THRIVE Transition Extension
Transition Extension is a community-based program for students aged 18 and beyond who have Developmental Disabilities. It provides structured and coordinated secondary transition instruction, activities, and experiences. Transition Extension is individualized, outcome-based, and adult-focused. It further prepares students for supported employment and increased independence through:
- structured volunteer experiences;
- instruction and practice in job readiness and secondary transition planning;
- instruction and practice in community safety, self-advocacy, community transportation, and social thinking; and
- real job shadows, job coaching, and jobs through supported employment vendors in collaboration with New Horizon School.
Students and teachers meet briefly each morning in their classroom on the NHS campus for instruction and then leave campus where the community becomes their classroom.
The New Horizon School THRIVE Transition Extension curriculum has developed a unique curriculum that uses quantitative metrics to measure students’ Adaptive skills and their ability to apply these skills to real-life community and vocational settings.
Vocational Skills & Professionalism: Students have real-life, hands-on, vocational opportunities both on and off campus. Students also explicitly learn professional skills, socially appropriate workplace behavior, and resume building.
While learning job skills is essential, even full-time working individuals will spend most of their time out of work. Understanding how to manage one’s time is a vital skill. Transition Extension students learn this skill and are responsible for generating the program’s schedule and activities.
Money Management:
Students learn how to manage their money. This ranges from students who are learning basic concepts of money management, such as coin recognition, to students who are working on balancing a monthly budget. Additionally, the students are responsible for working together to develop and monitor the program’s annual budget, and attend monthly budget meetings with New Horizon School Board of Directors’ Finance Committee.
Students spend much of their time learning the skills necessary to independently manage a house or apartment. These skills consist of cooking meals, doing laundry, generating shopping lists and shopping, and cleaning.
Public Transportation
Students spend at least one day a week accessing local public transportation. Students plan trips using public transportation throughout the Puget Sound region. Students who require, receive specialized training in Seattle Metro’s Access system, ensuring that they can put money into their accounts and accurately call, order, and locate their ride.
Independent Mastery and Accurate Reporting
Students spend only 4 days a week in class and the community together. The 5th day of the work week is dedicated to students learning how to apply the skills they have practiced within the program to their home environments. Students use their phones and emails to demonstrate their skill mastery, practicing their ability to accurately report.
Health and Safety:
As part of the Transition Extension program, students learn the skills needed to remain safe. In our 21st century world, this includes online safety as well. The Transition Extension program works alongside the ARC of King County to provide personal safety training. Parents are part of the team as well, attending a special “Healthy Relationships” night where they can address their questions and concerns.
Collaborating with Adult Agencies:
At New Horizon School’s Transition Extension Program, we believe that collaborating with adult agencies will be invaluable to ensuring our students’ success after they leave our program. The Transition Extension program has developed relationships with DDA, DVR, School2Work, the ARC of King County, and employment vendors. We host individualized quarterly meetings with parents, students, DVR and employment vendors to ensure that everyone is working together to develop a specialized plan for each student, ensuring a smooth post-programmatic transition for all of our students.