At Jacksonville School for Autism, some of the most meaningful learning happens outside the classroom. Each morning, our STEP Up students, who are part of JSA’s STEP Program, head out to the staff parking lot with teacher Caitlyn and paraprofessional Emily for an important job: serving as JSA’s parking lot attendants.
The students carefully make their way through the parking lot, checking vehicles for the official JSA staff parking hangtag. When they find a vehicle without a hangtag, they leave a friendly note reminding the driver that the parking lot is reserved for JSA staff.
While this daily responsibility helps ensure our staff have access to designated parking, the experience is about much more than parking spaces. It is another opportunity for our students to practice valuable vocational and life skills in a real-world setting.
Through this task, students are learning to follow a routine, pay attention to details, visually identify information, work as a team, complete a task from start to finish, navigate a workplace environment, and take responsibility for an important job. They also gain confidence from knowing their work contributes directly to the daily operations of JSA.

These are exactly the types of hands-on experiences the STEP Program strives to provide. By turning everyday responsibilities into meaningful learning opportunities, our students are building skills that can translate into future employment, greater independence, and active participation in their community.
We are proud of our STEP Up students for taking their parking lot responsibilities seriously—and grateful to Caitlyn and Emily for finding creative ways to make vocational learning part of each day.

At JSA, every experience is an opportunity to Educate. Engage. Inspire