CHILD DEVELOPMENT AT JACKSON CENTER
This work exploration class, located at Jackson Early Childhood Center, focuses on skills needed to assist with classroom responsibilities when caring for young children (infants to five years old).  Students are placed individually or in groups of two in a classroom and take direction from the Jackson staff. Students should be able to work without direct supervision from WWSC staff for at least 15 – 30 minutes. Depending on what age group the student is assigned, there may be nose wiping, diaper changing, and lots of hand washing. All classrooms involve some custodial work such as sanitizing tables and sweeping floors. Students may need to react quickly to emergency situations such as a child choking, vomiting, or getting hurt on the playground. Students will learn about the developmental stages of childhood and positive techniques for managing children’s behavior. A student try-out is required for enrollment in this class. Once accepted in this licensed child-care setting, students must have a TB test and get clearance through the Michigan Department of Human Services. There can be no dangly jewelry, facial piercings, or visible tattoos. Students are provided with polo shirts to wear over their own clothing to indicate that they are student interns

CLERICAL SKILLS/WAREHOUSE

This course is designed to introduce basic clerical skills to students and to provide them with an opportunity to work in a warehouse.  Students learn various skills including: organizing, shredding, shred prep (removing staples/paperclips), utilizing the copy machine, labeling, reading order forms, laminating, recycling collection and other office related skills.  Work order forms for staff are received and completed promptly and efficiently.  The warehouse experience allows students to learn about labeling, organizing, sealing, stocking, and using hand tools.  Students will go to either the Kids Coalition Against Hunger or to Millennium Business Systems warehouse.   

COMMUNITY WORK EXPERIENCE
Students who have demonstrated appropriate employability and self management skills may be placed as a volunteer in a community business for individualized or group work experiences. This is an unpaid training experience, which takes place at a variety of settings within the community.  A uniform may be required depending on the work site.  Students are expected to dress in clean, neat clothes, with no inappropriate logos.  The class provides a valuable opportunity for furthering mobility skills, knowledge of community resources, safety awareness, work habits, and problem solving skills.  Students may be trained at multiple work sites throughout the year.  

HORTICULTURE/CULINARY ARTS

 The Horticulture curriculum focuses on basic skills required to assist with greenhouse tasks, floral arranging, and related crafts.  Students learn fundamental skills used with plants such as: spraying and watering plants, dead heading, weeding, taking cuttings, transplanting, and plant arrangements.  Students actively participate in the micro-business of selling student created floral arrangements in the school store.  Through the winter months, students begin the process of growing plants for spring.  The focus is on transplanting and taking cuttings of plants, biological insect control, arranging plants by color, and learning the light and water needs of each plant.  Students may be working outdoors at different times throughout the school year.  The culinary arts component of this class introduces students to the skills needed to follow recipes, identify ingredients, measure and weigh quantities and prepare food, including but not limited to, main dishes, soups, salads, appetizers, and desserts.  Students will learn how to safely use commercial grade kitchen equipment in an environment that mirrors a kitchen one would encounter in a restaurant setting.  The students follow all santizing and hygiene routines for working with food and all Serv Safe regulations and guidelines are practiced in the classroom.  Students learn safe food handling techniques and how to work as a team in a fast paced environment.  Additionally, students are introduced to the concepts of healthy eating as a lifestyle. 

Supported Transition Program (STP)

Students will learn work skills out in the community at many different job sites. Our sites include; the Livonia Board Office, Garfield's GSRP, Westland Library, American House Westland, Livonia Community Recreation Center, and the VFW Hall on Plymouth Rd. Students are building their independence, accuracy, and stamina working in the community. 

Technology & Clerical Skills

Students are working to build computer skills working with Google Classroom, Doc, Slides, Forms, and Email. Students are working on Clerical Skills including stapling, removing staples, shredding, laminating, and cutting. 

Industrial Manufacturing at Roush and United Road (Job-Sites)

Interns at Roush will gain experience at one or more of these experiences.

Trim Shop- There are two areas where our students intern. Vinyl Graphics- Students will learn how to properly weed un-wanted areas that have been cut for vinyl decals for merchandise and vehicles. Students will explore how to use the industrial cutter as well as how to safely and effectively use an Xacto knife to cut decals. Trim- Students will learn how to trace from designed patterns, how to cut different materials, how to use industrial technology to cut materials, how to add buttons and rivets as well as how to use an industrial sewing machine.

