Work Study Program Details | thetechrenfoundation

Our Programs

1

Community Adult Day Training

The Techren Foundation Adult Day Training (ADT) are training services intended to support the participation of recipients in valued routines of the community, including volunteering, job exploration, accessing community resources, and self-advocacy, in settings that are age and culturally appropriate. Using hands-on learning techniques, our program participants enhance life skills inside and outside of structured classrooms and sheltered workshops. The comprehensive scope of Adult Day Training Program offers program participants, family members, and guardians many choices for adult basic education and community involvement.

The Techren Foundation program participants achieve the greatest possible level of independent functioning is the focus of the Adult Day Training Program.

The program runs on scheduled weekdays from 8:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M.

Our program participants achieve the greatest possible level of independent functioning is the focus of the Adult Day Training Program.

ADULT DAY TRAINING PROGRAM – BASIC EDUCATION CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION:

· Program participants receive classroom instruction, as well as individual staff attention. Training is customized and person centered.

· Basic Knowledge Skills – Include reading, writing, math, making change, telling time, and computer usage. Individually tailored for each customer, a variety of unique teaching methods are used to teach these basic knowledge skills

· In the Adult Day Training Program, program participants learn the skills necessary to develop successful personal relationships and productive employment opportunities. Adult Day Training Program - Prevocational Classroom Training

ADULT DAY TRAINING PROGRAM - PREVOCATIONAL CLASSROOM TRAINING:

· The prevocational training consists of five self-contained classrooms averaging 15 program participants.

· Prevocational classroom staff ratio is one staff member per five program participants.

· One prevocational classroom is designated as a behavioral room and requires one staff member to 3 program participants.

· Training includes social interaction and behavior, basic self-care habits, communication, recreation and fundamental vocational skills.

· Vocational Training - Work involves repetitive tasks. Jobs include simple product assembly and packaging.

ADULT DAY TRAINING PROGRAM – VOCATIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

· Vocational training services include a comprehensive variety of programs to help clients function as independently as possible. Through a variety of vocational training opportunities, clients make choices and learn valuable skills and develop positive work habits while earning an income determined commensurate with their abilities and productivity.

· The program provides a range of vocational training opportunities including simple product assembly, thrift store, nursery, lawn maintenance, and community based employment.

· Vocational Interest Assessment - Using pictures, clients indicate their vocational preferences in areas such as automotive, building trades, clerical, animal care, food service, patient care, horticulture, housekeeping, personal service, laundry service and materials handling.

· Includes traditional work values, ethics and advanced vocational skills training; periodic field trips also enhance community-based learning.

· Volunteering opportunities and job shadowing are ways we facilitate job exploration in the community.

SHELTERED WORKSHOP

· The Techren staff helps clients function in a vocational setting as independently as possible.

· Program participants receive wages based on their ability, productivity and the prevailing wage for similar jobs.

· Work involves repetitive tasks. Jobs include simple product assembly, packaging items in bags or boxes and bulk mailing.

· The workshop provides clients with the capability to earn wages based on ability and productivity while furthering their vocational skills.

· These jobs are very important to our program participants. They look forward to receiving their paychecks just as much as we do.

COMMUNITY BASED EMPLOYMENT

· With assistance from a job coach, program participants find employment in entry-level positions in a variety of businesses in the community.

· The job coach continues to work closely with the program participant to help them maintain their work positions.

· The job coach assists potential employers with applicant screening, initial job orientation and follow-along services as needed.

2

Musical Therapy Program

The TechRen Music Program:

Objective:

Participants will have 45 minute classes on a 3-day rotation and choose a familiar song and work with them to develop individual and ensemble singing. They will demonstrate appropriate singing skills while performing a familiar song as a class and with a small group of four or five peers.

Materials

Class list of familiar songs
Chalkboard or overhead projector and blank transparency
Prior Knowledge and Experiences
Lists of songs they can sing as a class in their music journals or on a chart.

