STEP Des Moines Public Schools

And tonight is always a bittersweet evening. We sent our STEP Class of 2026 off to the world of adulting. We are very proud of each and every one of them for their own personal successes and we are excited to see how they will continue to shine. Congrats STEP Class of 2026! Forever STEP Family. (Please share your pics with me. I get wrapped up in chatting and forget to take photos. 😄)

Today was one of the most emotional days of our year. On our exiting students' last day of class we invite STEP alumni back to speak on a panel about life after STEP. They share what they have done since leaving our program, what adult services they have used, and they share advice for moving on into the world of adulting. It always amazes us how much they have matured and accomplished. Some are married, some living in their own houses or apartments, some have saved money and purchased new vehicles, almost all are working. They are so inspirational and we are grateful they came back to share their stories and help us send off our 2026 graduates.
A huge thank you to alumni Alex, Bailey, Suzanna, Ben, Ryan, Logan, Daveontaye, CJ, John, Abdi, Seth, and Justin! We are very proud of you all! Keep doing amazing things out there.

Getting caught up on posts (The end of the year is a bit crazy!)
Jen's cooking classes did a final lesson in using up ingredients in your fridge and pantry. They made some delicious dishes once again. What a great, realistic life lesson!

I forgot to post this one! Thank you to STEP Student Ambassadors Kyle, Christina, and Isaac for volunteering on 4+ Open House night! They did a great job representing our program and greeting families. We appreciate you!

Today was our annual end-of-the year picnic. A special thanks to our Central Perk's interns. The food was purchased with our coffee shop funds. It was a sunny, hot day but we had a blast celebrating a great 2025-26!

This afternoon we got to tour CSA's Momentum Studios in Mainframe. Students learned about how they could use this space to express their creativity in a safe, understanding environment. They are open W-F 10-4:00. Check them out!

On Friday students took a DART trip to the thrift store to price items to furnish an apartment. We love that we get to focus on meaning, life skills lessons!