The Capital School District is proud to be the host to the first Project SEARCH partnership in Kent County.
Project SEARCH is a partnership between Capital School District’s Kent County Community School and Bayhealth along with several other state agencies and private groups that provides opportunities for disabled students to work through structured internships that lead to post school employment. The program boasts high rates of post school employment for its interns and represents the Capital School District’s commitment to producing great outcomes for all students.
According to its website: Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation. It all began in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. Erin felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group. She wondered if it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high- turnover, entry-level positions in her department, which involved complex and systematic tasks such as stocking supply cabinets. As a starting point, Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, then the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH.
Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.
Capital School District and Kent County Community School are honored to be partnered with such an amazing program in helping to fulfill the district’s mission of; “Educational excellence today for a changing tomorrow.”