CHILLICOTHE, OH — A growing partnership between the Pioneer School and a local business is providing Ross County students with hands-on job training while expanding resources for children with specialized needs.
Through the Pioneer School’s transition programming—including Project LIFE and Life Exploration—students develop practical skills to help them explore employment options and learn the responsibilities of joining the workforce.
To bridge the gap between classroom lessons and real-world experience, the school has teamed up with The Sweetbriar Collective, a local children’s store in Chillicothe owned by Ashley Wilburn.
“Partnerships like the one we have with The Sweetbriar Collective are incredibly valuable to the Pioneer School because they give our transition students opportunities to connect what they are learning to the world beyond the classroom,” said Amy Beeler, Superintendent of the Ross County Board of Developmental Disabilities (RCBDD). “Our students are building job skills, exploring what it means to be part of a workplace and learning how their abilities can contribute to their community.”
For Wilburn, launching The Sweetbriar Collective was inspired by her youngest daughter, Liv, who has sensory processing needs. Working alongside an occupational therapist, Wilburn learned to select items geared toward different stages of childhood development. Today, the store’s toy selection is curated with direct input from local occupational therapists, including Emily Ewing, who also supports the Pioneer School’s transition programs.
“Having a local store intentionally carry items that support different areas of children’s development and therapy needs is a tremendous resource for our community,” Beeler added. “Having a business right here in Ross County that understands the value of these resources makes our community more inclusive and supportive.”
One major milestone of the collaboration can now be found right on the store’s shelves. Last year, students in the Pioneer School’s Life Exploration program designed and created sensory bags. The Sweetbriar Collective now sells those student-made sensory bags in-store, with a portion of every sale donated directly back to the Pioneer School.
The partnership has extended to other local initiatives as well; in August, Sweetbriar donated funds to cover admission costs for Fair 4 All participants and their families at the 2026 Ross County Fair.
School leaders say seeing their work on retail shelves gives students a tangible sense of accomplishment, proving that their skills have real value both inside and outside the classroom.
