New🌼 Jersey City University (NJCU) and the A. Harry Moore Laboratory School (AHM) launched the Life Independence and Future Transitions (LIFT) program with a ribbon-cutting event at NJCU’s Grossnickle Hall.
This program is made to help students with special needs gain the ♔skills and confidence they need to live more independently and take on life as adults.
Let’s take a closer look at how the LIFT program is changing lives and creating🍬 new opportunit🌠ies for these students.
- The LIFT program is housed in a 12,326-square-foot state-of-the-art space, providing specialized classrooms and practical learning environments for students aged 15-21.
- LIFT offers individualized learning, career technical education, adaptive physical education, and real-world skill-building opportunities.
- The program exemplifies decades of partnership between NJCU and A. Harry Moore Laboratory School, supported by community leaders and public officials.
Empowering Students Through Practical Learning
On O🥃ctober 30, 2024, New Jersꩲey City University (NJCU) and the A. Harry Moore Laboratory School (AHM) started a program called LIFT, which stands for Life Independence and Future Transitions.
In🌟credibly, the program is meant to help students with special needs prepare for life as adults by teaching them valuable s🔜kills and building their confidence.
It was introduced during a ribbon-cutting event at NJCU’s Grossnickle Hall, where educators,꧑ officials, and community members were ther𓂃e to celebrate.
LIFT is for students aged 15-21 who hav💃e Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and need extra support as they prepar🥃e for the future.
Thus, the program focuses on teaching life skills, getting students rea♛dy for jobs, and helping them connect with their commꦅunity.
The initiative is part of a long-standing partn♚ersh🦩ip between NJCU and AHM, which has been helping students with special needs since 1963.
A Facility Designed for Growth and Independence
The LIFT program is located on the first floor ⛎of Grossnickle Hall in a 12,326-square-foot newly remodeled space.
This facility was designed to meet the needs of its students and includes special areas where they can learn s🅺kills they’ll use every💟 day.
There are five spe🌠cialty rooms, such as a cuꩵlinary arts room and a consumer and family science room, where students practice cooking, budgeting, and other practical skills.
There is also a school store where students can get real-world exꦆperience by learning customer service and business basics.
The program offers adaptive physical education🗹, career training,🍒 and opportunities for community-based instruction.
This means students can participate in NJCU’s and Jersey City’s activities, using their skills in real-life situations.
The building also has four general classrooms💧, and there’s plenty of room to expand as the program grows♓.
When it started, LIFT had 37 students, which is expected to increase to 𝓀48 by the end of the school year.
By 2025-26, the program plans to serve♌ up to 60 students.
Helping Students Learn Skills for the Future
LIFT teaches students the ✱skills they neeꦬd to live independently and confidently handle daily challenges.
Each student’s learning is customized to meet their specific needs so that they get🌳 the support they need to thrive.
Students leaꦍrn life skills like cooking, managing money, and caring for their living spaces, 💎all of which help them become more independent.
The program also prepares students for jobs by offerin💃g hands-on training and career education.
For example, students work in the school store to build customer service skills and learn how businesses🌠 operate.
By combining c♛lassroom lessons with practical activities, LIFT helps students develop skiꦯlls they can use throughout their lives.
The program is like a traditional high school, so students switch 🌺between classrooms and teachers.
As a result, this setup helps students ad🌟just to new learning environments and build their social skills, which will pꦰrepare them for life after school.
A Strong Partnership for Special Needs Education
The partnership between NJCU and AHM has been helping stud🎀ents with specia꧒l needs for decades.
Since 1963, NJCU has supported AHM through its Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Educ꧃ation.
A✤HM has served as a lifeline for students with disabilities, providing educational, therapeuti꧟c, and social development programs.
The school is dedicated to helping stuไdents achieve their full potential and has earned the trust of families across Hudson, Bergen, and Essex Counties.
With the launch of the LIFT program, this partnership reaches a new milestone, showing how 🧔collaboration between institutions can create transformative opportunities that change lives for the better.
The Bright Future of the LIFT Program
The LIFT program is just getting started, but it’s already making a meaningful difference in students’ lives.
It equips students with special needs with the skills, confidence, and support𓃲 they need ꦬto take on the next chapter of their lives with purpose.
This initiative is a powerful example of how collaboration can open new doors an﷽d bring opportunities that didn’t exist before.
At 🤡its core, LIFT empowers students to become independent, ꦬself-assured, and prepared to embrace life’s challenges and opportunities.
As the program expands, it will continue transforming lives and pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive future for students, thꩵeir families, and the community.
