CARMEL – Preparing for life after high school has been the focus of the Carmel School District’s PACE or Personal Academic and Community Experience program.
The special needs students have been busy making healthy dog biscuits and collecting items for the Putnam Humane Society.
Speech-Language Pathologist Laura Blaha said teaching pre-vocational skills helps the young adults in a myriad of ways. “Making dog biscuits teaches skills like following a recipe and directions, identifying items in a kitchen, working with others and vital communication skills.”
Occupational Therapist April DeFrancesco also pitched in and helped the students learn rolling, measuring, pouring and cutting skills.
The students rolled out the biscuit dough and cut it into shapes like bowties and hearts using cookie cutters.
Supplies for the biscuits were purchased through a grant from the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. The biscuit recipe came from Tilly Foster Farm and used all natural ingredients.
The biscuits even underwent a ‘taste test’ with educators’ dogs acting as guinea pigs. Blaha smiled, “Nine out of 10 dogs liked them.”
In addition to the dog biscuits, the class collected donations such as cat food and cat toys to donate to the Putnam Humane Society.
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