At Warren Achievement Center, we’re dedicated to providing comprehensive support for disabled adults. Our tailored services encompass residential care and personalized assistance to help our achievers overcome challenges and embrace life to the fullest.
To enable persons with developmental disabilities to function to the maximum extent possible as responsible members of the community with the opportunity to choose and to realize their goals of where and how they live, learn, work and play.
My son has been served by Warren Achievement Center since attending the Warren Achievement School in his youth. When WAC opened the Children’s Group Home, I was able to place him there until he aged out and transitioned to a WAC adult home. Now, he attends Community Day Services and resides in a beautiful home with peers.
In the 30+ years he has been associated with WAC, he has received excellent educational, personal, physical and emotional care. Staff have been caring, supportive, respectful and knowledgeable about his needs, and continue to encourage him to be “the best that he can be”.
I have complete trust and faith in Warren Achievement Center to continue providing my son a nurturing home environment, as well as learning opportunities at Community Day Services.
My daughter entered the residential program at Warren Achievement Center in January, 2000, when she was 24 years old. It was a very difficult decision to make. In the years that have followed, I have come to realize what a wise decision it was. It has given her the opportunity to be more independent and enjoy friends and activities and structure.
As a parent, it has given me the freedom to pursue interests of my own, while knowing Kathy is happy, safe and loved.
I feel we are very lucky to have an organization like Warren Achievement in our community. They offer a sheltered workshop and day program that meets my daughter’s needs. She also lives in one of their residential apartments that has staff available to help her with cooking, cleaning, shopping, life skills, and activities in the community.
I’m comfortable knowing my daughter is in a safe well-staffed, and caring environment.
Warren Achievement School was founded in 1961, in Monmouth, Illinois, by a group of citizens led by Helen Bersted and Lou Ebersole, as a one-room school for children with developmental disabilities. Through the years, Warren Achievement Center has grown. In 1969, our sheltered workshop was opened on South Main Street. In 1972, Warren Achievement Center added the Adult Residential program.
Today, Warren Achievement Center has several residential homes, a sheltered workshop, and a thriving day center.
Warren Achievement Center provides many opportunities for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to learn and be active members of the community. Staff are employed and specially trained to provide positive experiences in learning, recreation, and independent living.
Acceptance into all programs is based on the evaluation of the skills of the individual and the availability of funds for necessary services. Access to services is through the Case Management program where the individual is evaluated to determine the level of disability and appropriate services.
As Warren Achievement Center has grown successfully over the years, we owe it to our dedicated staff, a caring community, donor partners, and collaborators.
We are thankful others understand the importance of what we do, and how people embrace our mission. We are honored to have been able to serve the Warren County area for over six decades.
With great pride, we serve those most deserving 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our combination of residential accommodations and day program services is unique, as organizations similar to ours operate one or the other – not both.
Our deep roots and reputation speak not only to our longevity as a trusted organization, but also to our commitment to those we serve, and their families, whose loved ones are under our care. We also support our community, as a whole, by being a top ten employer within Warren County.
The entire team here at Warren Achievement Center relies on a set of core values that have guided us from the beginning. Our job is to help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live their best life, while also being able to enjoy community integration, a spirit of independence, health, confidence and high morale.
Not only are we working to make today a rewarding day, but we are also committed to the future. Among other ways:
We have and will continue to set the pace when it comes to providing the services needed by those we serve – in every phase of life.
If you’re already connected with Warren Achievement Center, thank you again for all you do. If you haven’t been involved, please accept this invitation to partner with us as an employee, volunteer, donor, collaborator, or in other ways. I’m certain you will be happy you did.
Take care,
Rick Barnhill
President/CEO
Expressing Our Gratitude
Our goal at Warren Achievement Center is to provide the best opportunities for those we serve through our partnerships with many local organizations. The following organizations, through their generous support and collaboration help provide many of the services available through Warren Acheivement Center.
Our dedicated staff takes pride in the work we do at Warren Achievement Center to provide the best care available for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.
Tamra Bickerton, Director of Human Resources and Staff Development
A: The following agencies provide oversight to Warren Achievement Center services: Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities, Bureau of Quality Management, Council on Quality Leadership, State Fire Marshall, Bureau of Accreditation, Licensure, and Certification, and more.
A: The process would begin with contacting our Case Manager / Intake Services, where eligibility and screening requirements will be discusses. Please contact Julie White for more information.
A: Yes, we have two full-time Registered Nurses on staff, as well as a full-time Health Care Coordinator. In addition, we have specially trained staff to ensure all medications are dispensed properly.
A: All direct care staff receive 40 hours of Illinois Department of Human Services direct support professional training; 80 hours of IDHS approved on the job training activities; and behavior management training. All staff receive abuse and neglect training, as well as additional training based on specific needs.
A: All staff undergo thorough background checks with the Illinois State Police, Department of Child and Family Services, and Healthcare & Family Service. In addition, there are annual background checks to make sure those we serve are protected.
A: All facilities are ADA Compliant. All residential facilities have back-up generators and sprinkler systems. We hold monthly drills for weather and catastrophe preparation.
