Educational Programs Inspiring Communities

H.E.A.R.T. (Housing, Entrepreneurship and Readiness Training) Vending and Concessions is a vocational training program that focuses on food service, vending machines, concessions, catering, and customer service. The most unique aspect of this program is the on-the-job training component, where H.E.A.R.T. transports participants to job sites located throughout the region and provides supported employment to participants. Participants also receive hands-on instruction in job-related tasks such as counting money, labeling product, inventory, and other activities. These activities will be conducted in small groups and 1-on-1 as needed. Trainees, clients with intellectual disabilities, get paychecks of at least $8 per hour once they have been trained.

Through our partnership with CVS Health, EPIC offers a 10-week retail training program for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities who are interested in working in a retail environment. The program is free for participants and offers the first "mock store" in the state of Texas. Trainees receive classroom instruction and hands-on training at the mock store before transitioning to an 80-hour externship at a local CVS. Upon completion of the program, participants are eligible for hire in a CVS store.

From June to August, H.E.A.R.T. offers the H.E.A.R.T. Summer Internship Program to youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities in two four-week sessions. Students are introduced to real-world job experience in vending, food service, and warehouse work based out of the Houston Food Bank facility. The curriculum also includes leadership and advocacy training. Students receive instruction on making choices, understanding their disability, learning varying types of effective communication (verbal, non-verbal and written), understanding laws and rights, working in teams, conflict resolution, and demonstrating leadership. Continued on Schedule O.In addition, students learn about making choices, and how each choice carries a consequence, either positive or negative. A key component of the curriculum is reminding students that their disability is just a small part of who they are, and an important piece of their "life puzzle." Similarly, that puzzle piece in no way defines in its entirety who they are or who they are meant to be. In the self-advocacy component, students are introduced to the rights they have and the laws that are set in place to protect them. Each lesson is taught through various mediums including videos and guest speakers. Lessons are interwoven and designed to help combat significant learning loss typically associated with the summer months that is even more prevalent in youths with disabilities.

From August to May, H.E.A.R.T. collaborates with Houston Independent School District (H.I.S.D.) in vocational training programs designed to address gaps in our special education system. This self-contained program provides classroom education and vocational training to better prepare graduating seniors to enter the workforce after graduation. H.I.S.D. transports, provides meals, and administers the required standard classroom education for the students while H.E.A.R.T. implements the job skills and employment training in food service, food supply chain operations, vending, and concessions, to help these students be "job-ready and give them work experience before they graduate. Learning how to prepare hot meals, chop fruits and vegetables, and operate a pallet jack and forklift are just a few of the activities that H.E.A.R.T. students learn every weekday through the program. This program gives students experience in a wide variety of environments without having to coordinate transportation to different places or have many different supervisors.