LIVERMORE, Calif.- Las Positas College is offering a free Adaptive Horticulture Summer Program for students with special needs from 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday through Friday, July 18-21.

“We are proud to offer this new educational opportunity for an important population in our community,” said Las Positas College President Barry A. Russell, Ph.D. “Our Horticulture Program faculty has been working with our Tri-Valley partners to create the best Horticulture learning experiences that will provide the most benefits and vocational training.”

The program will focus on vocational training, horticulture therapy and experience with learning at a college campus. Planned activities include propagating new plants from cuttings, pruning shrubs, planting an annual flower display, learning about plant water requirements and installing a new landscape on the college campus. Students also will take a fieldtrip to Sunflower Hill Gardens at Hagemann Ranch and learn about farming, growing plants for food and urban agriculture.

The following are student requirements:

  • Must be at least 18 years of age
  • Program is designed for individuals with mild to moderate disabilities
  • Interest in pursuing employment in the horticulture, landscaping or viticulture industry
  • Access to transportation to and from Las Positas College
  • Access to home and agency support needed for successful program participation

The application deadline is Friday, June 30. For information and applications, please contact Community Education Program Coordinator Frances DeNisco at FDeNisco@laspositascollege.edu or (925) 424-1467.

Las Positas College’s Adaptive Horticulture Summer Program is offered in partnership with Pleasanton Adult and Career Education, Regional Center of the East Bay, Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program and Sunflower Hill, a sustainable residential community for individuals with special needs, located in Livermore and Pleasanton. Also providing support are the college’s Career and Technical Education Office and the Disabled Students Programs and Services Center.

About the Las Positas College Horticulture Program

Las Positas College offers both an Associate in Science Degree and a Certificate of Achievement in Horticulture. The degree is recommended for students planning to transfer to a four-year degree program and for career advancement. Students can typically earn a degree in two years and a certificate in one year.

Students can choose from concentrations in landscape installation and maintenance or nursery management and operations. “HOTTies,” members of the Horticulturalists of Today and Tomorrow student club, get involved in many campus projects: harvesting olives and making extra virgin olive oil, holding plant sales, creating a demonstration project in aquaponics and contributing to campus landscaping, including the Native Plant Walk.

Typical courses include Introduction to Horticulture, Fall/Spring Plant Material Identification, Integrated Pest Management, Planting Media and Nutrition, Horticulture Management and Operations, Landscape Irrigation, Landscape Design and Work Experience and Seminar.

To meet community needs, the program recently has introduced some new classes: California Native Plants and Dry Landscapes, Sustainable Landscape, Interior Plantscapes and Fundamentals of Hydroponics and Aquaponics.

For information about Horticulture occupations, students can visit https://www.onetonline.org/find/quick?s=horticulture.

To register for classes, please visit the college website at www.laspositascollege.edu. Fall semester begins Aug. 16.

– LPC –

About Las Positas College

Las Positas College currently enrolls 8,000 students and offers curriculum for students seeking transfer to a four-year college or university, career preparation, or basic skills education. The College provides university transfer classes, retraining classes for those in need of employment or career advancement, a first-time educational opportunity for many adults, enrichment classes for those seeking a broader perspective, and career and technical training for those entering the technical and paraprofessional workforce.

Las Positas College is a learning-centered institution focused on excellence and student success. It is fully committed to supporting Tri-Valley residents in their quest for education and advancement. Las Positas College faculty and staff are distinguished by their energy, creativity, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of the students they serve and the future of the Tri-Valley region.