Since 1998, the Snoqualmie Valley School District has run a program for students with special needs, to develop job skills that can be taken into adulthood.

The Transition Learning Center (TLC) has seen growth in class size as the population of the Valley increased, and with a big jump in enrollment predicted for the coming years, the program is looking to ramp up while providing the best service possible for the students.

The TLC is run by Mount Si special education teacher Benjamin Bollinger, who has been a part of the program for the past five years. Bollinger, who previously worked with Mount Si’s Life Skills program and has a master’s degree in social work, explained that the program is designed to prepare students ages 18 to 21 to find jobs and live active, social lifestyles after they leave high school.

Bollinger, along with four para-educators, teaches a group of 10 students vocational and independent living skills through experiences inside and outside of the classroom, Monday through Friday.

While each morning starts with a classroom lesson, the students also go out into the community every day. Thanks to a partnership with various businesses both in and out of the Valley, the students are given about three hours each day to volunteer their time working, in order to develop and focus job skills and independent problem solving abilities.

Participating organizations include Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, Mount Si Golf Course, Mount Si Senior Center and Vanity Fair in North Bend, Dark Horse Ink in Preston and Moon Motorcycles in Issaquah.

Having a variety of workplace environments helps Bollinger and the other educators find good places for students to work and interact with people in the community. Working in a local business allows the students to practice decision-making and problem-solving skills and gain experience interacting with people they may be unfamiliar with.

“Because we conform to certain social standards, the students learn how to be the most successful with their behaviors. Sometimes our behaviors can get in the way and make it rough, but we have these awesome businesses that are opening their doors to us to come in and learn in a safe setting what is expected and what is not,” Bollinger said.

Students do job skills training Tuesday through Thursday, and the class goes on community outings every Monday. Using school district buses and public transportation, they travel to locations in and around the Valley. The class has been to Woodland Park Zoo and the Museum of Flight in Seattle and Crossroads Mall in Bellevue.

The class also travels to North Bend’s BasePoint Fitness for an exercise program in which all the students get a chance for some individual exercise and participate in activities as a group.

“It’s been totally awesome with (owners) Paul and Kim,” he said. “It’s good to set up that system and get the kids more exposure in the community.”

One of the important skills the class is developing, Bollinger said, is the confidence and ability to ride public transportation in order to help them move about independently and travel to job sites on their own in the future.

Bollinger said the program focuses on building these work and independence skills because once the students “age out” of the program they move onto government agencies like the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

“Once they hit 21, most of them are connected with government agencies. Then we pass the baton to their workers who take our information — where do they work best, what do you see them doing in the future — and they do work training sites and hopefully find them jobs, so they are not just sitting at home,” he said.

“A lot of them are connected with these agencies for life. They will try to help place them in a job and get them as many hours that can fit in with their schedule. It’s like an extended transition program. We do a lot more support and hand-holding and hopefully that training will transfer over. Independence is our goal here.”

While the class has been running for almost 20 years, the number of students has always been relatively small. Bollinger said the class was about four or five students until he arrived and saw classes grow to more than 10 students. The 2017-18 class will have 17 to 18 students, he said, and the 2018-19 class could have 20 to 30 students. Bollinger said the administration is looking to bring on additional teachers and para-educators to help the growing program manage larger class sizes.

Even with growth on the horizon, Bollinger and the team of para-educators are still focused on providing the best learning experience for their students.

“It’s not your typical high school setting with bells ringing and 45-minute class periods, it becomes more of understanding an individual and getting to know them, knowing that they are in a safe environment and getting cared for,” he said.

“We are really here not to belittle or correct everything, we are trying to take where they are at and guide them to what makes a meaningful life.”

Students work out on a visit to BasePoint Fitness in North Bend. (Courtesy photo)

TLC student Nicholas writes a list of locations the class has traveled to in the past year. (Evan Pappas/Staff Photo)

TLC student Silas works at the Mount Si Senior Center, helping the kitchen staff with setting the tables and various other activities. (Evan Pappas/Staff Photo)