Case Studies

Life Skills at Washington Union High School

In 2023, Washington Unified School District was a recipient of the Kaiser Permanente Economic Opportunity Grant. The goal of the Economic Opportunity Grant was to support programs that help students excel in school and become equipped to pursue careers and quality jobs. With the grant funding, the district was able to transform the Life Skills classroom at Washington Union High School to better impact students with disabilities gaining essential job skills for life after high school.

The district purchased items to create a business-like model that will benefit students for years to come. students with disabilities were given the opportunity to learn how to follow recipes, make meals, practice good hygiene, and proper nutrition. They also learned safe and healthy guidelines, and they had an opportunity to obtain their food handlers’ permit. Through this experience, they regularly practiced customer service, money handling, teamwork, budgeting, food preparation, cooking, leadership, and other job skills. Students enjoyed baking items such as pizza and cookies that were made available at the high school’s Panther Café. The grant was allocated equally to three other school districts: Coalinga-Huron Unified, Mendota Unified and Parlier Unified.