Transition Services

Community Based Instruction (CBI)

CBI moves the curriculum out of the classroom into the community. Students aged five through 14 go into the community once a month, while older students explore the community two times a month. A certified staff member accompanies all students into the community. All drivers of the Center´s vans have commercial drivers´ licenses.

Some places the students might visit include the post office, local eateries, the library, bookstores, and the bank. Each community site has an Activity Card which lists the communicative demands of the site. Before going on CBI, all students must have a completed Community Support Plan that provides student information necessary for success in the community. Each student is given grant-sponsored spending money and taught how to exchange it for goods and services. For students who are non-verbal, PECS symbols are provided to facilitate their negotiation of the community. On CBI, students learn basic life skills such as getting in and out of a car, fastening and unfastening a seat belt, crossing a street, browsing in a store, and recognizing and using public telephones and restrooms.

Rising Futures, an Employment Program

The Phoenix Center was the first private school in the state to receive approval for its supported employment program. With the guidance of the Center´s Supported Employment Coordinator and seven APSE-trained employment specialists, all students age 14 to 21 are engaged in volunteer and/or paid integrated employment opportunities in the community or at the Phoenix Center. Currently, students 15 years and older work or volunteer in area businesses in Passaic, Essex, Morris, and Bergen counties. Some of our worksites include Mike´s Feed Farm, Passaic General Hospital, JP Homerama, Ridgewood YMCA, Shop Rite, and the Clifton Boys and Girls Club. Classroom instruction for students eligible for transition services include academic survival skills, career exploration, job tours, resume preparation, the job application process, and roleplaying for social skills development and job interviews. We are very proud of this program and of our gainfully employed students.

Restaurant Program

The Monthly Restaurant Program, underwritten by Inserra Shop Rites of Mahwah, New Jersey, is an integral part of our in-house supported employment program. A holiday or country theme is selected each month. Students complete applications, apply and interview for various jobs within the restaurant. Students may research foods indigenous to the country, select recipes, write shopping lists, go food shopping, and with the help of staff, prepare the food. Other students may partake in the luncheon specialties and answer trivia questions for each country as they wait for their orders. The Restaurant Program involves all related service providers in its various aspects.

Vocational Program

The Vocational Program is new to the Center for the 2007-2008 school year. This program is designed to offer vocational and life-skills opportunities for our secondary-age students. There are currently two different classes being offered each week: one class is a functional, life-skills class that our students from specific classrooms attend on a rotating basis; and the second class has a fixed number of students who receive training in the restaurant field based on their interest and ability. The Instructor works directly with two of the Center´s Supported Employment Specialists to design lessons and activities that are meaningful and are linked to NJCCCS vocational standards.

The first group of students works in a learning center-based classroom that is designed to provide instruction with basic microwave and cooking skills, self-help skills, and recycling.

The second group of six students focuses on culinary skills and work traits that will help them to maintain meaningful employment in the restaurant industry. Through the support of the Phoenix Center, two community locations have offered employment opportunities for our students. With these two jobs as models, the students will have the opportunity in school to reinforce the skills that directly relate to their job duties.