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Learning Through Life / Project Win-Win |
Project
Win-Win:
This is a program that focuses on employment training.
It consists of five sessions that run throughout the year, designed to help children
ages 12-21 with
special needs to explore different career paths and
learn basic skills to enter the work force upon
graduation from high school.
Mentors trained
as job coaches work directly with the students
to guide them in the classroom and on job sites. Classes
are designed to meet the needs of children with
a broad array of ability levels. Project
Win-Win has been generously funded through
the help of grants from the Kessler and
Starbucks Foundations.
Learning Through Life:
Children with special needs require
experientially-based learning. They need to
touch and feel something for it to come alive
and have meaning. Pathways has developed the
successful Learning Through Life program
for children ages 8-14 that integrates academics
and life skills. Children are learning math
through cooking and differentiating money by
using coins as chips for Bingo. They are getting
motivated to read and write while making grocery
lists, shopping online for a vacation, or making
Talking Books on computers. In this program,
learning academics is a creative process
integrated into daily life experiences that help
teach our children to achieve greater
independence in their lives. Once the children
have developed skills they need, they may be
able to move into "Project Win-Win."
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Project
Win-Win Employment Program for ages 12-21 |
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Description:
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This program is currently filled.
If you are interested in placement on our waiting
list, email
mvtpec@aol.com.
Instructors:
Kimen Ryan, Certified Teacher of the
Handicapped
Melinda Jennis, Physical Therapist,
Professionals in related businesses
On Tuesdays, students develop functional
reading, writing, customer service,
technology, and math skills within the context
of business, employment, and everyday life
applications. We explore
career options in
pet care, music entertainment (video, disc
jockey/karaoke), and food service industries.
Children develop proficiency in software on Dell and MacBook computers.
Thursdays and Fridays provide small instructor-to-child
ratios to allow each child to develop
proficiency in a specific area of employment.
Work-study tracks include
Food Service (waiting on tables, taking orders,
serving customers); Music Entertainment (song
mixing, setup, knockdown, ITCH software,
gigs);
Accounting (working at an accounting office);
and Pet Care (running an actual dog-walking
business). |
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Date: |
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays throughout the year |
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Time: |
4:30
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6:00pm |
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Location:
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Tuesdays:
Montville Twp Public Library, Pio Costa, 90 Horseneck Rd.
Thursdays and Fridays: Locations
rotate. |
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Cost:
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$100.00
for 12 classes |
Our goals,
dreams, and accomplishments:
PROJECT WIN-WIN "PET CARE AND GROOMING" class in
Winter 2008 brought about great success as the kids
learned about businesses and careers in pet care.
On the business side, the kids used computers and
several software programs to develop company
logos, flyers, databases, budgets, invoices and
contracts. On the medical side, they researched
animal diseases and created veterinary health
intake forms. Mock pet stores and grooming salons
were an ideal setting for learning tools of the
trade, customer assistance, and handling money
transactions. Various professionals
from NJ were invited to present to the class,
including K9
Kennels of Fanwood,
TLC Services Mobile Pet
Grooming of Newton,
Audubon Society of Ringwood, and Jean Bearle
and her daughters, Morgan and Abbey, from
Canine Companions for Independence, a
nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of
people with disabilities by providing highly
trained assistance dogs and ongoing support. The
Bearles brought two dogs and demonstrated how they
are trained to help those with disabilities and
provide companionship. The class took a field trip
to PETCO in
East Hanover to meet the staff and mingle with
birds, lizards, fish, and furry friends. The kids
also got hands-on experience as volunteers at the
Montville Animal Shelter cleaning cages, feeding,
and playing with the animals. Finally, the kids
gave powerpoint presentations to their parents and
the class about the careers they had chosen.
 THE FALL
2008 SESSION
of "Project Win-Win" focused on the
Business and Fine Art
of Landscape Design. Eric Bowne, owner
of Collage Landscaping in Clifton, NJ, and
his staff,
donated their time teaching us how
to select plants, shrubs, stone, brick and
other materials that coordinate with various soils, climates,
buildings, and natural environments. We
designed a project, took a field
trip to Condurso's Garden Center in
Montville, kept track of
our project budget, and made our design a
reality by digging and planting. Pathways extends our sincere
appreciation to Collage Landscaping and Dan Como
& Sons of Towaco, NJ, for donating the mulch.
We then moved into masonry
where we designed and built a brick border around
our landscaping project.
 IN SUMMER
of 2008, "Project Win-Win" began with a session
on
Becoming a Disc Jockey with professional
DJ, Eli Kababa. We learned to set up and run the equipment, mix music,
and actually worked two gigs – a 1950’s dance
for The Chelsea at Montville and a fund raiser
in Summit, NJ.
These
programs are run under the authority of the Montville
Township Recreation
Dept.
For registration and questions, contact
them at 973.331.3305. The registration form can
also be downloaded at
http://www.montvillenj.org.
Click
on Municipal Services, then Parks and Recreation,
then Forms and Flyers.
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