Encouraging Individual Singing

It is important for participants to sing individually in class, not only so that you can assess the development of their singing voices, but also so that they can hear the sound of their own voices. Encourage them to sing alone by making it a regular part of each class. However, be sure they are very familiar with the song or activity before you ask them to sing alone. Participants will sing alone, and enjoy it, when they are not put in an awkward position or asked to perform something with which they really are not familiar and comfortable.

Distinguishing Speaking vs. Singing

Sometimes students use a speaking voice register for singing because they do not hear or understand that a difference exists between speaking and singing. The following tips are helpful for these students.

Be sure to use accurate and consistent terminology when giving directions to students. Use "sing" when you wish the students to use a singing register. Use "chant" when you want the students to speak words in rhythm in a speaking register.

Procedures

Invite participants to choose a familiar song from the class list posted in the room or written in their journals. Ask them to list hints and reminders for using good singing posture. List their suggestions on a transparency or the chalkboard. As the class sings the song, have them check their own posture and then the posture of a partner.
Use props. Pass around a play microphone and ask them to sing into it just like karaoke.

Place participants in some organized arrangement (let's say they are in four large rows).
Have them sing through a familiar song. Then sing through again and break the students into smaller groups by simply standing beside a particular row.
Let them sing a phrase or two of the song and then move to another row (your "move" has to be in tempo with the song).

Indicators of Success

Both the class and small groups perform their songs with appropriate singing skills.
Participants’ verbal and/or written self-assessments of their singing ability reflect knowledge of singing skills, such as pitch, rhythm, posture, timbre, diction, and tempo.

Extension Activities

On another day, follow the same procedures using a call-and-response song. Have individuals sing the call and small groups of students or the rest of the class sing the response. Have each student select one or more specific singing skills (for example, pitch and posture) as the focus for self-assessment.

3

Sports & Fitness Program

The Techren Sporting Program:

Scientific research has shown that increasing low intensity exercise produces a very low risk of injury to the heart of muscle skeletal system. A light- to moderate–intensity activity, such as 5 to 15 minutes of walking per session, 2 to 3 times a week.

Getting off to a Good Start:

Our programs primary focus is the duration, intensity and frequency of every activity. For example; starting slowly. If the participants need to start with 5 minutes of exercise -- so be it. We would simply increase the minutes (duration) by one minute per week.

Intensity

The intensity of the exercise (how hard he /she is working) should be determined by listening to and consulting their doctor.

Frequency

Frequency is the key to developing fitness.

The goal is not to work to complete exhaustion once a month.

But developing a routine that can be sustained several times a week.

Listed below are some of the sporting activities we provide:

Fun at the Beach

Purpose of Activity: teamwork, agility and fun.

Materials Needed:

Large parachute, beach balls, inflatable limbo set (oriental Trading), soaker hose, small swimming pool, assorted marbles, hula hoops, inflatable palm trees (Oriental Trading), either foam boogie boards or large foam flip flops (Oriental Trading), large and small buckets, large car sponges, pinwheels, spray bottles, hurdles, half hoops, cones, inflatable tiki poles (Oriental Trading), balance rope, water, water hoses.

Description of Idea:

We hold our Field Day all on one day with half of the participants going from 10:00am-12:00pm and the other from 1:00pm-3:00pm.

They will eat their lunches from 12:00-1:00 either in the classrooms or outside.

The teams are made up of two classes and two teachers (44 students/ 2 teachers). There are 8 stations with 15 minutes spent at each station.

The teacher sounds an air horn when it is time to move to the next station.

Fun at the Beach Stations:

1. Beachball Volley- large parachute 30" and several inflatable beach balls and fish (challenge the group to keep the balls on and then to get them all off of the parachute)

2. Tiki Trail (Obstacle Course)- two teams race as they maneuver through the course which is made from cones, hoops, hurdles, half hoops, balance rope, and inflatable tiki poles.

3. Tropic Toss- (4 teams)- Take turns tossing a hula hoop around one of the 4 inflatable palm trees (Frisbee throw as an option using hoops as targets).

4. Flip Flop Relay- (4 teams)- Either one at a time or in partners hold the large flip flop over their head as they run up and around the cone and back. (foam boogie boards as option).

