We understand how confusing it can be to navigate this world of services for people with developmental disabilities. We’re here to help! If you’re interested in receiving services or would like to learn more, please click on the link below.
Services
Stepping Stone is committed to empowering individuals by providing a diverse range of services that promote independence, employment readiness, personal growth, and overall well-being. Our services are grouped into key focus areas to better serve participants based on their unique needs.
Employment Services
Supports individuals in securing, maintaining, and thriving in meaningful employment while navigating benefits and workforce development.
Benefits Planning: Helps participants understand and navigate public benefits, including Social Security Disability, medical benefits, SNAP, Long-Term Care services, housing, and more, ensuring they can make informed employment decisions.
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS): Through our partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), we support youth in high school or a transition program with developing job skills, exploring career options, and preparing for employment.
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR): Stepping Stone Support Center is a DVR vendor, working with individuals to find and maintain competitive, integrated employment. DVR offers a variety of employment services and supports. Contact us to learn more!
Supported Employment:
Job Coaching: Provides on-the-job support to help individuals succeed in their roles, assisting with task completion, communication, and workplace expectations.
Job Development: Works with local businesses to identify and create employment opportunities, matching individuals with meaningful jobs that fit their skills and interests.
In-Home Services
In-Home SLS Services: Supports individuals in their homes, fostering independence while assisting with daily living and personal growth.
Mentorship: Supports individuals in realistic thinking, social interactions, self-advocacy, and problem-solving, helping them develop decision-making skills and navigate life challenges.
Respite Services: Offers caregivers short-term relief by providing hourly and overnight respite care, ensuring participant safety while allowing caregivers to recharge.
Community First Choice (CFC) Option — Available to Individuals on the SLS Waiver:
CFC services provide additional in-home support for individuals who are enrolled in the SLS Waiver.Homemaker Services: Provides support with household tasks and daily living activities to help individuals maintain a safe, healthy, and comfortable home environment.
Personal Care Services: Provides hands-on support with daily personal care and activities, such as bathing, grooming, dressing, eating, mobility, toileting, and other personal needs.
Residential Services: Provides choice-driven, comprehensive, home-based options with tailored support to foster independence and community inclusion.
Residential Family Caregiver Services: Supports family members who serve as primary caregivers, ensuring a safe, structured, and supportive home environment while providing assistance with care needs.
Residential Host Home Services: Offers home-based support through host homes, where trained providers offer personalized care in a family-like setting, fostering independence and a sense of belonging.
Independent Living & ILFSS Model: Provides support for individuals living independently, focusing on life skills development, budgeting, personal safety, household management, and community engagement.
Companionship & Reverse Host Home Model: Matches individuals with live-in companions or caregivers, allowing them to receive personalized support while maintaining independence in their own home.
Day Services
Supports individuals in developing skills, engaging in meaningful activities, and building social connections in a structured setting.
Specialized Habilitation: Provides structured opportunities for physical fitness, personal development, and hobby exploration while fostering a healthy lifestyle and skill-building. Participants may also spend part of their time in our co-op group, where they build teamwork, communication, following directions, task completion, problem-solving, and other skills that promote independence and success in community settings. Learn more about our Co-Op HERE!
Supported Community Connection: Encourages individuals to engage with the community through field trips, group activities, and social experiences, promoting independence and meaningful relationships.
Online Classes: Provides virtual learning opportunities for individuals to develop life skills, job readiness, social engagement, and personal growth in a flexible, accessible format.
Transportation Services: Offers weekday transportation to and from programs within a designated service area. Direct-care providers may also be eligible for mileage reimbursement for transporting participants to work, programs, or approved personal appointments.
Specialized Recreation
Creates opportunities for participants to connect, have fun, and enjoy meaningful experiences in their community.
Rollin’ Stones: Offers fun and engaging day excursions where participants can explore the community, try new activities, spend time with friends, and create lasting memories.
Behavioral Services
Provides mental health and therapeutic support to enhance emotional well-being and personal development.
Therapeutic Counseling & EMDR Therapy: Offers professional counseling, talk therapy, and EMDR therapy to support mental health, wellness, education, relationship-building, and navigating pathways to future goals. Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) work alongside clients to develop personalized strategies to help overcome challenges and enhance well-being.
Aaron working hard at Sprouts!
Gina and Beth working on her homemaker skills!
Katherine celebrating 13 years working at Red Robin
Rollin’ Stones Splatter Paint Outing!
Medicaid Waiver Supports:
Stepping Stone provides services through the Medicaid (Health First) Waiver Programs. We provide adult services through Supported Living Services (SLS) and Developmental Disabilities (DD) Services. We also take Private Pay.
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The Supported Living Services (SLS) waiver provides necessary services and supports for individuals with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities so they can remain in their homes and communities with minimal impact to individuals' community and social supports. The SLS waiver promotes individual choice and decision-making through the individualized planning process and the tailoring of services and supports to address prioritized, unmet needs. In addition, this waiver is designed to supplement existing natural supports and traditional community resources with targeted and cost-effective services and supports.
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The Home and Community-Based Services Waiver For Persons With Developmental Disabilities (DD) provides access to 24-hour, seven days a week supervision through Residential Habilitation and Day Habilitation Services and Supports. The service provider is responsible to support individuals in services to find living arrangements. Living arrangements can range from host homes settings with 1-2 persons, individualized settings of 1-3 persons, and group settings of 4-8 persons, as well as residential supports for participants who live in their own home or who live with and/or are provided services by members of their family.
