Nazareth College
4245 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14618
| Program Contact | Nuala Boyle |
| Program Contact Email | lifeprep@mail.naz.edu |
| Phone | 585-389-2670 |
| Website | Program website |
LifePrep@Naz is an innovative program designed to provide 20 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ages 18-25) with a fully integrated college experience, strengthening their life skills, vocational skills, self-sufficiency, and independence. Created through the collaborative relationship among Nazareth, Victor Central School District, and The Arc of Monroe, the LifePrep@Naz program thrives on the passion and commitment of all involved parties.
LifePrep students are fully immersed in campus life, including but not limited to:
• Enrollment in one Nazareth course each semester,
• Involvement in Nazareth clubs & organizations,
• Attendance at campus-wide functions and athletic events,
• Vocational internship on-campus, and
• Participation in Commencement upon completion of the LifePrep program.
Through campus employment, Nazareth undergraduate students serve as mentors to the LifePrep students, providing consistent peer-to-peer interaction in all aspects of the program that are named above.
Nazareth graduate students, under supervision of their faculty members, provide supports to LifePrep program from the following academic departments: Creative Arts Therapy (Art & Music), Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Social Work.
The LifePrep@Naz program is directly supported by six on-campus staff personnel, almost 50 student workers, and three graduate assistants. The vocational internships are supervised by 20 Nazareth faculty and staff members, with an additional 20 Nazareth faculty members providing guest seats in their undergraduate courses.
Program information submitted: January 24, 2023
| General | |
|---|---|
| Public or private: | Private |
| Type of school: | 4-year college or university |
| Is this program a federally funded TPSID program? | No |
| Students in this program: |
|
| Number of students: | 20 |
| Affiliates | |
|---|---|
| School district or agency partner: | Victor Central School District |
| Contact person: | Karyn Ryan |
| Email: | ryanka@victorschools.org |
| Requirements | |
|---|---|
| Program serves students who have left high school? | Some of our students have left high school |
| Deadline to apply to this program: | Feb. 14th = applicants accessing adult services through The Arc of Monroe, March 1st = School-Aged applicants |
| Criteria for admission |
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| Accepts out-of-state students? | No |
| Please indicate which disabilities students in this program have: |
|
| Program length: | 4 years |
| Acceptance, Retention, and Completion Rates | |
|---|---|
| Retention rate for first year students from the previous academic year to the current one: | 100.00% |
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| Is this program able to provide federal financial aid as a Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP)? | No |
| Students pay for the program in the following ways: |
|
| Academic | |
|---|---|
| Students enrolled in this program take the following types of inclusive courses (with students who don't have disabilities): | Typical college courses for audit |
| More about course access: | LifePrep students search the Nazareth undergraduate course catalog and select their top five choices in courses connected to their interests. They then email the professor of the first choice for permission for a guest seat in their class. The LifePrep student and their mentor are allowed to take a Naz course with the professor's permission and if the course doesn't have a waitlist for matriculated students. |
| Students take courses that are only for students in this program: | Yes |
| Information on special classes: | 33 blocks total within a given student's schedule each week. 16 blocks are for classes that are only LP students' curriculum 2-3 class blocks for Nazareth undergraduate courses 2 blocks are on-campus internships 3 blocks are study halls/free time with Naz students 5 lunch blocks are with Naz students (around 48% of students' schedules consist of inclusive blocks, but 9% are officially Nazareth undergraduate courses) |
| Percentage of academic time spent in inclusive courses (with students who don't have disabilities): | 1-24% |
| Do all students in this program enroll in at least one inclusive college/university course for credit or audit each semester? | Yes |
| Is the credential approved by the college/university? | Awarded by program, not officially recognized by the IHE |
| Employment | |
|---|---|
| Other career development activities are: |
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| Additional information about career development and work experience: | Program is a pre-vocational program. All students move on from this program into other supportive vocational programming. During the program years, the students take Vocational Education classes, and life centered career education, along with social-emotional learning experiences taught by graduate students in social work and creative arts therapies. |
| Does this program have a working partnership with VR to provide funding, supports and/or services to students in the program? | Yes |
| Housing | |
|---|---|
| Housing is provided to students: | No |
| Extracurricular | |
|---|---|
| Students participate in student organizations on campus: | Yes |
| Percentage of social time spent in inclusive activities (open to all students on campus): | 100% |
| Students may participate in the following extra-curricular activities |
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| Students participate in these campus-wide events: |
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