5. Luau Water Limbo- (2 teams) Take turns going under the inflatable limbo sets placed over soaker hoses.

6. Underwater Treasures- (4 teams) Take turns running to the small swimming pool, sticking their toes into the water and grasping a variety of marbles with their toes and placing them in sand buckets

7. Sea Sponge Race-(4 teams) Dip the sponge into the bucket of water and pass it overhead to the end of the line. The last person in line then carries the sponge back to the front and begins again.

8. Ocean Spray-(4 teams) One at a time each student runs up, picks up a spray bottle filled with water, kneels down and aims water at a pinwheel making it turn. (I found a variety of sizes of pinwheels at the Dollar Store)

* Teachers spend a few days practicing the games with the students before field day so they know what to do on the big day. I burn beach, Hawaiian music on a CD prior to the event and play music to give it the "mood".

Kick Ball:

Purpose of Activity: Team Work - Encourage Strategic Thinking.

Game Rules & Objective:

Ideally you want to have nine players on your team in order to fill all defensive fielding positions. One pitcher, one catcher, three players to cover each base, three out fielders, and one shortstop to cover the area between second and third base. A Kickball field is made up four bases in a diamond shape. Foul territory is everything outside of the line from home base to first base and home base to third base extending into the outfield. A team scores a run when a player touches all four bases in order and touches home base without getting out. The team with the most runs at the end of a game wins. A Kickball game lasts six innings. An inning is composed of each team coming up to kick once. A team continues to kick until they get three outs.

Players line up in the following positions:

· Pitcher – on the pitching rubber

· Catcher – behind home plate

· 1st Baseman – a few feet away from 1st base

· 2nd Baseman – a few feet away from 2nd base toward 1st

· 3rd Baseman – a few feet away from 3rd base

· Shortstop – between 2nd and 3rd base

· Leftfielder – outfield behind 2nd and 3rd base

· Centerfielder – outfield behind 2nd base

· Rightfielder – outfield behind 1st and 2nd base

There are four ways for a player to get out:

Strike Out: If a player kicks and fails to put the ball into play after three good pitches

Fly Out: If a player kicks the ball in the air and it is caught by a defensive player before it hits the ground

Tag Out: If a defensive player tags or throws and hits an offensive player with the ball before they get on base

A Force Out: If a defensive player gets the ball to a base before the offensive player arrives and the offensive player cannot return to the previous base because it is occupied by one of his teammates.

Some variations to these rules include:

· Different number of innings

· More or less players cover different parts of the field

· No striking out

· A team must step down after kicking one time through the order even if they have not yet reached three outs

Kickball Tips

Players can work on their Kickball skills by catching and throwing a Kickball against a wall in order to work on their fielding skills. They can choose a target and try to throw and hit it with the Kickball. Serious players can work on their base running by sprinting short distances.

Kickball Equipment

All you need for a game of Kickball is a rubber ball the size of a soccer ball and four bases. Bases can be composed of shirts, rocks, sticks, Frisbees, etc.

Playing Area

The kickball field is laid out similar to a baseball diamond with 4 bases, a pitching rubber, an infield and an outfield.

The dimensions of the field can vary depending on the age of the players.

Here are some recommendations:

· 4-5 year olds – 40’ base paths and 30’ to the pitching rubber.

· 6-8 year olds – 50’ base paths and 35' to the pitching rubber.

· 9-14 year olds – 60’ base paths and 42’ to the pitching rubber.

· Adults – 70’ base paths and 50’ to the pitching rubber.

Feel the Beat with Active Gaming:

Purpose of Activity:

· Understand how physical activity affects the rate at which their hearts beat.

· Complete the Heart Rate worksheet with 80% accuracy.

· Work responsibly with their peers 100% of the time.

