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CORE VALUE
Providing our high school students with as many individualized opportunities
for both employment training and community-based programming.
The Journey Begins at age 14 - Exposure to work-based opportunities
Age 14-15
- Participate in various introductory job programs on campus to get acclimated to work
- Clerical Program - "Copy That"
- Maintenance Program - "Clean Sweep"
Skills Worked On
- Taking directions from a job coach
- Report to job site on time
- Build stamina and endurance for work-related tasks
Many of the tasks presented in their life skills programming are carried over into these employment settings and serve to reinforce these skills in other locations.
Collaboration between job coaches, therapists, teachers and BCBAs is integral in order to establish a strong work foundation and build self-esteem and confidence in our students.
Structured Learning Experiences (SLE)
Age 16
- Participate in various vocational training opportunities both on campus and in the community.
- Providing high school students with a variety of work-based opportunities
- To develop Interests
- Identify their strengths
Soft Skill Development
- Cooperatioon
- Asking for Help, when needed
- Problem Solving
- Hygiene, etc..
Reinforcement of these critical skills in conjunction with exposure to various opportunities has proved to be effective for our students preparing to graduate.
It helps to equip them with skills, confidence and comfort to apply for jobs in various areas of interest.
Community Based Instruction (CBI) - Coincides with the introduction to Vocational Opportunities
- Beginning the process of programming within the local community.
Community-based instruction (CBI) involves
- Generalization of skills practiced in the classroom or school setting into the real world.
- CBI locations are selected to help reinforce goals and objectives worked on in the various disciplines at the school.
- Grocery stores
- Eateries
- Recreation locations, and more.
“Infusion.” - Staging community-based trips within school settings.
- Collaboration of related services and classroom staff
- Related Service teams can identify and address a variety of skill sets.
- Address IEP goals while in the community that are necessary for independence and adult living.
As students age through their transition years, CBI may become more individualized based on the needs of the student.
For example, students at age 18 may participate in Community Coaching, which involves accessing the community in a one-on-one setting. This allows the teacher and/or therapist to work more intimately with the student on community skills that are needed prior to graduation.
Activities for Daily Living (Adl)
- Life skills programming is the third component in the transition program and ties in well with the other two components listed above.
- Utilizing our on-campus apartments, individualized programming is developed to enhance areas that are necessary for adult living and post-21 placements.
Skills Practiced
- Bed making
- Laundry
- Table setting
- Vacuuming, etc.
Reinforcement of these critical life skills is carried over into classroom activities, community-based programming and even specific vocations.
- Participate in various introductory job programs on campus to get acclimated to work
On-Site Job Locations & Descriptions
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A Taste of Gramon (Culinary Arts)
Transition students experience what it is like to work in a restaurant-style kitchen. Learning food preparation basics, food safety and kitchen etiquette as well as, the real life, fast pace of working behind the scenes at a restaurant, students will have their hands full (literally). This experience will prepare them for potential work in this field after graduation.
Prior to transition students making the move to the main kitchen, they can get an introduction into culinary arts and food preparation basics. To go along with food preparation, they will learn portioning and plating of the students’ school breakfasts and lunches. This includes counting out specific number of items, wrapping or dividing food into specific potion sizes, and ensuring that each plate has the correct items requested on it.
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Clean Sweep
The foundation of our transition program, Clean Sweep provides the basics in work-based programming. Cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping are not only essential life skills but also skills that carry over into various other job sites as well.
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Copy That
For all your paperwork needs! Copy That helps students understand what goes into running an office. From copying to collating and everything in between our transition students help the paperwork get from point A to point B.
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Garden Harvest (Horticulture)
What is better than a “farm to table” restaurant? How about our transition students growing and maintaining our garden and green house and using the produce in our very own restaurant? Garden Harvest is for those students in transition who love to get their hands dirty and see the results of hard work!
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GiFtS
Assisting with the designing of products. Reading, creating, and fulfilling orders as requested. Products incliude: custom glassware/plates, custom stained/painted wooden signs, custom shirts/blankets/bags.
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Green Vision
Our satellite program on campus works on taking old computers and other various electronics and breaking them down into their components. Once this is completed, these components are then sorted and recycled. This vocation is one of our most popular with our student body. It also teaches our transition students how to take responsibility for their work, wear protective eye wear and gloves and reinforce hard to teach, fine motor skills.
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NBistro
“A vocational experience with milk and two sugars!” Transition students learn how to work in a functioning, campus coffee shop. Skills include customer service, operating a register, money handling, and maintenance and inventory.
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Not Just Laundry
It is all in the title! Transition students will not only gain a valuable skill set when it comes to learning how to launder clothes, but much more as well. Not Just Laundry provides real life work experiences that “tailor” to students’ strengths in organization, sorting, routine, and consistency.
