We are happy to introduce a new program at Summit that is geared specifically towards our participants 18 through 25 years of age whom are working on independent living skills: The Center at Summit.
The Summit Center program is a full time, 8 week residential program located at our campus in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Summit also offers a “Mini Center” experience at the end of the camp season, for 10 days in late August.
Participants in this program are working on skills important to the transition to early adulthood.
2024 Dates & Rates
the CENTER: June 23rd through August 17th, 2024 – $19,950
Mini Center: August 18th through August 28th, 2024 – $5,750
The Summit Center Overview
As young adults begin the transition out of high school and away from home, many families are often faced with decisions and questions about the next steps. The development of independent living skills cannot take place in a vacuum, young adults need to actively practice these skills in a structured/supervised environment to hone their abilities.
The Summit Center incorporates everyday living tasks into a daily curriculum. This curriculum focuses on 4 critical areas of independent development: Life Skills, Organizational/Executive Functioning Skills, Social Communication Skills, and Pre-Vocational Skills.
Our facilities have been developed to simulate an apartment living environment. Each house has a fully functioning kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and living room for participants to use as they live and learn together. Our maximum 3:1 participant/staff ratio provides support while also allowing learning to occur with the least restrictive structure. Participants learn to live sharing a private living space with a single roommate, negotiate sharing common spaces, and problem-solve as house group.
This program mixes the traditional “fun” camp environment with a focused program designed to foster independence and growth. Mornings are structured with targeted lessons and field trips into the community where participants will practice their acquired skills. Afternoons are spent engaging a wide array of social and recreational programming.
A partial list of topics incorporated into our curriculum include:
Life skills:
– Preparation of all meals
– Laundry
– Emergency First Aid
– Basic Home Maintenance
– Shopping
– Personal Care/Hygiene
– Making a plan for free time
Organizational/Executive Functioning Skills:
– Organization of personal space
– Meal planning/shopping
– Time Management
– Bill Paying
– Record Keeping
Pre-Vocational Skills:
– Correspondence & Form Filling
– Phone skills
– Basic Money skills
– Basic Internet Skills
– Transportation/Time Management
Social Skills:
– Social Planning
– Navigating conflict
– Social Safety
– Problem Solving/Self Advocacy
– Initiating/Maintaining Conversations
The Summit Center Participant: Ready for Transition
When families consider the transition to the Summit Center, it is important to know that the program has a different set of goals than those of our traditional camp program. While the Summit Center does retain a social/recreational component, the focus of the program is primarily that of developing independence and life skills. It is important for participants to commit to these goals and view their time at the center as a time for growth, community, and fun.
The curriculum is modified for the needs of participants, multiple instructional tracks are established, and we have the ability to accommodate varying academic levels in the program. We believe that if students have achieved the basic prerequisite skills below, the quality of their experience with the Summit Center is greatly enhanced.
Basic Prerequisite Skills of a Summit Center Participant:
1. Activities of Daily Living:
● 100% independence with showering/toileting and care of personal hygiene, other than perhaps shaving.
● Awareness of personal and environmental safety issues and the ability to communicate safety concerns.
2. Demeanor
● Strong desire to become independent.
● Ready to participate: not likely to engage in refusal, argumentative verbal or other oppositional behavior towards staff or peers.
3. Social Capability/ Independence
● Must be able to function successfully within an environment where there will be a maximum 3:1 staff/participant ratio.
● Must demonstrate a willingness to share community space and live with a roommate.
● Must demonstrate a level of both receptive and expressive language that enables the participant to interact and contribute to social and academic experiences.
Please call our office to discuss if your child is appropriate for the Summit Center!