Activity cues: Feel the Beat

Materials Needed:

Active gaming equipment and/or traditional activities: Virtual Sports Game (Nintendo Wii Sports), Gamercize steppers, Dance Dance Revolution, Virtual Bikes (Cateye GameBikes), Martial Arts Simulator (3 Kick), and Heart rate monitors (optional)

Description of Idea:

Equip all students with a heart rate monitor if applicable. The teacher will introduce the lesson by briefly explaining the idea of heart beats and heart rates – how the intensity of an activity affects the heart beat. If heart rate monitors are not available, the teacher should review how to take a manual pulse. Before the students begin, they will find and record their resting heart rate. With a partner, students will then participate in each of the stations recording their heart rate on the teacher’s cue (every 3-4 minutes). Students will rotate every 8-10 minutes on the teacher’s prompt. To complete all stations this lesson may take several class sessions.

A worksheet should be provided that allows students to record their heart rates at each station and then comment as to why a particular station may have resulted in a higher or lower heart rate.

· Station 1 Virtual Sports Game (Nintendo Wii Sports) - Tennis or Boxing

· Station 2 Gamercize Steppers - 'Play' mode (Predetermine the game in which will be used)

· Station 3 Dance Dance Revolution - Free Play Mode

· Station 4 Virtual Bikes (Cateye GameBike)- Predetermine the game and mode that will be used

· Station 5 Martial Arts Simulator (3 Kick) - 30sec-1min games individual OR 1-2min games as a partner team

· Station 6 Jump rope - Students perform a variety of jump rope routines

· Station 7 Locomotor skills - Students perform various locomotor skills around the gym

Closure/Assessment:

Review the concept of heart rates- check for understanding. Have the students determine their max heart rate and average heart rate. Ask some students why understanding this concept is important to them? Discuss heart rates at the various stations and have students explain why their heart rates may have been lower at certain stations.

Variations:

Choose stations/activities based on the intensity levels you would like your students to experience throughout the lesson. For example, if you are aiming to achieve high heart rates, allowing students to participate in Wii bowling may produce lower hearts then if they are asked to play Wii boxing. However, having a station resulting in lower heart rates can be a learning objective in which students explain why their heart rates were lower or higher as a result of participating at a particular station.

* Traditional and/or active gaming stations can be modified based on available equipment.

Senior Fitness

Purpose of Activity:

Fun and easy-to-learn movements designed to help you feel comfortable.

Equipment:

Chair and a ball as an exercise tool.

The exercises:

· Arm circles: open torso and ribcage

· Abdominal twists: strengthen sides of the waist (oblique abdominals)

· Hand squeeze: improves grip strength and strengthens the chest muscles (pectorals)

· Seated shin strengtheners: strengthen the shins to help prevent shin splints

· Back massage

· Neck stretch

Begin this module with a light warm-up, about 5 minutes in length, to prepare the muscles and joints, and to help focus your attention.

Perform the suggested warm-up movements listed below:

· Marches in place with shoulder rolls

· Walking in a circle around the room

· Hamstring curls in place (alternately pulling heels up toward

· buttocks, also called knee flexion)

· Tapping the toes to warm up the lower legs

· Knee lifts to warm up the hips and upper legs

· Light stretches

Arm Circles

Seated in a chair with good posture, hold a ball in both hands with arms extended above your head and/or in front of you, keeping elbows slightly bent. Visualizing the face of a clock out in front of you, begin by holding arms up overhead at 12 o’clock. Circle the ball around to go all the way around the clock in a controlled, fluid motion. When you’ve reached 12 o’clock again, reverse directions and circle the opposite way. Keep alternating circle directions for 8 repetitions. Rest.

Do another set of 8 repetitions.

Abdominal Twist

Seated in a chair with good posture, hold a ball with both hands close to the body, with elbows bent and pulled in close to the ribcage. Slowly rotate your torso to the right as far as you comfortably can, being sure to keep the rest of your body still and stable. Rotate back to the center and repeat in the opposite direction. Do this 8 times, with two twists counting as a full set. Rest. Do another 8 sets (two twists each).

Hand Squeeze

Seated in a chair with good posture, hold a ball with both hands slightly in front of your body. Squeeze the ball to activate the finger joints, then slowly press the ball with both hands, as if trying to deflate the ball. Hold for 4 seconds and slowly release. Repeat the exercise 8 times, rest, then do another set of 8 repetitions.

