The Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Department of Special Education oversees a number of community-based programs to help facilitate students’ transition out of high school. Each program offers a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience in the workplace or higher education while serving the community with a dedicated group of workers and students supported by the school system.
Below is a list of Transition Programs available in AACPS:
Enclave Training Program
The Enclave Training Program provides students with non-paid work experience at various community businesses and organizations. This program helps students develop job-related skills needed to successfully maintain a job such as social skills, problem solving, and safety awareness. Students in this program visit their job site three days a week and experience two job sites per year. Current Enclave sites include Giant Food, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Michael’s Arts & Crafts, South County Senior Center, and CiCi’s Pizza, among many others.
Supported Employment Program
The Supported Employment Program helps students obtain and maintain paid employment. Transition staff work with students and their families to identify potential job opportunities that match the student’s interest and skills and provide initial job coaching to help the student settle into the position. Overtime, this coaching fades as the student becomes proficient in his/her position. The goal of this program is for students to maintain their employment independently and continue in this job into their adult life. Current community partners that provide supported employment include, but are not limited to, Giant Food, UPS, Friendly’s, Sam’s Club, Old Navy, Safeway, Graul’s Market, and Harley Davidson.
On-Campus Transition Program
The On-Campus Transition Program, a two-year program hosted by the Anne Arundel Community College for students in their last two years with AACPS. Students in this program partake college-level courses to further their life skills and receive functional academic instruction while surrounding themselves in the college-campus life. This program offers Special Education Students, many of whom remain in high school until they are 21 years old, the opportunity to continue their education in an age-appropriate environment while receiving support from AACPS and community college staff.
Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH is a one-year business-led transition program that takes place entirely at the host business. The program is a partnership between AACPS, Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, the Arc of Central Chesapeake Region, and the Division of Rehabilitation Services. Currently, there are two Project SEARCH sites in Anne Arundel County: Hilton BWI and Anne Arundel Medical Center. Students participate in three 10-week internships that expose them to a wide range of service oriented professional jobs. While some students have been hired by the host organization after the end of the internship, all students leave the program with professional work experience to add to their resume.
Start On Success (SOS)
Start On Success (SOS) is an internship program hosted in partnership with Humanim, a non-profit organization that provides workforce development programs to individuals with disabilities, and the Division of Rehabilitation Services, an agency of the Maryland State Department of Education. SOS engages 12th grade students in paid internships at the Baltimore Washington Medical center where they are placed according to their skillset and interest in departments such as the Emergency Room, Mail Room, or Childcare/Pediatrics. In addition to on-the-job training and work experience, SOS students also meet in a classroom setting to talk about and develop “soft skills” such as effective communication, resume building, interview strategies, and job search techniques. At the end of the four-month program, Humanim works with each student to find and secure employment after graduation.
To learn more about these programs, please contact Michele Dilegge, Transition Specialist, at mdilegge-goldfein@aacps.org.
