Adult Transition Domains

We recognize and celebrate that learning is a life-long pursuit. The staff at VATC is committed to nurturing our students' thirst for further learning in both traditional and non-traditional educational environments. Currently, we have students who are enrolled in Palomar Community College for both academic and high-interest extension courses. Others are enrolled in Mira Costa Adult High School or Vista Adult School, continuing their work toward earning high school diplomas or a GED. Still others are being trained in vocational skills both at our center or in actual business and non-profit settings.

Through a flexible, can-do approach, Vista Adult Transition Center is a place of metamorphosis-- We are the "cocoon" for our students as they safely discover their own styles of learning and social foundations building.

For many students, being able to successfully hold a job is a dream. At VATC we share that dream and support students in learning all of the social, economic and behavioral aspects of work. We recognize that just being able to do a task - stocking shelves, for instance - is only a small part of work. Being able to follow directions, get along with clients and coworkers, punctuality, maintaining time sheets, and dressing appropriately all play into whether a student maintains a job.

Our students are currently working in many environments, including small and large businesses, for profit and non-profit. Some are volunteering, others are earning subsidized pay through our involvement with WorkAbility 1 (through California Department of Education) and We Can Work (through Department of Rehabilitation) grants, while still others are employed outright. All of these opportunities provide vital experiences for long-term success in future work/career choices.

In addition to the real-world work experiences, students can learn vocational skills in the VATC office laboratory and our work study laboratory, where direct instruction in retail work and clerical studies are provided.

True independence cannot be achieved without learning how to care for daily needs. Our students come to us with an astounding variety and range of abilities to take care of themselves. Our work is to assess student skills in hygiene, self-advocacy, domestic skills, banking and consumerism, nutrition and food preparation and life planning; we then develop individualized programs to support growth in these areas. Through real-world practice, many of our students become more adept in self-care than they or their families ever imagined possible.

As adults, they participate in, and often direct the development of their individual education and transition plans. This builds their confidence, their competence and their character.

VATC currently has a laundry lab and a student kitchen/classroom, in addition to many in-classroom daily living centers, where our students can learn the basics of domestic skills and then hone them with the ultimate goal of complete autonomy.

As we grow both physically and socially, we gain a broader understanding of the world around us. Our community grows as well, as we experience an ever widening geographical base and interact with more and more people. At VATC, we assist our young adults in gaining the ability to get around and both literally and figuratively increase community contact.

We do so by building safe pedestrian skills, practicing use of public transit... all the way through assisting in gaining drivers' licenses. Our students find that they are more mobile and independent with each new community experience. They also find that upon graduation, they are much more independent-- Able to access friends, work, recreational experiences, and further educational options.

The focus is to enable students in choosing constructive and personally satisfying leisure activities in school, home, and the community.