Shin Strengthener

Sitting on the edge of a chair, extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your knees slightly bent and placing your heels on the floor, toes pointed upward. Point the toes downward, then flex them upward. Do 10 to 15 sets of point and flex. Rest. Do another set of 10 to 15 repetitions.

Back Massage

Seated in a chair with good posture, place a ball behind you and lean against it with your upper back to hold the ball up between you and the chair. Rotate you torso side to side and bend up and down to give yourself a relaxing massage.

Neck Stretch

Seated in a chair with good posture, slowly tilt your head toward your right shoulder. Hold the head in this position, and extend your left arm out to the side and slightly downward so that your hand is at waist level. Release and repeat on the left side. Do 2 times for each side.

4

Basic Computer & Technology Workshop

We use a carefully choreographed curriculum geared towards providing the key tools required to operate modern technology. We use hands on training along with slide shows, video tutorials and problem solving tools to familiarize participants with technology making it second nature. We also have a program that provides Desktop Computers to qualifying facilities. These desktops are configured to accommodate individuals with developmental disabilities. Each device utilizes tools such as Microsoft Accessibility which is a Windows resource that lists guides helpful for specific types of difficulties and impairments especially among individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly. For instance, individuals with visual impairments can check out the Windows features that make it easier to view what’s on the computer screens. We provide guides that cover the assistive technologies built into Windows 7, IE11, and Office 2013. We Implement web tutorials like GCFLearnFree.org. Which is an online platform for courses that cover technology, online literacy, and math skills. The site lists around 750 lessons that are designed for basic and intermediate levels. This site is suitable for everyone ranging from individuals with developmental disabilities to senior citizens, providing the ability to pick up basic internet and computer skills. (There is even a course on how to use an ATM). Courses are interactive and supported with articles, videos, and animation.

5

Nature & Agriculture Workshop

Agriculture Program:

The Techren Foundation agriculture program will help promote the use of gardening to achieve learning objectives and support the mental, emotional, and social development of youth.

The program will address:

Multiple learning styles
Provide opportunities for interdisciplinary lessons
Improve environmental attitudes
Promote good nutrition and exercise
Teach patience and responsibility
Instill a positive work ethic
Increase participants’ self-esteem
Build social relationships
Improve teamwork
Beautify the environment

Environmental Stewardship:

A garden is a powerful environmental education tool. Participants have an opportunity to engage in agricultural practices on a small scale, learning about the responsibilities and impacts of land cultivation. They explore the web of interactions among the living and non-living players that sustain life.

Community and Social Development:

Community and social development lessons do not receive the attention of academic achievement, but they are as crucial to the survival of our country as reading and writing. Learning how to take responsibility for their environment and develop a strong sense of community can ensure the continuation of our society.

A Healthy Lifestyle:

Beyond academics, the garden provides broader life lessons including contributing to students’ knowledge of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Primary Garden Tools:

Set of 4 long-handled, real garden tools.

Having the proper size tools makes planting and maintaining a garden easy and enjoyable for children.

These lightweight tools are intended for the youngest gardeners only.

With steel heads mounted on hardwood handles,

these tools are designed to do the job. Colors may vary.

Set includes:

Shovel (SC610): 36"

Hoe (SC612): 33"

Garden Rake (SC614): 31"

Metal Leaf Rake (SC616): 37"

Time to plant:

The initial soil prep and planting takes a little time, maybe (4) hours, then after that, a daily walk around of a few minutes, pulling weeds, watering, etc. plus harvest time. 2-4 Hours per week max.

Focus on making it fun and exciting. When participants realize how many interesting, intriguing and even gross things there are to be involved in, they'll be more likely to want to get involved. Whenever planning anything, work out the fun angle, to keep your participants interest engaged.
Kit it out. A big part of the fun is having the right tools and there are many gardening tools made in various sizes, and in wonderful colors. Colorful tools, while not essential, are a helpful way to encourage participants to join in. Gardening gloves often come in wonderful colors and patterns too and each participants should have a pair of his or her own.

