History

Community Options Becomes Employment & Community Options
After 22 years as a Division of the Foundation for Educational Achievement, Community Options becomes its own stand alone non-profit with a new name Employment & Community Options.  President Nancy Batterman describes this transition as

“a child that has grown up and is ready to move out on their own. Carrying the analogy farther, we are getting married too and have to change our name.”

Actually the name change occurred because the name Community Options was already incorporated in California. Employment & Community Options better describes the services we provide. 90% of the services we provide are employment related. 

The only significant change for the organization will be a new tax ID Number and a new Board of Directors. The staff and services will remain the same.

Benefits of the change will be an organization whose board will be dedicated to the mission and values of Employment & Community Options. 

Community Options to Employment & Community Options Timeline and Milestones

Employment & Community Options was originally founded in July of 1985 as Community Options, a program of the Foundation for Educational Achievement.  In the first year, eight adults with severe developmental disabilities who had recently graduated from the public school system were served.  Both vocational and independent living skills were taught to participants in the community.  Today Employment & Employment & Community Options serve approximately 1,200 individuals in five counties:  San Diego, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda and San Bernardino. 

1985

• July 1985 services begin at Midway Adult Education Center. The first programs were community-based programs with a vocational emphasis for individuals with the most severe developmental disabilities. Services were funded by both the San Diego Community College District and San Diego Regional Center.

1988

• El Cajon community-based program starts closely followed by the opening of the Chula Vista program.

1989

• Department of Rehabilitation funded Supported Employment program started in San Diego County.

1990

• Clairemont community-based program starts.  This expansion allows constituents to be served in the four regions; north, south, east and west.

1991

• First expansion to northern California with a Department of Rehabilitation funded Supported Employment program based out of Cogswell College.
• In June the fifth San Diego County community-based program is started in Lemon Grove.
• Employment & Community Options receives first accreditation from CARF

1992

• Employment & Community Options reaches division status within the Foundation for Educational Achievement structure.  Prior to this Employment & Community Options was a program of the Education & General Services Division. 
• San Diego County expansion included new community-based programs in Santee and Mira Mesa.
• Northern California expansion occurs with a new community-based program in Gilroy.  This brings the number of people served by Employment & Community Options to 200.

1993

• A community-based program is started in San Jose, CA. 
• Another community-based program is started in National City, CA in southern CA. 

1994

• Services provided to over 350 adults with developmental disabilities. 
• Employment & Community Options receives three year accreditation from CARF.
• In northern CA a third community-based program is started in Santa Cruz. 
• Our growth and expansion in southern California allowed us to hire a full-time job developer in September of 1994.  This has had a major positive impact in our ability to develop jobs for consumers at a higher rate.  Within 6 months we were able to increase the number of consumers employed by 30%. 

1995

• Agency wide Employment & Community Options serves 437 individuals; 299 in San Diego County and 138 in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.
• 10th Anniversary of Employment & Community Options is celebrated with the development of the vision of Employment & Community Options:  “We envision a society where having a disability is neither a stigma nor barrier to opportunity and equality.”
• Mobility Training program transfers to Employment & Community Options from the Education and general Services Division of the Foundation for Educational Achievement.
• CASAS and Employment & Community Options receive federal grant to develop, field test and evaluate a new performance-based assessment and curriculum management system for supported employment.  This project is known as POWER (Providing Options for the Workplace and Rehabilitation).
• First 100% community-based program is offered in north county, San Diego County.

1996

• Employment & Community Options celebrates an employment rate of 68% for adults with severe disabilities.
• Merger with Housing for Independent People’s Independent Living Services (ILS) with Employment & Community Options in Santa Clara County.

1997

• Employment & Community Options had sixteen different programs located in San Diego, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, serving over 600 adults with developmental disabilities.  Over 180 staff supports the Employment & Community Options division. Our employment rate for the Integrated Employment programs was 64% as of March 1997.
• Employment & Community Options receives three year accreditation from CARF.
• Expansion to east San Jose with a community-based program.
• Point of Transition program starts with Interwork Institute and Grossmont High School District.

1998

• Point of Transition program expanded to the San Jose area.
• Director of Program Services position created.
• As of June 30, 1998 Employment & Community Options was serving over 1000 adults with developmental disabilities in nineteen different programs with a staff of more than 215 people.  Over the last year, Employment & Community Options developed over 200 new jobs for consumers. 
• Partnership between Foundation College and Employment & Community Options to serve welfare recipients.

