KenCrest: Innovation and Advocacy at Work for 120 Years

Posted on August 27, 2025

By Kristen Baughman and Brittany Brashaw, CQL Quality Enhancement Specialists

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been known as the “Birthplace of America” since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th, 1776.  Philadelphia is also the birthplace of KenCrest, an organization which, amid the smoke and steel of early 20th-century Philadelphia, created the first iterations of the organization to care for those with tuberculosis. 

What began as a mission to heal the sick would ultimately evolve into something even greater: a movement dedicated to empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ensuring that everyone was treated with respect, dignity, and care. 

In 2024, they made the important decision to become accredited by CQL and had their first Quality Assurances Accreditation in 2025. Learning quickly about the Basic Assurances® and how they were at work within their organization, they completed their first Basic Assurances® Self-Assessment and planned a busy week of accreditation activities. The accreditation week started with a large kick off rally, which had a surprise guest “KODI”, The CQL Mascot created by the KenCrest team. The name was chosen in a contest and is also an acronym for Kindhearted, Optimistic, Dreaming big and making an impact, Inclusive. 

During the accreditation week, the agency’s excitement and investment in the CQL process was prevalent. Through conversations with leadership, support staff, and people receiving services, it is clear the organization is committed to providing cutting edge support to enhance independence for people. Focus groups with staff showed the agency is invested in training and providing support to ensure people receive quality care. While the organization is new to CQL, it is evident they shared the same values with CQL. The organization was open to learning and growth, and is also dedicated to providing the best supports possible to enhance people’s independence.

Kelly Sesay, KenCrest Director of Quality shares that “although KODI did not communicate verbally, he silently promoted CQL through his interactions with people which definitely caused a buzz with many, many asking about CQL! This was exactly what we had hoped for.  This fun venture proved to be a wonderful way to kick off an experience (our accreditation journey) for all within and associated with KenCrest.”  The organization was extremely excited and passionate about the accreditation process and profoundly committed to the process of quality enhancement.

About KenCrest

For 120 years, KenCrest has provided high-quality, person-centered services to people across their life span in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware. The supports they provide include Early Intervention services for children from birth to age five and transitional residential services for children in two ICF medical homes, preparing them for discharge to a family ready to meet their unique medical needs.

For adults, KenCrest provides residential services—including specialties in medically complex diagnoses—along with nursing and clinical supports; community participation programs; and employment opportunities. Additional services include Lifesharing, Supported Independent Living, and behavioral supports. Through its Enabling Technology program, Kencrest runs an innovative “smart home” where people can explore and try technology designed to increase independence—experiencing it firsthand before deciding what works best for them.

KenCrest employs 1,700 staff within the three states. CQL was very impressed with the organization’s transparency and commitment to growing within their quality journey. Reviewers were also impressed with the amount of innovation that is taking place within KenCrest and the openness they have to new ideas. 

KenCrest recently achieved their Quality Assurances Accreditation. We asked Kelly Sesay, KenCrest Director of Quality, a series of questions about who they are as an organization, along with their experience with the CQL Accreditation process.

What are some notable changes in your organization over recent years?

KenCrest has made a concerted effort to move from operations that were compliance driven to those focusing on the person served.  Although we acknowledge the importance of and adherence to entity-established regulations, we have witnessed the value and success of supporting people to achieve the goals they desire most. We have experienced the benefits of encouraging the relationship between a person and their natural support system and champion those connections. We continue to track operational progress through data collection and look for alternative options should the data deem necessary. Additionally, we are continually seeking innovative opportunities to support a greater level of independence for the people served.  

Most recently this includes the development and execution of a service department that offers a plethora of enabling technology supports along with education to staff and people served, enhancing the functionality and quality of life. This department is also focusing on looking for new and innovative opportunities which will enrich the experiences of the people receiving our services.

What are your goals as an organization?

These 4 goals below will support and advance KenCrest’s mission by fostering a dynamic environment characterized by:

• Innovation: The pursuit of cutting-edge practices and technologies.
• Quality: The delivery of exceptional, person-centered services.
• Growth: The expansion of reach and impact.
• Person-Centeredness: A steadfast commitment to individual needs, preferences, and empowerment.

This will be achieved through a well-supported and competent workforce, diversified resources, modernized infrastructure, and robust data-driven systems. A collaborative strategy will ensure qualified staff for high-quality, person-centered support. Diversified revenue and proactive capital planning will create a stable foundation for program development, including the expansion of enabling technology and the creation of inclusive and accessible environments. Furthermore, a clearly defined data strategy, combined with aligned business units and amplified voices of those with lived experience, will promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, enhancing the quality of life for the people KenCrest serves.

