Day Habilitation Certification

Before applying to provide Day Habilitation services, you must first get Provisional Day Habilitation Certification.

What you need to know:

Each service location must be certified separately.
Your certification is non-transferable (you cannot transfer your certification to another organization or location).
Your certification is good for one year.
Before your certification expires, DDD will do a full audit of your program.

Activities planned as part of a provider's Day Habilitation services should:

Be Age-Appropriate DDD serves adults age 21 and older who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Activities should be designed for adults and match their interests—not activities meant for children.
Offer Variety and Choice Adults learn best when they have different ways to build and practice skills and use them in new settings. Offering a variety of activities helps people stay engaged, reduces boredom, and gives each person a chance to discover their strengths, abilities, preferences, and support needs. This can lead to new activity ideas or even help someone find a possible career path if they are not currently working.
Emphasize Community Experiences Both the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and state agencies are shifting away from programs based only in facilities. The focus is now on real experiences in the community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. DDD expects Day Habilitation providers to regularly give people chances to be part of their communities and to support them in doing so.
Focus on Small Groups and Individual Interactions Large group outings don't give people a personal experience or help them build relationships. It's important to plan activities in small groups or one-on-one throughout the day or week. This helps people develop skills and become more involved in their communities.

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