NAMPA, Idaho — Students at Columbia High School in Nampa are learning valuable job skills through Cool Cat Brew, a fully-functional coffee shop that has grown from a small setup outside a special education classroom into a comprehensive workplace training program.
The coffee shop serves as more than just a place to grab a drink. Special education students clock in, rotate through different stations, and take on real employee roles while preparing beverages for staff and visitors.
WATCH to learn about the opportunities Columbia High special ed students have
"We work hand in hand with our students, giving them those skills while we're also giving them reading skills and math skills alongside the classroom skills — and generalizing those skills while we're working with them," said Amy Shepard, a special education teacher at the school.
The program operates with intentional structure. Recipes are written out, routines are repeated, and students practice skills in the classroom before applying them in the coffee shop. General education students occasionally provide support.
Students begin the program as freshmen and rotate through stations for a full week at a time, ensuring they don't forget skills between shifts. Each station offers different learning opportunities, from operating espresso machines to taking orders and handling customer interactions.
For teachers, the focus extends beyond making the perfect frappuccino. The program supports communication development, independence, and long-term transition goals as students prepare for life after graduation.
Stephanie Duby, another special education teacher, highlighted the program's impact on student development.
"An example I would give you is talking about Caleb and seeing him as a freshman until now in his move to 18 to 21 year old employment and life after high school. His ability to communicate was really one word — very focused on holidays or those things that he liked — and now it's about coffee, it's about what do you want, and him writing the letters that go with the coffee order. We didn't see that before — and this has given them a job focus bigger than school and interaction," Duby said.
Each shift builds familiarity not just with coffee preparation, but with essential workplace skills like showing up on time, following procedures, and working as part of a team. What appears to be a simple cup of coffee becomes hands-on preparation for employment and independence after graduation.
The program demonstrates how practical, real-world learning environments can provide special education students with valuable skills that extend far beyond the classroom setting.
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