Wyandanch Union Free School District

From the first cup poured to the final delivery down the hall, the Brighter Day Coffee Cafe at Milton L. Olive Middle School is doing much more than serving coffee, it’s helping scholars prepare for life beyond the classroom. The school-based cafe provides meaningful vocational training for students while also offering staff a convenient service featuring a variety of coffee drinks, hot and cold beverages, soup and snacks, available for pickup or classroom delivery. What began as a small coffee cart in the fall of 2019 has grown into a thriving campus cafe that blends hands-on learning with real-world responsibility. 

Originally launched to meet the vocational and curriculum needs of scholars, the coffee cart gave them daily opportunities to practice job-readiness skills through authentic tasks. As students gained confidence, demonstrated increased engagement and mastered new responsibilities, the program steadily expanded. By fall 2021, its success led its transformation into the Brighter Day Coffee Cafe, allowing the initiative to scale its impact while staying rooted in its core mission. 

Through the operation of the cafe, scholars apply essential workplace skills in a real-life setting. They practice communication and customer service while interacting with staff, develop time management and teamwork skills to fulfill orders efficiently, and gain experience with responsibilities such as handling money, managing inventory and maintaining a clean workspace. The supportive environment allows students to build confidence at their own pace while strengthening social skills that are critical for future employment. 

The cafe’s evolution has created a more holistic learning experience, embedding vocational education into the school day in a way that feels purposeful and empowering. By mirroring real workplace expectations, the program helps students transition smoothly toward independent living and employment. 

“Preparing our scholars for life beyond the classroom is the ultimate goal, as is finding fun, functional activities that meet their transition goals and help them grow as members of society,” teacher Dana Valentino said. “The cafe supports students as they develop skills in numeracy and finance, social skills and peer communication, operations and maintenance as well as improve general soft skills and employability.”