Cleo Ingram has been a part of Independence Center since 1989 when she was hired to be the ‘House Parent’. She resides on site and is on call during the evening seven days a week.

Her other responsibilities included one-to-one counseling, helping with menu planning, cooking, cleaning and exercise activities.

The program has endured due to strong leadership and very devoted staff and cooperative families and residents.

Cleo has also worked for thirty-eight years as a special education teacher at University High School in West Los Angeles. She retired in 2018.

At Uni High she piloted the Community-Based Instruction Program in 1987.
The premise behind this method of teaching is to allow students to learn independent living skills and survival skills in the actual community where information learned in the community is then reinforced in the classroom.

Overlapping Uni High Program skills to the IC that were taught: Communication, safety, social skills, grooming, consumer, budgeting, listening, character development, being responsible, environmental issues, earthquake preparedness.

She has lived in Los Angeles most of her life and has a Catholic school education. She attended Saith Mary’s Academy High School and graduated from Loyola Marymount University where she received her BA, Teaching Credentials and Master’s degree in Educational Psychology.