Roush Performance (vehicle wash)- Students will learn how to efficiently wash vehicles coming into Roush Performance. Students will explore job roles in the installation of parts.

Interns at United Road will gain experience in one or more of these areas.

Truck Wash- Students will learn the gear needed to be worn and tools needed to clean car haulers. Students set up needed supplies, will scrub trucks with soap, rinse with a power-washer and learn how to clean the interior cab.

Mechanical- Students will learn the safety gear needed to be worn to remain safe. Jobs learned are slip-plating to decrease friction on lifts, greasing coils and straps, cleaning commonly used items such as jacks and general site maintenance. Students will assist certified mechanics with daily tasks needed for the upkeep of their fleet.

Data Entry- Students will learn the computer software used to compile service orders for inventory and billing purposes.

Skill-ful Designs  (In-house job training)

Students take donated or commissioned furniture and transform them into new and beautiful pieces. Money earned goes back into funding our supplies and adds to our school activity fund.

Kids Coalition Against Hunger  (In-house job training)

Our students label food bags for this organization to help with the local and global food crisis. Food packages are given to local food pantries, the Red Cross and are shipped to global areas of need such as Poland, Yemen and Haiti.

LIFE SKILLS FOR HOME AND WORK

The purpose of this class is to teach students how to be an active member of a household as well as the necessary skills in order to find, obtain, and keep a job.

All activities and lessons will be leveled to the students' ability level.

Accommodations will be in place based on the students' needs.

RETAIL SERVICES/SCHOOL STORE

In this class, students commute to Meijer to engage in a variety of activites related to working and/or shopping at Meijer.  The work day involves activities such as cleaning the employee break room, cleaning and straightening departments at Meijer, such as the pet section and clothing section.  Students clean the display cases in the electronics department, dairy department, and frozen foods area.  Students also work in the bottle return area, stock room, and often straighten merchandise on the shelves.  The equipment used ranges from spray bottles, dust brooms, cleaning clothes, window squeegees, and dusters.  Each student is rotated through each activity in order to provide the student works with a variety of tasks and become more familiar with various retail oriented services.  In addition to going to Meijer, students in this class run the school store, the Tiger's Den, at Garfield Community School.  The students are responsible for bagging and organizing merchandise for sale.  The class keeps inventory, prices items, looks for new products to sell, and with assistance, determines profit.  Each student will have an assigned job in the school store and will rotate jobs every few weeks.  The students will also participate in shopping at Meijer to find items to sell in the school store.  Students will be exposed to the concept of micro-business and will demonstrate an understanding of activities they can participate in to earn an income.  School store jobs include running the cash register, selling school spirit attire, greeter, selling coffee, and selling various food/non-food items.

WOODWORKING & CERAMICS
The wood shop class focuses on tool and machine skills, along with an emphasis on work safety. Class projects allow students to develop woodworking skills such as sawing, sanding, assembly, painting/staining, and finishing.  Students begin this class by learning about and using small hand tools and work their corresponding hardware.  Power tools and machinery are used for advanced projects following completion of safety and operational training.  Students participate in project brainstorming and design of lawn/garden items.  Students are also given the opportunity to work at the craft shows and practice basic business skills.  This class also has a ceramics component.  Students exercise their fine motor skills while working with clay to make individual projects such as bowls, name plates, and creative designs.  Working with pottery offers students the opportunity to learn about and use a different set of tools, including sponges, small picks, and paint brushes.

Civil Service and Support Class

Monday through Thursday we will work at Livonia City Hall, Livonia Libraries and the morning class will work at the Livonia Civic Senior Center.  We will do light custodial, shredding, dusting, cleaning windows, carpet sweeping and plant care. In the past we have helped the Mayor's office and the Civil Service department with holiday mail by collating, folding, stuffing envelopes and attaching labels to envelopes.

Fridays we stay back to practice AdvancEd skills that include writing personal information, reading survival signs and students practice stating their strengths and IEP goals. Students will learn class related vocabulary, read numbers found in the community, fill out job applications, practice interview skills and money skills. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) lessons will be taught at this time as well.  

This class provides a uniform shirt for each student to wear Monday through Thursday. Please wear the shirt with black or khaki pants.  Close toed shoes are needed for safety. It is important for us to make a positive impression while in the community so appropriate attire is requested.