Stockton holiday boutique supports students in special education

Students in special education across San Joaquin County will sell student-made holiday gifts and decorations at the sixth annual WorkAbility I Holiday Boutique in Stockton on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Shoppers can browse hand-crafted goods for the season while supporting students with disabilities. Proceeds from sales will go through San Joaquin County Office of Education’s Special Education Local Plan Area, or SELPA, to directly fund teaching students life skills.

Katie Hoffman, a teacher for students with extensive care needs at Escalon High School, says that last year’s boutique netted her class over a thousand dollars.

“We were able to purchase a whole new pots and pans set for my classroom, “ Hoffman said. “We just cooked a Thanksgiving feast as a class and got to use those things.”

Hoffman said that through the Workability program, they’re given a lot more leeway to purchase materials to facilitate the skills they need to teach in a unique classroom setting.

“We get a teacher's budget, but sometimes you're limited on where you can spend, but you might be able to find something cheaper on Amazon, and you have to justify [the cost],” Hoffman said. “That money goes right back to the kids. I don't have to deal with any of that. I just have to say, ‘Hey, I like this,’ and they order it. ”

Hoffman’s students, a classroom of 14 boys, decided they wanted to work with wood for their projects. They made cut-out wooden Christmas tree decorations, hand-painted and adorned with lights. 

“They actually got to apply [those skills] to making these wood crafts for the boutique,” Hoffman said. “It’s kind of a full circle moment where they get to see everything come together.”

Hoffman said that the making and selling the items at the boutique can be rewarding for students. 

“When they see the final product,” Hoffman said, “it's always really cool to see how excited they are about what they created.”

The Workability program, outside of just trying to teach students life skills, also places students with employers and helps them learn vocational skills through their Vocational Skills Lab, or VSL.

Zach Franceschetti, a coordinator for the SELPA, helps place students with different employers in San Joaquin County, like Chili’s, Walgreens and Safeway. Currently, 206 students participate in the VSL, with 107 of those placed at participating businesses.

He said that with the VSL, the goal is to try and prepare students to be well-rounded employees.

“It’s really about exposure,” Franceschetti said. “A lot of [students] are just really gravitating towards what they’re familiar with. We really want to try to expose them to as many different career areas as possible.”

He said that with this exposure to many different career avenues, they’re able to find areas where students can thrive.

“Our biggest goal is to set them up in a job opportunity where they can really shine, where their strengths are really brought forward,” Franceschetti said. “Earlier this morning I was visiting with different employers of students that have been placed out at these sites, and just heard nothing but compliments on how well they’re doing.”

At Escalon, Hoffman said that it’s rewarding to help students pursue their passions and hone their skills.

“Sky’s the limit for my students,” Hoffman said. “If they have a dream and they are interested in doing something, I’m going to find a way to make it happen.”