ISTEP Coffee Cart

The In School Therapeutic Education Program (ISTEP) at Maplewood Middle School established a Coffee Cart program for the 2024-2025 school year.

Students assist ISTEP staff in reviewing and preparing staff coffee orders. The students then deliver the coffee to staff members. This enables the students to transfer their learned social-emotional skills to real world situations. Specifically, the students build confidence, practice communication skills, improve social awareness, and engage in collaborative decision making and problem solving. The program also allows students to connect with different staff members who they might not typically interact with during their day.

The response from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. A daytime coffee delivery puts a smile on staff members’ faces and provides that much needed caffeine boost! One teacher reported “The coffee delivery by students was absolutely adorable. I'm grateful we are giving students those kinds of responsibilities. The coffee was also the pick-me-up I needed!”

Thank you to the HSA for supporting such an amazing program.