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Hartford UHS wins $100,000 transition-readiness grant; PACE lab cited as key to job skills for students with disabilities
Summary
Dr. Stacy Game told the Hartford UHS School Board the district received a $100,000 transition-readiness grant to expand postsecondary and employment supports for students with disabilities and to upgrade the school—s PACE lab, a simulated workplace program that tracks work-readiness over time.
Dr. Stacy Game presented a $100,000 transition-readiness grant to the Hartford UHS School Board and explained how the funding will expand postsecondary education and employment outcomes for students with disabilities.
The grant will support two related efforts: increased exposure and supports to two- and four-year postsecondary options and enhanced employment-readiness experiences through the PACE lab, an evidence-based, simulated workplace that the district recently upgraded through a transition-incentive grant. "There are approximately 300 job tasks in the PACE lab across a handful of career areas," Dr. Game said, describing how students build from entry-level tasks to higher-level responsibilities and earn points for workplace behaviors.
Chris Callahan, who led the grant-writing effort, described how the PACE lab mimics real work settings and provides baseline assessments that predict employment potential three to five years out. "We offer the PACE lab two blocks every term," Callahan said, adding that students typically enroll based on IEP team recommendations; class sizes have ranged from two to five students depending on need. He credited paraprofessionals for running much of the day-to-day programming in the lab.
Board members emphasized outreach and promotion of the program to neighboring schools and the community. One board member asked how many students the lab can serve; Game and Callahan explained capacity varies by student need, scheduling, and IEP decisions. Game said the district has hosted school tours and that other districts are exploring models based on Hartford's lab.
Why it matters: administrators said the PACE lab and transition grant make measurable investments in competitive integrated employment outcomes for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, pairing classroom instruction with community-based experiences and employer connections.
Next steps: district staff will continue implementation, provide periodic progress monitoring and report back to the board about student participation, community experiences, and employment outcomes tied to the grant.
