Grand Rapids High School Opens Shop for Autism Students

The program helps six students with autism gain essential workplace skills by managing a campus coffee shop.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Autism

Grand Rapids High School Opens Shop for Autism Students

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Forest Hills Eastern High School in Grand Rapids has launched The Coffee Nest, a student-run shop designed to build essential workplace and social skills for six students with autism. The program, which currently serves school staff, operates three days a week.

Why it matters

The program provides a practical, real-world environment for students with autism to develop vocational and social competencies. By utilizing structured, repetitive task instruction, the school aims to foster independent job skills in a supportive, familiar setting.

This program model serves 6 students with autism through active vocational training conducted three days per week. The efficacy of these specific step-by-step task guides and repetitive practice methods on long-term skill retention is still being evaluated.

The players

Stephanie Braun

The educator who spearheaded the development of the coffee shop program.

Rowster Coffee

A local coffee roaster that supported the vocational program with a 500-pound product donation.

Forest Hills Eastern High School

The Grand Rapids educational institution hosting the student-run vocational program.

The details

Students prepare for their roles using a combination of multimedia presentations, videos, and hands-on guidance. Instructors implement a structured approach using detailed, step-by-step task guides and consistent, repeated practice to assist students in working independently. The shop, supported by a 500-pound donation of coffee from Rowster Coffee, serves as a controlled setting for students to master operational and interpersonal tasks.

Last winter, planning for the coffee shop initiative began.
During the spring, the program was awarded a grant.
In the first month of school, students completed their initial job task training.
The shop currently operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Health Landscape

Vocational training programs for neurodivergent students are increasingly integrated into high school settings as part of federal transition service requirements. This initiative highlights a shift toward practical, school-based professional development over traditional classroom-only models.

Families exploring educational resources for students with autism can use this model to initiate conversations with school administrators about local vocational opportunities. These programs emphasize the importance of identifying and applying for transition-focused grants to support skill-building.

The takeaway

Hands-on vocational environments can significantly support students with autism in mastering independent job tasks. Parents interested in these initiatives should discuss available transition services and local vocational training options with their child's school district or primary physician.

What happens next

The school has announced plans to expand the coffee shop program to serve students and to extend the vocational curriculum to two additional autism classrooms.