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From High School to Beyond- The Transition Can Drive the Success
PowerPoint Presentation
Talking Points (background information for the PowerPoint
presentation)
Brochure
Video available
upon request. Contact Renee for more information 
Contact
Information
Summary of Demonstration Projects
Summary of Pilot Projects
Members of the Career Start Steering Committee TRANSITION
RESOURCES PAGE
RESOURCES FOR CAREER START PARTNERS PAGE
ARCHIVES
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CAREER START PROJECT SUMMARY
After
engaging in a highly competitive grant process, Vermont was chosen by
the federal Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy
(ODEP) as one out of eight states nationally to receive a
State
Alignment Grant for Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth with
Disabilities Through the Use of Intermediaries. Vermont’s project is
entitled
Career Start.
The Vermont Department of Employment and Training (DET) received this
grant in September, 2003 and is working with the Human Resources
Investment Council (HRIC), the Vermont Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation (DVR) and the Vermont Department of Education.
Goal
To explore model approaches that create a community-wide system of
inclusion, support and engagement for school age youth with disabilities
as they transition into their adult roles in the community.
Project Theory of Change
1. Community-driven: Not top down, not a model imposed.
2. Work toward a comprehensive system both locally and state: need
collaboration between local
schools (Department of Education - DOE);
employers/Workforce
Investment Boards (WIBs),
DET, HRIC; Community College of Vermont/local
colleges (higher education); youth and families; other community/State
partners (Mental Health, Developmental
Services, Children and Family Services, etc.)
3. Clear outcomes focus:
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An
increased number of youth with disabilities making successful
transitions to employment and post-secondary education;
-
Increased employment experiences and career options for youth with
disabilities; and
-
Prevention or reduction of negative outcomes defined as involvement
in the adult and juvenile justice systems; high school drop out
rate; placement in institutional settings or psychiatric hospitals.
4. Data
collection system that will follow youth after graduation, assess
employment and
post-secondary outcomes, and use data betweens systems.
Activities
Resource Mapping: Convened through the 11 WIB regions. Local community
representatives attended (from education, mental health, vocational
rehabilitation, DET, parents, etc.) Four areas were explored at each
local session:
1. What helps ensure
school success and reduces dropout rates?
2. What
interventions/services are needed to enable youth with disabilities to
make successful transitions?
3. How (and who) are
youth succeeding in post-secondary education and/or
employment?
4
. How are young adults with disabilities maintaining careers?
Gaps in services were identified and teams declared their intent to
apply for Career Start Demonstration funds.
Steering Committee/State Level Advisory Group:
Some members wrote the grant application
to Department of Labor (DOL),
others helped hire Director, more partners added in May, 2004. Includes
staff from the state departments of Employment and Training, Vocational
Rehabilitation and Education, the HRIC Director, Director of the Vermont
Parent and Information Center (VPIC), Director of the Vermont Coalition
for Disability Rights (VCDR), the provost for Vermont State Colleges, a
paralegal from the Disability Law project, and a local special education
administrator.
Demonstration Projects:
A Request for Proposal (RFP)
for Demonstration Projects was written and distributed to the eleven WIB
regions and all supervisory unions in Vermont on July 1, 2004.
Two "Bidder's Conferences" were held and all eleven regions brought
teams that included WIBs, school personnel and other local community
agency staff. Four Demonstration Sites were chosen in Bennington,
Chittenden Co., Randolph and Springfield. Projects began September 30,
2004.
One Year Pilots: During the grant
review session for Demonstration Projects, preliminary decisions were
made to fund smaller one year pilot projects, as funding allowed, in
additional communities. Six projects will be funded for one year, with
the plan being that successful ones will be replicable in other areas.
The six projects are in Bradford, Brattleboro, Franklin Co., Lamoille
Co., Northeast Kingdom, Washington Co.
Data Collection:
To test how effective these services are, DVR will collect data on
students involved in local Career Start Demonstration projects.
DVR will
use this data to find out if Career Start students are more likely to
attend college or tech school, get jobs, and earn more than students who
haven’t been involved in Career Start. Local Career Start project staff
will track information about the Career Start services students receive
while they are in school. They are also being asked to track each
student for one year after graduation. DVR’s research staff will also
look at administrative data that other agencies gather.
Peer Learning Networks: All ten
funded projects have been asked to send a team of 2-3 people to a
quarterly Peer Learning Network (PLN) meeting. PLNs involve people
learning from each other and project development over time. It is also
an opportunity to report on projects, ask for feedback, and review
gaps/challenges in order to move projects forward. We will develop a
mechanism for capturing what is learned at these meetings to inform
policymakers, etc. As issues arise, some can be addressed during site
visits, some will be addressed by Steering Committee, some will need to
go to a higher level of policy-makers. This process, along with
activities above, will lead State Plan development.
Information and Dissemination: The
11 WIB regions have all engaged in planning for a marketing initiative
which will be implemented in Spring through Fall, 2005. The message is:
“High School Transition is a set of activities that begin well before
graduation, that are essential for students with disabilities to succeed
as adults.” The activities will vary from one region to another but will
include: presentations to groups such as the Rotary, Chamber, local
school boards; Media events such as press releases, human interest
stories, local cable TV spots, radio ads or Public
Service Announcements (PSAs);
networking opportunities such as discussion groups, planning/organizing
meetings; mentoring and activities to connect with higher education.
Additional activities
will be occurring over the next four years, the duration of the Career
Start project.
Contact:
Renee
Kievit-Kylar,
Project Director
renee.kievit-kylar@ahs.state.vt.us
(802) 241-4683
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