Manhattan, New York ,USA : Aaron School, a special education school in Manhattan, New York, is offering students a 13th year program called ‘Thrive’, designed to help prepare students for life after graduation.

Aaron School is a private K-12 school that provides special education services to children with reading, writing, math, attention, social and sensory challenges. It has two campuses in the East Side of Manhattan with the lower school campus being located on 45th street and the high school campus being located on 30th street.

The 13th Year Thrive Program is devised for students of ages 18-21 who’d like to use a gap year for becoming better prepared for further education, work opportunities or alternative postsecondary options. The program embarks upon building students’ academic and life skills as well as developing their occupational skills and employability.
The academic component of the 13th year program includes a refreshment of the academic skills taught in school years as well as a college course that would help augment students’ academic skills. The life skills curriculum aims to enhance a child’s understanding of responsibility and independence. It includes courses focused on social-emotional development and the development of key life skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, self-advocacy, budgeting and communication. The life skills curriculum places emphasis on community visits to restaurants and supermarkets in order to enhance a student’s self-reliance and confidence.

The internship component of the 13th Year Thrive Program is offering students the opportunity to take part in two internships over the course of a year at different worksites. The internships are chosen to cater to the child’s interests and strengths. These work opportunities help develop students’ soft skills, occupational skills and employability. According to Aaron School’s website, students would be required to complete an inventory at the end of every week while participating in the internship so that teachers can gauge a child’s progress in the development of workplace and social skills as well as determine the child’s interests. These observations are keenly noted to individualize the program and shape future plans with the involvement of the Thrive program director, staff and parents.

Parents are involved in the whole process with regular parent meetings held throughout the year to continually assess goals and plans for a child after they graduate from high school. The 13th Year Thrive Program also offers several special education services to students such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and counseling, offered on a weekly basis to students as needed.

Aaron School’s high school curriculum is in keeping with the Common Core Standards and the College Readiness Standards. The special education services of Aaron School include several therapeutic services such as occupational therapy and speech therapy.