Written by Dr. Amanda Kelly
In November 2025, the Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing (HCPF) submitted an update to the Colorado General Assembly on the Strategic Plan for Assuring Timely Access to Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, as required by House Bill 14–1051. The original strategic plan, submitted on November 1, 2014, was developed in response to the bill’s mandate that HCPF ensure Coloradans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families can access the services and supports they need and want in a timely manner.
The strategic plan work introduced the Colorado Single Assessment (CSA) and Person-Centered Support Plan (PCSP) which would “form the foundation of a new, integrated process that not only assesses support needs but also identifies member strengths and personal goals — laying the groundwork for more meaningful, person-centered care.” While this goal laid important groundwork for meaningful change, full implementation of these tools has been temporarily paused due to system stabilization needs and competing priorities. Although the state has made measurable progress, including a 61% reduction in waitlists overall, the 2025 report still identifies more than 6,000 individuals waiting for adult waiver services alone. This highlights major access barriers for thousands of individuals and families who are not getting their needs met.
Day treatment programs play a critical role in addressing these access gaps, yet many providers face real challenges when trying to serve individuals with more individualized support needs.
At Firefly Autism, we have seen how gaps in onboarding, staff training, and individualized planning can lead to poor outcomes: Several learners transitioning from Firefly into adult day treatment programs were exited after a single “incident”; events that were later identified as preventable with better preparation and support. In one small group alone, every individual either lost placement within one to two months or was unable to find a program willing or able to meet their needs.
Access is central to Firefly’s mission, and these experiences prompted us to ask a critical question: how can we help day treatment programs successfully serve a broader range of adults, increase staff retention and support program sustainability?
Firefly Autism’s Consultation and Training program hopes to offer solutions. The program focuses on building internal, train-the-trainer models within day treatment settings, paired with a consultative support framework that programs can sustain independently over time. By helping providers more effectively identify individual strengths and support needs, and equipping staff with practical strategies to engage learners successfully, the model can increase staff confidence, reduce turnover, and improves participant outcomes. The program offers a practical, scalable path forward for day treatment programs that want to expand access but need support in understanding how to do so effectively and sustainably.
