Occupational Life Skills Program
Occupational Life Skills (OLS)
At Partners For Progress, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to feel capable, connected, and celebrated. The Occupational Life Skills Program is where our participants begin to see themselves not just as clients, but as contributing members of a team, a community, and a greater purpose. Through responsibility, reflection, and positive reinforcement, OLS members build self-worth and resilience that stays with them for life.
What sets Partners For Progress apart is our belief that interventional programs should be a stepping stone, not a permanent destination. Our goal is to equip each client with the executive skills, confidence, and experience needed to transition to post secondary education, employment and independence outside of PFP. We measure our success not by how long someone stays with us, but by how prepared they are to thrive beyond us.
Add image of form for tracking here..
The Occupational Life Skills (OLS) Program at Partners For Progress is a year-round, goal-based experience for individuals (13+) with varying abilities who are ready to take the next step toward independence.​
​
The program blends hands-on work with therapeutic strategies, creating a unique environment where participants are not only supported but challenged to grow. Participants take part in the day-to-day responsibilities to learn what it means to be independent and practice important life skills.
​​
Long-term goals encourage hard work year-round, with projects that are cyclical, rewarding, and measurable of progress. For example, our OLS members will take care of our grounds, tend to the gardens, harvest the produce, which is then sold by them at our fundraising events!
​
Progress is continuously monitored and discussed through reflection sessions that include input from the participant, family, and staff. This reinforces accountability while celebrating growth.
​Each client's progress is tracked across the following goal areas:
-
Memory
-
Attention
-
Regulation
-
Resilience/Flexibility
-
Self-Monitoring
-
Communication
-
Problem Solving
-
Organization
-
Motivation
-
Intellectual Processing
More than Barn Work
Each project is designed to be meaningful, empowering, and reflective of the skills our participants are building. Whether they’re helping with barn work, gardening, creating products to to sold at events or greeting event guests at the market table, OLS members are learning what it means to contribute with purpose, and to take pride in their progress. It’s purposeful development that fosters a deep sense of responsibility, belonging, and capability.
Key Focus Areas Include:
-
Job exploration and work experience
-
Life skill development and reflection
-
Social-emotional growth through teamwork
-
Inclusion in meaningful, real-world environments
​The experience Occupational Life Skills members gain:
-
A full-circle understanding of work and reward
-
The opportunity to practice planning, teamwork, and time management
-
The confidence that comes from seeing a project through from start to finish
-
Real engagement with our community during events, building communication, and social skills in public settings.
Through the Capital Campaign, we are excited to allow more areas of engagement for real occupational life skills and to grow our community partnerships with local businesses, creating real pathways for clients to graduate to life beyond PFP.
Interested in the Occupational Life Skills Program?
Reach out to learn more and join our waitlist!
Please check your Spam Folder for our response, as sometimes this is where our emails end up!