What organizational values or practices are you most proud of?

At KenCrest, we not only support person-centered planning, but make it a priority. We believe that everyone:

• Should live in a home of their choosing, surrounded by people who love them.
• Can participate in a meaning-filled employment opportunity or meaningful activities of their choosing.
• Is deserving and capable of building genuine connections and friendships.
• Can access and thrive in inclusive, community settings with supports.

What We Do:

• Support the creation of a vision for each person’s future.
• Focus on what’s important to each person served—goals, dreams, and how to communicate those.
• Give freedom to decide and to change decisions.
• Support each person served to choose how their life looks.
• Encourage a person to try new things and acquire new skills.
• Facilitate choice in who provides support and how those supports look.
• Support each person to decide with whom they live and share their life.
• Define how a person is treated/related to.

How do you measure quality at your organization?

KenCrest measures quality through a multifaceted approach that prioritizes the person’s experience and outcomes. This involves a commitment to person-centered planning, where services are tailored to the unique desires, preferences, and goals of each person. Our organization tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement across its service lines. This will be enhanced through person-centered outcomes and additional measures. KenCrest actively seeks to sustain a culture of excellence and innovation, which includes pursuing accreditation and inspiring all services to enhance the quality of our work.

Why did you decide to pursue CQL Accreditation?

Believing that KenCrest is a healthy, exceptional provider of service, we truthfully had no concrete way to compare ourselves and our programs to others in our field.  Now, being able to share with individuals seeking our support, their families, our funders, and the community at large that we are accredited by the internationally recognized, well respected CQL, puts a stamp on our ability to confidently promote that KenCrest provides a high level of quality, person-centered supports.  This has given us a boost in our daily efforts to continuously improve the quality of our programs for those we serve.

How did you prepare for your CQL Accreditation?

KenCrest developed a “Steering Team” whose role was to educate ourselves about CQL and then evaluate our current practices, policies, and processes against the standards of the Basic Assurances® necessary to attain accreditation by CQL. Collaborative teams, whose members were representatives of our programs across the agency, were selected and assigned to each of the Basic Assurances®.

Their task was to determine where KenCrest’s current strengths matched or surpassed the Basic Assurances®, and conversely, where improvements were needed for full alignment. Teams then shared their findings, and the Steering Team developed a Plan of Improvement for each Basic Assurances® factor. This effort went a long way in preparing us for the self-assessment required by CQL.

What is one specific aspect or area of your organization that has improved as a result of your accreditation? How has it improved?

Consistency…allow me to explain. KenCrest has programs in 3 different States: Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, with the largest operation in Pennsylvania. Although we all follow the same Operational Standards, we discovered that many of our procedures/processes relating to those Standards varied from state to state. Understanding that some of the differences are due to mandated state regulations, there were still a significant number that were just preference.

The self-assessment helped us to clearly identify the variances and determine if they were aligned with our Operational Standards. In many cases, we were able to identify “best practices” for KenCrest resulting in positive changes promoting consistency across the entire agency. This provides confidence that CQL’s Basic Assurances® are being implemented and evaluated consistently across all KenCrest programs.

How have the Personal Outcome Measures® affected person-centeredness at your organization?

Prior to accreditation, KenCrest had not been familiar with using the Personal Outcome Measures® (POM). During the accreditation visit, we were able to experience and understand the value that this process brings not only to the person served, but also the entire support team for that person. Since our initial CQL visit in March of 2025, we have had 2 staff attend the Virtual POM Workshop and have more scheduled for future classes. 

Additionally, we have committed to using the POM in our practices and developed a plan for implementation, starting with educating staff and natural supports and then moving on to developing a timeline for implementation of POM interviews which will correlate with our person-served annual reviews. Ultimately, all people served will have a POM experience helping them in sharing the goals for their life.

How do you envision the future of your partnership with CQL?

Looking ahead, KenCrest expects that our partnership with CQL will be long-lasting.  With our commitment to continuous quality improvement, we look for opportunities to push us, move us, challenge us to provide the best support to those we serve.

CQL has accreditation options that will help us do just that. Our expectation is that we will continue working with and learning from CQL, ultimately acquiring Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation, with Distinction.

Have questions about CQL Accreditation?

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Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.