About Us

P.A.C.T.S.

Parma Area Center for Transition Services

A dynamic career and technical employment life skill training program for students with multiple disabilities

The Parma Area Center for Transition Services is located at Parma Senior High. We are part of our career tech programming. The ultimate goal of the PACTS program is to promote independence in the home, community and integrated employment setting. Students must meet graduation requirements and the IEP team has to determine the student requires more transition training.

Students within the PACTS program go to job sites two half days per week and one half day in

the community. On the job site, students work on many skills; cleaning tables and chairs, wiping off menus, rolling silverware, setting tables, vacuuming, sorting work supplies and clerical skills just to name a few.

When student are in the community, we visit many places such as retail stores, community helpers, banks, pharmacies and restaurants as patrons. We work on a variety of skills including, purchasing items, maintaining a personal wallet, finding items on a store list, seeking employee assistance. When visiting the community we build on additional skills such as travel training, manners while eating in a restaurant as well as budgeting.

The PACTS program has many community partnerships in

which we assist different businesses with tasks. The students fold and stuff menus for Bob Evans, assemble hardware kits for Fastenal, and complete miscellaneous tasks for the Cleveland Metroparks.

In addition to community partnerships, the PACTS program has two in house business endeavors. Our students own and operate their own Silhouette business, PACTS Custom Gifts. PACTS Custom Gifts offers staff of the Parma City School District personalized gifts to order. Students can create, design, and produce custom t-shirts, tumblers, coasters, wreaths, signs, duffle bags and much much more.

Another thriving business the PACTS students have created and managed is the Parma Smoothie Parlor. The Parma Smoothie Parlor is open one day a week within the Parma Senior High cafeteria. Our students make and sell smoothies of all variety to our students and staff. The Parma Smoothie Parlor allows students to practice skills such as taking orders, running the register, making the smoothies, serving them to our customers and delivering them throughout the building.

The remainder of our time is spent within the classroom. When we are not managing our businesses or working on job sites our students have ample opportunities for reinforcement. Students work on a variety of daily living, social and vocational skills.

Upon completion of the

program, students will have

a transition binder, which

includes a résumé, job skill

and independent living skill

performance checklists, and

pertinent transition assessments.