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Community Connections

Two young men pose together in a classroom. One is seated in a wheelchair with a breathing tube, while the other smiles beside him.

Community Connections assists students with a wide range of abilities transitioning from high school to adult living and postsecondary education.

Community Connections Services

A young woman wearing headphones chops green bell peppers on a red cutting board, assisted by a smiling woman in a plaid shirt

Instruction in Adult Living Skills

Adult living skills include cooking and cleaning skills, budgeting and basic financial skills, shopping, self-advocacy skills, personal hygiene, and safety awareness.

Community Recreation and Access Skills

Community recreation and access skills may include but are not limited to utilizing public transportation and route planning, learning about and accessing natural areas and other recreation settings, and visiting public museums.

Employment and Volunteer Skills

Employment and volunteer skills include creating resumes, completing job applications, researching different types of jobs, interviewing skills, and general work behavior skills. Weekly volunteer work experiences in the community facilitate teaching general work behavior skills.

A young woman with glasses and pink-tinted hair sits at a desk, smiling while organizing yellow and white paperwork in an office setting
An image of four young men standing outdoors in a vast, open landscape under a clear blue sky. They are posed in a row on a dirt path, smiling and appearing to be on an outdoor outing.

Eligibility

Students ages 18-21 who are currently receiving services through Thompson School District Exceptional Student Services and demonstrate transition needs in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) are eligible. Students typically transition to this program after participating in Intensive Learning Center (ILC) services offered in TSD high schools, though students receiving learning center services or other programs might also be eligible and appropriate for Community Connections.

Student Schedules

Days and times that students attend Community Connections are determined on an individual basis. Students generally attend two to three days a week from 8:00 am – 1:30 pm or 9:00 am – 2:30 pm (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) and/or 10:00 am – 2:30 pm on Wednesdays. Community Connections follows the Thompson School District School Calendar.

Student Work Experiences

A young man wearing a black beanie and yellow-sleeved shirt folds a pizza box in a restaurant with a TV and stacked pizza boxes in the background

Student work experiences help teach workplace communication skills, following directions, on-task behaviors, attention to detail, and other skills specific to each setting.

Student Work Experience Partners

While not an exhaustive list, we recognize the following community entities that TSD’s Community Connections program has worked with:

  • The ARC Thrift Store
  • Food Bank of Larimer County
  • Meals on Wheels
  • Habitat for Humanity ReStore
  • Comet Chicken
  • Chilson Recreation Center
  • Loveland Youth Gardens
  • Nugent Supply Company
  • Beet Education Center