We often get feedback that there are a lot of acronyms in our world, which can be confusing! Please see below for a cheat sheet for the common acrymyns used in the developmental disability (DD) world.
How do services work?
Check out our 10 minute video on how services work in Colorado.
In-Home Services
1:1 SLS In-Home Services
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Assistance with basic tasks around the house such as cleanliness, laundry, meal preparation, household safety with the goal of the greatest possible autonomy at home for each participant.
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Assistance with daily living tasks such as personal hygiene, grocery shopping, budgeting, healthy eating, bathing, toileting, and appropriate clothing. Stepping Stone encourages staff to allow participants to express themselves while mentoring them on what is generally appropriate.
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Assists participants with realistic thinking, appropriate interactions with others, self-advocacy, social and relationship difficulties, safety, problem-solving, advising and modeling behaviors. Stepping Stone believes that each participant is an adult and can and should make decisions for themselves. Stepping Stone's staff will model realistic methods and goals in that process.
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Stepping Stone understands the need to provide a caregiver a break and ensures that each participant will be kept safe during that time. We provide hourly as well as overnight respite.
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Participants can qualify for these services when they move into an independent setting. These services are only good for 365 days.
Life Skills: Maintain ability to live independently in the community
Peer Mentorship: Promote self-advocacy and encourage community living
Gina and Beth working on her homemaker skills!
DD/Residential Services
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Stepping Stone Support Center offers a range of Residential service models to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Here's a breakdown of the residential service models we currently offer:
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A Host Home provider provides 24/7 live-in support in a family- or roommate-style environment for individuals with needs that do not allow them to safely live independently—similar to foster care but for adults with IDD, Host Home providers offer 24-hour assistance, addressing medical, behavioral, and other essential needs.
Each home serves a maximum of three individuals—each with their own bedroom. Placement involves an extensive process ensuring compatibility and comfort, including provider/participant matching for long-term success. Individuals visit potential providers, stay overnight, and make an informed decision before selecting a Host Home setting.
Host Home services are contracted for one year, with the option for continuous renewal if desired by all parties. In addition to compensation for care, Host Home providers receive a Room & Board stipend to help cover expenses for the person—such as rent, household supplies, and food. Host Home providers are not required to own their home to offer this service model. -
This model provides live-in support in the individual's home to offer a caring, housemate-style environment. Individuals have 24-hour access to live-in staff, with more freedom than a host home, when suitable. Individuals typically reside in their own home, with the provider moving in. Room & Board rates do not apply, and individuals are responsible for their own financial obligations. *Sometimes referred to as a Reverse Host Home.
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Individuals live on their own or with housemates, receiving scheduled supports from Life Skills Coaches based on their needs and funding. When appropriate, Stepping Stone offers a per diem budget to support the individuals' goals for independent living.
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Individuals live in their family home with a family member who becomes an employee or independent contractor through Stepping Stone Support Center and is compensated to provide support services. HCPF/CMS does not have a separate set of rules and regulations for Family Caregiver staff; family caregivers are bound to the same minimum training and documentation requirements as non-family caregivers.
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This service is for individuals living at home who won't use the Family Caregiver option. They receive dedicated hourly services from a Stepping Stone Life Skills Coach. Family may still offer assistance as a natural support, and there's 24-hour emergency access to a manager. Some individuals combine this model with Family Caregiver services to fulfill all Residential service hours allotted to the person.
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Stepping Stone directly contracts with the family or individual seeking services. Residential services are not waiver-funded under this model. It offers unique flexibility driven by individual preferences, similar to other service options outlined above.
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Participants can qualify for this service when they move into an independent setting. This service is only good for 365 days.
Peer Mentorship: This service promotes self-advocacy and encouragse community living.
Krista saying the pledge of allegiance at the Capitol with her In-Home Services Manager, Coneda! She was pumped!
First Friday Night Events
Don’t forget about our Friday Night Events! These events are held on the first Friday night of the month, typically for two consecutive months followed by a month off. They are not billed through Medicaid services, and everyone is welcome to join at any time! You do not need to be enrolled in our services to attend. Events are just $10–$15 each. Check out our upcoming events on the Events tab of our website!
*See the Stepping Stone annual calendar below to see all the events offered throughout the year.
Parent Caregiver Meetings
We host quarterly parent/caregiver meetings and we would love for you to join us! Get on our e-mail blast system and you will see the details for these meetings.
How do I get started with services?
We would love to serve you at Stepping Stone
1. If you don’t already have SLS or DD services set up, apply for Medicaid Waiver services through your local community center board (CCB). If you want to private pay, you can skip this step. If you need support with where to start with this, please feel free to reach out to us! You can always private pay while you wait for services to be approved through the state.
2. Click the button below to inquire about receiving services through Stepping Stone, or call our Intake Line at 303-872-6882 ext. 2.
3. Based on our programming and openings, we can add you to our waitlist, or send you the intake packet to get your information to get started with services.
**If you are added to a waiting list for a desired service, please feel free to join us in our other services that don’t have a waiting list. We would love to have you join us for our Friday Night Events!