Transitional Services
The Transition program at Kindle Farm School is designed to “teach work” and to support students’ growth into adulthood. Program activities take place at school, in the local community and work-based learning opportunities. The transition program is designed to help students acquire the skills needed to secure and maintain employment after they leave school. We emphasize the daily living, academic, and domestic skills that are an integral part of being an adult in the greater community.
The Transitional Program has three critical domains for an adult living after graduation:
Daily Living Skills - Students learn how to manage personal finances (including learning about credit cards, debit cards, checking and savings accounts, etc.) household management, personal needs, family responsibilities, food preparation, citizenship responsibilities, and leisure activities.
Self-Determination and Interpersonal Skills - Students develop self-awareness, self-confidence, socially responsible behavior, good interpersonal skills, independence, and decision-making and good communication skills.
Employment Skills - We help students open the door to employment possibilities and choices by teaching them appropriate work habits, how to seek and maintain employment, physical/manual skills, future education/training, and specific job competencies.
Students start to work with the Transition Coordinator in 9th grade when they complete a series of assessments and begin building their career portfolios. Students meet with Vocational Rehabilitation case managers and form a relationship which can follow them to graduation and beyond.
They review their career portfolios, add certifications earned in and out of school which may include: First Aid/CPR, Game of Logging, Hunter Safety, Tractor Safety, Drivers’ Education, etc. Students develop a resume, reference list, learn how to search job listings, complete employment applications, and practice their interviewing skills.
Students participate in Financial Literacy, and Life Skills Cooking classes and seniors also have the opportunity to participate in job shadows, internships, and work-based placements in the student’s area of interest, which in some cases may lead them into full-time employment. Those opportunities are contingent upon meeting academic and attendance requirements.