Community Impact
What books and hooks have in common?
Core Tackle is a strategic partner with The Learning House, a private therapeutic day school in Illinois. The Learning House provides a unique blend of academic education, counseling, work experience, and outdoor education designed to serve children ages 14-18 who have been determined eligible to receive special education under section 14.702 of the Illinois School Code in the categories of ED/SLD/OHI/Autism. Students choosing to attend The Learning House enter a community that is supportive, nurturing and receptive to their needs. Issues of mutual trust, respect and encouragement are primary to the relationships fostered between students and staff. Entering the job market is the natural result of a student's completion of his/her academic pursuits. The Learning House provides a series of vocational approaches to prepare its students. Students entering The Learning House are asked to help in the basic housekeeping duties at school on a day-to-day basis. As students progress, they may apply for a job within the student work program, partnering with Core Tackle. The work program provides the students with a real work experience through which they can develop transferable job skills while earning a paycheck. Students are exposed to the traditional demands of the workplace, including promptness, efficiency, maintaining relationships with co-workers and supervisors, and the alliance between actual job performance and merit pay raises.
Vocational Training
- The Learning House partners with Core Tackle to provide vocational training for the students.
- Students can opt in to the paid work program where they package Core Tackle products.
- The work is done under the supervision of teachers who understand the special needs of the students; they also help coach them through real-life work situations so that they are set up for success as they go into the workforce.
Student Engagement
- Students get paid for their work, which serves as a huge incentive for them to come to school.
- The program helps students build self-esteem, as they can see the products they packaged for sale online.
- Students run this program as their own small business, learning about budgeting and decision-making. They also put away a portion of the earnings into their community fund which helps to pay for student activities and trips.
Winning Together
- The program has improved attendance rates in school and has provided a positive, healthy environment for the students to learn and grow.
- Core Tackle is able to help provide income to students and their school community fund, while keep their prices lower for their customers.
Learn more from Mark Fisher, owner of The Learning House:
