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Steamboat Springs — For the past four years, the Stepping Stones program has provided transitional support for Routt County adults ages 18 to 21 with severe mental disabilities who need help preparing for adult life.

The program will enter the 2008-09 school year under a different banner - Routt County Transition Services. With the new name comes a new mission.

The organization's new transition teacher, Anne Davidson, said Stepping Stones initially was created to handle a large number of students with severe special needs. But with only six students currently enrolled, the program is looking to expand its scope of service.

"We are looking at expanding the services now to include students with learning disabilities, and those with emotional and behavioral disabilities," she said. "Basically, students who have the potential to be successful within a college environment but need support transitioning from a high school environment to college environment."

Davidson said she hopes the community looks at the program in a new light.

"What I have found (is) there are not a whole lot of people in this community who know about this program," she said. "Those who do remember Stepping Stones, it was a program for students with severe needs. That is one of the reasons we have looked to change the name."

The program, which is funded by the Steamboat Springs School District, is flexible enough to incorporate many more students than its current six.

"The beauty of this program is that the sky is the limit," she said. "If we had 50 students we could expand the support to accommodate 50 students. If we had 10, that would be fine. The nice thing about this kind of program is it is customized to each individual student's needs."

Interim Superintendent Sandra Smyser said she is a big supporter of transitional services.

"These programs are great because once they are out of the regular classroom experience, you have got to help them get to the next level, whatever level they may want to achieve," she said.

School districts are mandated at the federal level to provide transitional services to any student age 18 to 21 with special needs.

"From the student and family perspective, this is an optional program," she said. "It is up to them to take advantage of these opportunities or not."

Davidson said she is working with principals and special education teachers at Steamboat Springs, Soroco and Hayden high schools. The level of support given to each student depends on the student's and his or her family's post-high school goals, which are developed through Individual Education Plans.

"This is the document that special education services provide for students who need support that basically outlines what they need and how they are going to get those services," she said. "They complete four years of high school, and they have an option of up to three years of extra support until they turn 21 in this program."

Davidson noted that the program will help with job exploration, living independently, accessing community resources and learning how to be successful in a college environment.

"There are a lot of students who are described as falling through the cracks in high school or college who need a little extra support in learning how to do college, so to speak," she said. "If we provide them some support at the community college level, they could learn how to be successful and transition into the community successfully."