HCAR is committed to providing the best training possible. While the State
continues to freeze rates, funding wages that are barely more than minimum wage
and debating the wisdom of mandatory, system-wide, basic skills training with
pointless pilot projects that only take money away from needed services, service
providers are faced with greater expectations than ever before. That is why we
have joined with 24 other visionary agencies in California that are, through the
efforts of The Arc of California,
accessing the online training provided by the
College of Direct Support©.
CDS provides college-level, accredited, competency based training that has
become the standard in several states and other countries. It is accepted as
part of the requirements for nationally recognized professional certification
and is now available for college credit through
Taft College.
As convenient and professional as the CDS training is,
it is not enough to ensure that HCAR staff fully understand the concepts
presented and apply them to their daily work. We believe that both checks on the
skills standards associated with the CDS courses and regular, live trainings
where people can interact directly with a trainer are essential. That is why we
have developed and regularly present our B.A.S.I.C.
(Behavior Analysis Skills Introductory Course) training. Based on our experience
and the principles presented in "Progress Without Punishment" (Donnellan,
LaVigna, Negri-Shoultz, Fassbender; New York: Teacher's College Press, 1988),
but presented in non-technical language geared toward people who have little or
no work experience.