, and school messengers.

Off-Site Job Training

Community-based trips to supermarkets, banks, restaurants and businesses enable students to generalize skills taught in the classroom out in the community environment.

18-21 Program

Gramon has customized its facility in order to meet the needs of its adult population. For those who are between 18 and 21, it is critical to focus on the work skills, self-care and functional academic programming that will assist them in their journey through adulthood. Gramon’s 18-21 program encompasses a variety of vocational experiences paired with community outings in order to tailor learning and work to student interests and abilities. Focusing on executive function, minimizing prompt dependency and enhancing independence are at the core focus of the Gramon young adult program.