What Happens After High School? 

Before your child graduates from high school, it’s time to start thinking about their transition from childhood to adulthood. While some individuals may go to college or start job training, others may find it helpful to join an adult day program where they can work with a life skills coach. Here’s an overview of what life skills coaches do and how they impact the lives of participants: 

What is a Life Skills Coach? 

A life skills coach is a mentor, teacher and most importantly, a friend.

They help individuals develop and maintain skills that are important to becoming more independent like:  

• Personal care (hygiene, grooming, laundry) 
• Social skills (taking turns, picking up on the cues of others, learning good manners) 
• Safety skills (what to do in an emergency, where to go, and how to identify a first responder) 
• Money management (budgeting, counting change and purchasing goods) 
• Living skills (cooking, cleaning, kitchen safety and grocery shopping) 
• Health and fitness (hiking, golf, dance and other forms of physical education and exercise) 
• Recreation and leisure (trips to local restaurants, museums, and movie theaters) 
• Pre-employment training (resumes and applications, office etiquette and skill building) 

Plus, they present opportunities to help participants successfully integrate into their communities.  

What are the Goals of an Adult Day Program? 

The main goals are to help all participants live their lives to their full potential and learn how to be more independent in a safe and fun environment. It’s important for any parent to feel confident that their child will be happy and healthy as they age, so life skills coaching supports the whole family in the end. 

What Does a Typical Day Look Like in an Adult Day Program? 

While all programs differ, a life skills coach usually plans activities that help each participant work on the skills that are important to them. For example, they might have safety awareness training in the morning with a computer lab in the afternoon. Another day could be bowling in the morning, then grocery shopping or journaling in the afternoon. Throughout the program, life skills coaches will also measure each participant’s progress toward their goals. 

When Should You Start Looking into Adult Day Programs for Your Child? 

Families should begin inquiring about local adult day programs when their child is in their senior year of high school. You will want to make sure that the curriculum, types of activities, and life skills coaches are the right fit for your child.