Curriculum
The classes and courses we offer.
Curriculum Overview
The College of Direct Support (CDS) curriculum provides carefully designed training in the areas that have been identified as most important in the work done by Direct Support Professionals across disabilities. This also holds true for the College of Frontline Management and Supervision (CFSM), which is part of the CDS.
All of the high-quality instructional training is available on the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week – accessible anytime, anywhere. Learners participate in the training at the times and places that are best suited for them.
The curricula for the CDS and the CFSM have undergone rigorous review by nationally recognized content and training experts. The content is based on a careful analysis of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of direct support staff in their daily work in community-based settings. The CDS helps DSPs understand and apply these important competencies and ethical practices through timely, innovative, engaging and interesting training.
In this section you will find descriptions of the courses of the CDS and the CFSM and the various human resource and survey tools available and embedded within the training.
The CDS is a 21st Century Learning Management System filled with rich, interactive and important content with a mission of “Building Careers, Supporting Lives.”.
"The College of Direct Support was created by some of the leading experts in the field and is built on established and validated skill sets. This curriculum comes as a result of requests made by Direct Support Professionals, provider agencies, and counties for training that is practical, user-friendly and flexible… By providing this training opportunity, the Office of Mental Retardation hopes to demonstrate its commitment to addressing the recruitment and retention issues faced by the Commonwealth."
Excerpt from The Family Forum
April 2004
(a publication of Mental Retardation Services, City of Philadelphia)
