Valhalla Center students practice real-world skills in Living Center classroom

Unique learning space puts focus on skills students can use to work independently 

This school year, students at Southern Westchester BOCES’ Valhalla Center have had the opportunity to practice real-world skills and work-based activities in a specially designed setting  within their instructional program.

The new Living Center classroom provides a wide variety of everyday activities, allowing students to move from station to station as they acquire and practice valuable skills.

A simulated school store provides them with the experience of shopping or assuming the role of a sales associate or cashier in a supermarket. They also participate in routine home skills including making a bed, changing linens, and folding and hanging up clothes.

The Living Center allows students to learn specific skills associated with each task as well as many necessary soft skills, such as asking for help in a store, waiting their turn, or completing tasks independently. 

These are all abilities that students will need in order to work or participate in community life. By exposing them to these tasks in a safe and comfortable environment like the Living Center, students have the opportunity to practice and to take their time developing skills they will use throughout their lives.

The school store contains many items students would encounter at an actual grocery store, including condiments, seasonings, pasta, drinks, and candy. They use or create shopping lists to gather items and then organize them in a shopping cart as they navigate the store. Shopping activities also allow them to work on math skills like multiplication, addition and subtraction. 

As would-be store employees, students practice stocking grocery shelves using SKU numbers, putting items in the correct locations and ensuring labels face outward and items are neatly organized. They also use inventory lists to discover what items are in short supply.

Another key task in the Living Center is using a folding board. Students place shirts neatly, face-down on the board. Following steps independently, they fold and place the shirts into a drawer, sorted by color and size. They also practice hanging shirts on a rack by size.