Buy a pretty watering can which suits the size and strength of the individual. This will encourage him or her to keep watering the growing plants.
Show them how to clean and put away tools after use. Make this easy and fun too a bit of splashing about should be part of the cleaning chores.

3. Choose plants that are easy to grow.

While it's important to involve your participants in choosing the plants, make sure that the choice is from plants likely to be as trouble-free as possible, especially for beginner gardeners. Also choose a few plants that will produce a delicious edible harvest to pick and take straight to the table from the garden. Some good starter choices include:

Sunflowers
Radishes
Squash
Tomatoes (from seedlings)
Lettuces
Peas and beans
Sweet peas, poppies, alyssum, marigolds, pansies or nasturtiums.

4. Find your spot:

To get started, all you need is a bare patch of ground in a sunny place. To make planting easier, prepare the spot by shoveling weeds out of the way and turning the soil lightly with a shovel.

5. Plan the planting space:

allow the participant to decide where plants go in a flowerbed, although they don’t mind a few suggestions (tall plants in the back, for example).

6. Show your participants the basics of planting seeds and seedlings in the ground.

Do the hard work of tilling the soil and adding the nutrients for them they can learn about that later. For now, give them the joy of planting, watering and waiting for their little plants to sprout.

To make the job even easier by planting the seeds in cardboard egg cartons. When it comes time to transfer the seedling (or the seed) to the soil, cut out each little egg holding portion and let the participants plant the whole thing into the ground. The carton will disintegrate and no seeds or seedlings get lost in the transition.

7. Make things for the garden.

Get crafty and recycle, re purpose and remake things that can serve as decorations or tools in the garden. There are lots of possibilities, including:

Turning an old tire into a garden bed or plant protector.
Making herb or plant markers from iced confectionery sticks. Painting a planter or flowerpot container in bright colors and designs. Be sure to say how pretty their own flowers would look inside it.
Make a scarecrow to frighten away the birds; or make bird frighteners using old CDs, bits of unwanted foil and clothing, etc.
Make a dangling decoration from shells, beads and pebbles, using thread or fishing line.
Turn coconut shell halves into seedling pots clean the inside, paint the outside like a face and anything that sprouts will seem like hair.
Make a bird feeder

8. Leave the labels:

A few labels are useful. Labels help the participants remember the names of plants. Labels in the individual’s handwriting will provide a feeling of accomplishment to anyone who happens to see the flower/plant garden and adds to the feeling of ownership.

9. Water, water, and water:

When the flowers are all planted, water them well: in any garden, thorough watering helps plants get off to a good start, and in a spot that might not receive regular attention, it’s even more important. The heat-loving flowers will take off as the weather warms up. In really dry weather, round up the kids and a couple of watering cans, and go check on your outpost of bloom.

10. Keep gardening even when the season changes:

Bring the garden indoors for winter, so that they can still enjoy the benefits of growing plants and learn how some plants can actually thrive in an indoor environment. Good choices include a small herb garden, a windowsill planter, a terrarium built in an unwanted fish tank, or a window box.

Another idea for an indoor growing project is to grow a bulb in a bottle. Fill a bottle with water and place a hyacinth bulb at the top. Task them to keep the water level topped off and to wait for roots to develop. As the roots come on, tell them to be patient for the flowers to appear. You get both a gardening lesson and a beautiful table centerpiece from the one project!

11. Acknowledge the place of the digital era in gardening.

Computers and electronic gadgets can be hard to get them off sometimes. However, you can make the most of their affinity for all things electronic and have them download a suitable gardening app or two, and by doing research about their garden and its plants online. Gardening calendars are another useful tool found in many online gardening sites. As they get better at gardening use the internet to search for harder garden projects, like making a sundial, building a chicken coop or rigging up a solar power warming pad. Encourage the exchange of knowledge online into real achievements in the garden this is a good lesson in ensuring that they see the computer as a tool in wider life activities.