1999

• Expansion to Poway, CA with a community-based program.
• Development of Employment & Community Options values:  Quality, Innovation, Customer Service, Integrity, Vision & Professionalism.
• Expansion of Supported Employment to San Bernardino.

2000

• Code of Ethics developed.
• Employment & Community Options receives three year accreditation from CARF.
• Founding CEO Garland Peed retires.  Dr William Pickens hired as the new CEA for the Foundation for Educational Achievement.
• The original Employment & Community Options program located in central San Diego is closed because of low rates of reimbursement.
• Oakland Transition program started as the first services offered by Employment & Community Options in Alameda County.
• Employment & Community Options receives Program Development Start-up Grant from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities of over $100,000 to support the start-up of our transition services in the Oakland area. 
• 100% community-based program starts in Oakland to compliment the Transition program.

2001

• First Annual Golf Tournament on May 2, 2001 at the Doubletree Golf Resort in Carmel Mountain. 

2002

• Gilroy is the first site-based program to convert to the 100% community-based model of service delivery.  This starts the initiative to convert many of our programs to 100% community-based model.
• Clairemont program converted to the 100% community-based model of service delivery.
• Second Annual Golf Tournament held at the Auld in Chula Vista.
• Santee and East San Jose programs covert to 100% community-based model of service delivery.
• Gilroy program closed because of lack of referrals.

2003

• Southern California Leadership council established.
• Lemon Grove program coverts to 100% community-based model of service delivery.
• Employment & Community Options receives three year accreditation from CARF.
• First annual northern California Golf Tournament at Coyote Creek Golf Course. 
• Employment & Community Options San Bernardino held their first annual Puppet Festival July 11 and 12th in partnership with Cal. State San Bernardino. 
• Northern California Leadership Council established.
• Employment Services (Fee-for Service) starts in San Bernardino.
• Employment & Community Options announced that two of Foundation College’s (another Division of the Foundation for Educational Achievement) programs have transferred to the Employment & Community Options Division effective July 1, 2003.  The new programs are Department of Rehabilitation Case Services and Senior Community Service Employment Program.
• With the expansion of these services to Employment & Community Options and the addition of Employment Services in San Bernardino it was time to restructure the Director positions in southern California.
• Third Annual San Diego Golf Tournament held at Riverwalk Golf Club.
• Employment & Community Options pursues affordable housing initiative by hiring Housing Specialist Hannah Cohen.

2004

• Employment Services (Fee-for Service) starts in San Diego with an emphasis on serving individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
• Employment & Community Options and Chelsea Investment Corporation have agreed to partner to identify property to develop an affordable housing complex.
• Second Annual San Jose Golf Tournament. 
• In March 2004, the Staff in San Bernardino held the Decade Festival show casing the 70’s. 
• Employment & Community Options begins offering monthly “Connecting with Employment & Community Options” events to introduce and engage individuals in the services offered by Employment & Community Options.
• July 2004 saw the expansion of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) program to San Bernardino.  These services will now be offered in both San Diego and San Bernardino. 
• Fourth Annual San Diego Golf Tournament at Sea N’Air Golf Course at NAS North Island. 

2005

• Employment & Community Options celebrates 20 years of quality services.
• Third Annual San Jose Golf Tournament at Coyote Creek.

Michael Ferrantelli, Max Porter, Julie Mair & Andy Demello, who have attended Community Options since 1985.

2006

• Vision and mission updated to better describe expanding services provided by Employment & Community Options.
• Independent Living Services started in San Diego County.
• Employment & Community Options receives three year accreditation from CARF.
• Employment Services (Fee-for Service) started in San Jose.
• San Bernardino SCSEP program ends due to loss of funding by Senior Services of America.
• Employment & Community Options introduces The Croquet Adventure: Safari to San Diego.

2007

• Foundation for Educational Achievement Board votes to spin Employment & Community Options off into its own separate non-profit organization.
• President Nancy Batterman is elected President of the Board for the California Rehabilitation Association. 
• "Dancing in the Hands of Stars" Gala raises $23,000 for our services with a dancing with the stars theme  supported by the NFL Alumni Association and Cheek2Cheek Dance Studio.
• NFL Alumni Association sponsor Bocce Ball tournament to benefit Employment & Community Options

Independent Living Housing Complex at Viviente

• Quality
• Innovation
• Customer Satisfaction
• Integrity
• Vision
• Professionalism