PROGRAM LOCATIONS
Baroco has Day Support Options (DSO) Programs located at:
DAY SUPPORT OPTIONS
Baroco has three Day Support Options Programs (DSO) located in Connecticut. Each program is designed to provide innovative and creative opportunities to persons living with intellectual and physical disabilities in a safe and enjoyable environment. Baroco’s primary focus is to assist participants in attaining their highest level of independence. We do this by teaching functional skills designed through the Individual Planning process in a variety of settings through well planned activities. Inherent in this dedication is Baroco’s mission to support participants in a dignified manner and allow them to make informed choices, advocate for themselves and be productive members of their communities. Some of the activities we provide include; Gardening, Self Advocacy Groups, Community Experiences including Volunteering Activities, Cooking/Baking, Social/Manners Activities, Physical Fitness, Leisure Activities, Communication and Choice Making, Gait Training, Cultural Themes, Health and Safety Activities and Educational Theme Activities.
HOURS
Baroco’s DSO Programs are open in Monday through Friday from 9 am – 3 pm. We rarely close for inclement weather and we are in operation 12 months a year. We are closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas Day.
NURSING SERVICES
Our South Windham and Ledyard programs share a Registered Nurse. South Windham also has Licensed Practical Nurse on site daily from 9-3 to address those individuals with complex medical conditions and educate our staff on those medical conditions. In Torrington we have a Registered Nurse Consultant who oversees the medical needs of that Program. Baroco also has a Registered Nurse Supervisor on call to assist the program nurses as needed.
STAFFING
Each site has a Full Time Program Supervisor and Full Time Assistant Program Supervisor to oversee the day to day functions of the programs. Their primary goal is to insure the program maintains a safe, organized and professional atmosphere. We employ numerous staff called Instructors to oversee the individualized needs of the program participants and to carry out the goals and objectives outlined in their Individual Plans. Each site has a part time Program Manager or Clinical Coordinator who helps to insure the programs maintain high quality services.
Baroco is strongly committed to ensuring that we meet the cultural and linguistic needs of all of our participants. We have worked hard to ensure that we have excellent bilingual/bicultural staff to interact with our bilingual participants and their families. We feel this is absolutely critical if we are going to give all of our participants the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Baroco has nurses and/or Medication Certified Staff to address the medication administration needs of the program participants.
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering has become an integral part of programming in our Connecticut sites. Volunteering in the local communities gives participants the opportunity to be a productive member while at the same time allowing the individuals the opportunity to enhance and strengthen the skills taught at the site in a natural setting. Some of the volunteer opportunities include; going to nursing homes, buying food for the local food pantries, cleaning at volunteer fire houses, raising money for various local charities by having annual craft fairs and baking pies, and adopting day care centers and/or classrooms. The accomplishments and achievements of our volunteers have been recognized by local service organizations and newspapers.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORK (TORRINGTON SITE ONLY)
In our Torrington DSO we have many individuals who have opportunities to earn money. We have in-house piecework and a couple of community sites which give participants the ability to develop meaningful work, social and community participation skills. They have the ability to earn a small paycheck and develop necessary skills which may ultimately lead to the acquisition of a competitive job in their community.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
One of the things that has set Baroco apart from other providers been our consistent attention to looking at ways to improve our services. Baroco has developed its own, in-depth, quality assurance tool to ensure that each of our programs is providing the best possible services. All of our facilities are committed to programmatic improvement and maintaining the respect and dignity of every participant that we serve. To this end, we are constantly searching for innovative ways to enhance the services we provide.
Additionally, Baroco is evaluated throughout the year by various State auditors. The auditors have consistently given us excellent evaluations frequently stating that our services are among the best that they have reviewed.