Springbrook-SUNY partnership yields first class

STAFF REPORT

A partnership between Springbrook and SUNY Oneonta has produced its first results.

According to a SUNY Oneonta news release, a new on-site workforce direct support professional — or DSP — training program taught by SUNY Oneonta professors has its first cohort of graduates: eight Springbrook employees.

Springbrook provides supports and services to people with developmental disabilities.

The workforce training was made possible by a $32 million investment from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in March to expand the DSP microcredential program offered by the State University of New York in partnership with the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. SUNY Oneonta was one of six SUNY campuses chosen to expand the program and granted $706,455 to provide local workforce training and “fill a growing need for specially trained support professionals across Otsego County and our region,” the release stated.

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Brenda Seery, assistant professor at SUNY Oneonta, leads the DSP microcredential class at Springbrook in this undated photo.

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The DSP program made it possible for Springbrook employees to earn SUNY microcredentials, national certification from the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and college credit toward a certificate or bachelor’s degree. Grant funding secured by SUNY Oneonta covered tuition, books, course materials, NADSP credentialing for students and educational supports. Additionally, the program provided a $750 incentive to eligible students who successfully completed each microcredential and earned a certification, according to the release.

Mandy Van Wormer, a staff development and training coordinator at Springbrook, recently participated in the DSP microcredential program. Having worked at Springbrook since 2012, “she saw this new opportunity as a chance to further improve her skills and build camaraderie between the people throughout Community Homes, The School and all the Springbrook departments,” the release stated. Van Wormer described the instructors as “phenomenal” and said the program brings people together in a safe environment for learning and communication. “She looks forward to using her new skills and knowledge to improve her work with the people supported by Springbrook,” the release stated.

“I am proud of our strong partnership with Springbrook and congratulate the first DSP program cohort,” said Mark Davies, dean of the School of Education, Human Ecology, and Sport Studies at SUNY Oneonta. “This is just the beginning. Over the next five years, we are committed to partnering with local organizations serving people with developmental disabilities — Springbrook, Pathfinder Village and The Arc Otsego — to tailor this nationally recognized DSP coursework for their employees.”