This month’s Guest Blogger is Mary Cariola Board Chair Gary Schwingel
I remember that day in March of 2020 when the Board was notified our residences would no longer accept visitors and our school was officially in lock down as COVID was on our doorstep. We all knew that the pandemic was bad, but when it hit the Cariola Community, it was still a shock. Immediately we thought, with the population Mary Cariola Center serves, how could we possibly care for and teach our students and residents? How could we keep our children and youth safe and protect them from COVID? After the initial concern, the reality set in that things would somehow work out because of the Cariola staff, ingenuity and innovation, and that’s what we should focus on today.
Simply put, the accomplishments that have been made during COVID has truly been amazing. Even through remote learning, visitation restrictions, testing, vaccines, boosters and more, the Cariola team has been nothing short of miraculous. For this and so much more, I want to personally thank each and every member of our staff. At no other time in our rich history has the mission that Mary Cariola set forth been more true and followed by our dedicated staff.
In spite of COVID, a recent internal review by our Superintendent, found Individual Education Plans (IEP) were compliant with regulation, written within timelines, clearly highlighted student strengths and needs, and were respectful of the individuals we serve. Despite needing to teach both in person and remotely, our teachers continued to meet by grade bands to develop and plan delivery of meaningful curriculum. We implanted an electronic attendance tracking plan while also moving to an electronic system for student arrival and dismissal. We remained fully staffed in OT, PT, Music, Vision, and Speech so our students could continue to receive essential therapies. Through creativity and innovation, clinicians were able to plan and provide meaningful therapy to students via Zoom. Many took online courses to increase their skills and then willingly shared with others. Lastly, we helped more families than ever secure basic necessities such as food and funding for electric bills.
If you can think about the challenges that you’ve had personally with your own family, consider how our residential teams have managed those unique circumstances for 44 individuals that we are responsible for 24/7! Our residential teams have far exceeded expectations - and have quietly and persistently provided high quality care with individual plans for each resident to stay in touch with and visit with their families as COVID mandates changed over time.
We have had positive cases in every home, and what you might not know, is there were 8 new admissions during the past two years! While a number of our residents attend school, the other 20 attend adult day programs, most of which have been closed due to staffing. Our Board appreciates and acknowledges the community service staff who have persevered to keep all the individuals we serve engaged and healthy during this incredibly trying time.
I wish the best for our students and residents always, and as we persevere though COVID, it is important to shine a light on the remarkable staff at Cariola—thank you.
