Catalyst Life Skills
Our Catalyst Adult Day Program is designed to support personal growth and independence for our members with intellectual and developmental disabilities by focusing on learning life skills.
![Group of Catalyst life skills program members with staff smiling and wearing different CEL merch in green, blue, and orange, posing in the gym.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Completed-Catayst-Photo-FINAL-1-scaled.jpg)
![Smiling Catalyst life skills members with two staff members. One member wears a burgundy long sleeve shirt and holds a piece of paper, another member is in a blue jacket, and a third member has a blue shirt. One staff member is in a grey top, and the other in a white graphic tee.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wednesday-group-photo-scaled.jpg)
Program Overview
We maintain small group ratios, utilizing staff, volunteers, and interns. The program is divided into sessions lasting 5-6 weeks, with each session featuring different topics and skills. Topics include general household cleaning, personal hygiene, laundry, community resources, and daily meal prep and planning. These activities help members learn and practice meaningful and necessary life skills, building their independence and facilitating skill translation to everyday life.
Sample Areas of Focus
![Catalyst member wearing a green and black striped shirt preparing chicken with sliced green and red peppers on a stovetop.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSC00849-scaled.jpg)
![Catalyst member and staff sitting at a table, learning about budgeting with smiles. On the table, there is money and various coins. The staff member is wearing a CEL hoodie, and the member is wearing a pink long sleeve shirt with a white short sleeve shirt over it.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Homepage-Copy-01.00_00_20_30.Still001-1.jpg)
![Catalyst member Duncan C cutting cucumbers for a lunch recipe. He is wearing a red three-quarter length sleeve shirt and a cutting glove on his left hand while holding a knife. His other hand holds the cucumber as he focuses on making precise cuts.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Duncan-C-cutting-cucumber-1-scaled-min.jpg)
![Diverse group of Catalyst life skills program members smiling outside a bank during a session focused on community resources.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tues-Thurs-Group-in-front-of-bank-scaled.jpg)
![Catalyst life skills program member smiling while working out on a workout bike in the CEL gym. The member is wearing a blue and grey jacket with a green short-sleeve shirt.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Marc_on_Bike_-scaled.jpg)
![Group of Catalyst members, one woman and two men, holding clothes and laundry on a table, focused on folding tasks inside the CEL building.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Group-Tu-Thur-folding-clothes-scaled.jpeg)
Member Criteria and Expectations
Schedule Commitment
Willingness to Learn
Limited Bathroom Support
Community Safety
Participation
Documentation
Activities at Home
Open Communication
Meet the Catalyst Team
![](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Toni-Castillo-1.png)
Toni Castillo
What is your favorite thing about CEL?
What I love about CEL is the social and recreational opportunities available to members.
What is a fun fact about YOU?
I am an ordained minister who has performed weddings since 2005.
Email Toni
847.405.3019
![](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ryan-Grant-1.png)
Ryan Grant
What is your favorite thing about CEL?
The members are my favorite thing about CEL! The energy in the building is fantastic when the day programs are running. I enjoy coming in at 8 a.m. and hearing all the members arrive, excited for their day.
What is a fun fact about YOU?
My younger brother, Jeremy, and I have the same birthday despite being born three years apart. I was born on January 5, 1998, and he was born on January 5, 2001.
Email Ryan
847.948.7001
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The first thing you’ll need to do is complete a New Member Interest Form, then we will schedule an orientation to get to know you. After that, you’ll meet with the Catalyst Program Supervisor and we will go through a skills-based questionnaire and a 2-day free trial to assess if Catalyst is a good fit.
Catalyst runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The morning starts with an icebreaker or warm-up activity, followed by a skill-building activity based on the session’s topic. Members will plan, shop for, and prepare their lunch together and assist with the clean-up. In the afternoon, we shift to a more re-energizing phase, which includes fitness sessions in the gym and group games with music. Each week, there is an assignment of “homework” to members, along with a preview of what’s coming up during the next session.
Catalyst is a tuition-based model with scheduled program closures factored into the monthly rate.
There are multiple ways to schedule your Catalyst week. All options require a 6-month commitment.
Schedule 1: Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 10am – 3pm $1,605/month
Schedule 2: Tuesday, Thursday – 10am – 3pm $1,070/month
Schedule 3: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am-3pm $1,605/month
Schedule 4: Monday, Wednesday 10am-3pm $1,070/month
Financial aid is available.
If you are running late to drop off in the morning or pick up in the afternoon, please contact the Catalyst Program Supervisor. You can call, text, or email. The contact information will be shared with you when you register for the program. If you are later than 15 minutes when picking up the member, you will be charged $25 for the first 15 minutes and then an additional $25 for each 15-minute increment that you are late. This will go into effect after the 3rd time in a month that there is a late pickup past 15 minutes, for the member.
We strive to accommodate the needs of our members and will do our best to meet requests. Please let us know if you have food allergies or are on a restrictive diet. In some cases, it may be difficult to ensure special menu choices, as lunch will be made and served family style. Members are welcome to bring their own snacks or allergy-safe items. We will be serving water during lunch; you are welcome to bring your preferred beverage instead. Please note that we cannot adjust program fees for food substitutions.
The main focus of Catalyst is to work on enhancing a member’s independence in life skills-money management, housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, problem solving, community resources, etc. This will prepare members to meet their goals and live more independently at CEL, in the community, and at home.
REACH incorporates some life skill building activities but is designed to provide a variety of activities and experiences including arts, fitness, and recreational excursions. REACH members are generally out in the community about 70% of the time they are in the program. They go to museums, volunteer, dine at restaurants, etc. While Catalyst members will spend time in the community, the focus will be on introducing the members to the available resources that one might use, such as the bank, library, or grocery store.
Building independence, one skill at a time
“The importance of the program lies in that it isn’t just a day program – we support members in achieving their individual goals. They have the desire and motivation to strive for greater independence, coming in to learn and try out new things they haven’t done before.”
Ryan Grant, Lead Catalyst Instructor
![Catalyst member Sam, wearing a black and yellow long sleeve, walking on a treadmill with a staff member in the CEL gym during a health and wellness session.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sam-S-Luca-on-the-threadmills-scaled.jpg)
![Catalyst member Jenny, wearing a pink long sleeve, sitting at a table and smiling with a sandwich she prepared during meal prep.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Jenny-Week-1-scaled-e1725644048198.jpg)
![Catalyst members smiling outside a Metra train as part of their community resource session where they took the train by themselves.](https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Trains-1-scaled-min.jpg)
When someone with an intellectual or developmental disability reaches age 22, the support they receive through the school system disappears. CEL is bridging that gap by providing programs and services that start at age 13, and two adult day programs (REACH and Catalyst) for when high school has finished.