Occupational Development Center

The mission statement is, "To provide high quality and cost-effective not-for-profit vocational training and employment opportunities for Lancaster County adults with developmental disabilities." ODC is a non-profit agency with over 100 program participants with developmental disabilities and 18 staff members. A major portion of our program involves contracting with local business and industry for work to be done at ODC or at the customer's facility. The benefit to ODC comes from relationship-managed contracts that provide a vehicle through which we assist program participants with vocational training and provide income. Local business and industry benefit from the cost efficient means of completed labor-intensive operations done by our program participants.

ODC was originally formed as the Child Development Center in 1948. Two families founded the center to provide education to children with developmental disabilities. At that time, there wasn't a place for children with mental retardation in the Public School system. Mainstream and specialized education has now been provided for all children, yet the Center still saw a need to help individuals with developmental disabilities. The Child Development Center became the Occupational Development Center.