Educational Support Services
Education Support Services (ESS) provides support to students eligible for special education.
ESS started in 1991 to share Horizons’ positive practices and expertise with public school students. Our Professional Support creates opportunities for local public school students with IEPs to have an integrated, tailored education with the benefits of facilitated collaboration. It has a keen focus on each student’s individual needs to experience growth and celebrate accomplishments. Horizons Educational Support Services has partners with school districts to provide staff development to enhance staff skills and student outcomes.
Transition Education Supports
Horizons is a Transition Service Provider with the Connecticut State Department of Education. We partner with local public school districts to build the best bridge possible to take their students from being a high school student into their adult life.
We help our students and their families to envision a future when they will exit education and move into the adult world. Each student has unique life goals that we translate into IEP goals in the domains of Life Skills, Employment, Post-Secondary Education and Training.
Our methods focus on identifying and building on each student’s strengths, interests and preferences. The majority of students’ IEP goals and objectives are addressed in the actual community settings where our students actually use the skills they learn. Students are provided employment internships with businesses that align with student’s employment goals. Life skills are taught in the context of real-life needs such as managing money, cooking healthy food, traveling and organizing schedules at the highest level of independence.
Horizons Transition Partnership with
Eastern Connecticut State University
Some Transition Students are interested in continuing their education as adult learners. Horizons also has a partnership with Eastern Connecticut State University. Our students are integrated into college life at Eastern as full members. They attend classes, join clubs and build relationships with college students and staff. Through this transition education opportunity the students learn what it takes to be an adult learner, develop necessary life skills and pursue their career goals.
Professional Support Services
Our Professional Support Services Specialist has 30 plus years of experience working with local school districts. The services we offer include:
• Student Centered program development with a focus on including students in their local public school.
• Facilitating effective collaboration and positive problem solving among all stakeholders: family members, teachers, related service providers and outside agency staff.
• Establishing and improving communication and documentation.
• Assessing and identifying critical need areas and assisting the student’s team to prioritize and plan next steps.
Educational Support Services Team
Casey Lenihan Mikelonis
Director, ESS
Casey is a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University (BS 2013) and University of Saint Joseph (MS 2020) with degrees in Psychology, Integrated Early Childhood Education, and Special Education. She is a part of a small group of teachers certified to teach special education at any age. Casey chose to return to her alma mater, Eastern Connecticut State University, to act as Team Director of the Horizons / Eastern Connecticut State University Transition Education Partnership before assuming the role of Director of Educational Support Services.
Casey loves meeting new students to about their vocational and post-secondary interests, and supporting students to develop and achieve their goals and plans in life. She especially tries to help them develop their independent living skills. In addition to teaching transition students daily, Casey is trained in conducting Situational Assessments.
Casey Lenihan Mikelonis
Director, ESS
Rochelle St. Jean
Associate Director, ESS
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Rochelle started her Horizons journey through the summer camp program. After establishing roots in Connecticut, Rochelle continued to work in various departments throughout the agency before becoming Associate Director of the Educational Supports Services Program.
She brings a holistic and person-centered set of skills to the team with her long-standing background in Special Education, certification in MAPS/PATH facilitation, AAC/total communication expertise via her degree in speech studies and transition, and behavioral supports with her Masters of Science in Psychology.
Rochelle St. Jean
Associate Director, ESS
Zach Hope
Assistant Director, ESS
Zach Hope
Assistant Director, ESS
Steven Schneidermeyer
Professional Support Services Specialist
Steve leads the Educational Support Services team and provides professional support to individuals in Horizons Support Living and Supported Employment and Options. This is the effort to support and educate our developing and emerging leaders. Steve has worked at Camp Horizons since our inception in 1979. Through the Horizons Summer Camp experience, he learned the values and mission that makes Horizons amazing. Steve attended Southern Connecticut State University and received his Bachelor of Arts in Special Education in 1985. Since then he has had the pleasure of being in a leadership position, supporting individuals with disabilities where they live, learn and work.
