Answer: A typical day for students varies based on whether they are in the AM or PM shift.
Students should arrive daily with a pre-loaded ORCA card for the public bus. Students should also bring a lunch or money to purchase a lunch on Friday Outing days. Students must wear clothing appropriate for their work site and daily community experiences.
The ATP program serves students through 2 different shifts: AM and PM. The shifts overlap for a shared lunch period. The schedule for students in the AM shift is from 8:00am to 1:30pm. The schedule for the PM shift is from 10:00am to 3:30pm.
During the day students participate in internships with local businesses for 2 - 2.5 hours, metro bus training, street safety skills, and access to community resources for recreation. Students also participate in daily small group instruction on a variety of topics to help prepare them for living more independently including social skills, vocational skills, community safety, technology tools, interviewing skills, and vocational portfolio development.
Watch this ATP Video to get a general idea of what a typical day looks like at the ATP:
Answer: Creative solution for staffing constraints
The AM and PM shifts allow for an increased staff to student ratio which is essential (especially in the first couple weeks of internships) for direct instruction and successful job training.
Program enhancements:
The split shift schedule allows for smaller group lessons which means students receive more support and greater attention to the individual needs of each student. It also creates increased instruction time for students and decreased “down-time” which allows for further development of student vocational portfolios, and a more intentional focus on post-school outcomes.
Answer: Students should have the ability to become independent when navigating busy streets and (with instruction) quickly learn to be aware of their surroundings to remain safe. Students should also be able to ride public transportation with support and potentially independently.
Answer: The lessons topics at the ATP Networks include resume writing, reading and completing job applications, preparing for mock interviews, outing planning, social skills, street safety skills, and public transportation independence skills.
