We keep the process simple and human. Most families go from first call to first day in four steps, usually over a few weeks, and faster when funding is already in place.
Call us or send the referral form below. We'll answer your questions, then invite you and your family member to a one-hour First Step Visit. Dates and times vary by location, with morning, midday, and other options. Seeing a real program day is usually when people know.
We sit down together to learn about your family member: strengths, interests, ISP goals, health and safety needs, communication style, and what a good day looks like for them. We'll also gather records like the current ISP, medication list, and emergency contacts.
We work with your support coordinator to confirm NOW or COMP waiver funding and get services authorized, or we walk through private pay options. This is the step we can't rush, but we stay on it so you don't have to chase anyone.
We set a start date, build the transportation route, and create a transition plan. Many participants start with shorter days or fewer days per week and build up. A primary DSP is assigned before day one.
Tell us a little about the person you're referring, and we'll call you within one business day. Prefer to talk first? Call (770) 555-0148, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.
We're glad to send program descriptions, rate information, and current openings for your caseload. Call or email and ask for our admissions packet.
Request PacketProgram runs Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm, with van pick-up before and drop-off after. Our office is staffed 8:00am to 4:30pm. We do not currently offer evening or weekend services.
It depends on the service, and it's set by each person's plan. Community Integration support runs one-to-one or in groups of up to four. Group Community Networking groups are two to four people. Job coaching is one-on-one.
We pick up and drop off door-to-door within roughly 15 miles of our Conyers center, covering Rockdale County and nearby parts of DeKalb, Gwinnett, Newton, and Henry. If you're just outside that area, call anyway; routes change as enrollment changes.
Comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes, a water bottle, any personal care supplies they use, and a small amount of spending money on community outing days if they'd like to make purchases. We'll give you a simple packing list at intake. Please label anything that comes to program regularly.
Our staff support self-administration of medication during program hours. We'll walk through your family member's medication needs and our full procedures together during intake.
Most participants bring lunch from home; we have refrigerators and microwaves, and staff support anyone who needs help at mealtime. Our cooking club prepares a group lunch once a week, and participants who follow special diets or feeding protocols are supported per their plan.
We close for major national holidays. Families receive the full-year closure calendar at enrollment, and we send reminders the week before each closure.
Stepping Stones Care is an enrolled DBHDD provider. Most participants' services are funded through Georgia's NOW or COMP Medicaid waivers, in which case there is typically no out-of-pocket cost for covered services; our funding also includes state and federal contracts, service fees, grants, donations, and partnerships, and we offer private pay rates for families without waiver funding or on the waiting list. We're glad to walk through your specific situation. Funding conversations are step three of our admissions process, and we handle the paperwork with your support coordinator.
Often, yes. Our staff are trained in positive behavior support and crisis prevention, and we implement behavior support plans written by qualified professionals. During intake we'll talk honestly about what your family member needs and whether our setting is the right fit. If it isn't, we'll say so and help you find one that is.
Just call the office in the morning so we can adjust the van route. We'll share our illness guidelines with you at intake. The short version is that anything contagious stays home until it clears up, a rule we hold our staff to as well.