COMMUNITY
TIER 2:
the child’s home, creating a home schedule
with picture supports. Parents are the heart
of the child’s program. NWCA is the rest
of the circulatory system, bringing vital
services to the child and his or her family.”
Sylvia, a parent of a child at NWCA,
said,” Our child has attended the DeKalb
Campus since fourth grade. In these
last three years, we have witnessed a
lot of success and growth in him. This
can be directly attributed to the caring
staff and teachers of NWCA-DeKalb.
“They are constantly seeking ways to
challenge our son academically and help
him grow personally, all while addressing
his disabilities in a respectful manner.
We are hopeful our son will lead a happy
and productive adult life. NWCA is a
main component to him learning the
skills necessary to do so and for that we
are eternally thankful,” said Sylvia.
Once a child reaches age 18, he or she is
eligible to transition into NWCA’s Adult
Prep Program (APP). It is a four-tiered
program designed to offer numerous opportunities for young adults, ages 18-21,
to gain the necessary skills for adult life.
COMMUNITY
EXPERIENCES
TIER 1:
LIFE SKILLS
TIER 1, focuses on independent
living skills utilizing a mock
apartment set-up which includes a
kitchen, living room and bedroom.
Young adults learn to cook, do
laundry, and complete other daily
living tasks. They are taught good
grooming skills. They learn to
budget, shop and to maintain a
checking account when capable.
TIER 3:
JOB SEEKING
SKILLS
TIER 2, provides experiences with
the public transportation system,
grocery shopping, and accessing
community resources such as the
local library. The young adults also
visit group homes to become familiar
with residential living. Additionally,
participants are connected to adult
services. Because well-rounded adults
need leisure time activities, they are
introduced to a variety of recreational
events within their communities.
variety of vocational tasks, mock
interviews, on-site career development
and volunteer experiences.
As indicated in APP’s four-tier program,
young adults begin their journey to
competitive employment within the
school setting. When they demonstrate
they have the initial skills for successful
employment, they venture out into the
community, working with a job shadower
to assist in the training process.
Once their skills have been solidified,
the young adult is able to work independently in an authentic position
within his local community. To achieve
this level of [\