Programs

  • Program 1 [2020]

    AT FAMILY INITIATIVE WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY CHILD BENEFITS FROM THE OPPORTUNITY OF CREATING NEW FRIENDSHIPS AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS. OUR AUTISM PLAYGROUP PROVIDES A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUTH AGES 5 TO 16, DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD), TO MEET WITH OUR OTHER CHILDREN TO DEVELOP SOCIALIZATION SKILLS AND TO BUILD FRIENDSHIPS EACH WEEK. THIS YEAR OUR EXPERIENCED APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA) CLINICIANS PROVIDED HIGH LEVEL OF SUPPORT TO OVER 300 UNIQUE CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS BY FOSTERING POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTION IN A FUN AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND OUR ASD SUPPORT PROGRAMS WITH OUR ARTPLAY CLASSES OFFERED NEXT SPRING. THESE CLASSES ARE DESIGNED TO ENGAGE CHILDREN WITH ASD IN THE ARTS WITH INSTRUCTION PROVIDED BY AN EXPERIENCED ARTIST AND ART THERAPIST. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD TO DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS AND GAIN CONFIDENCE, FAMILY INITIATIVE ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS CARING FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD. IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE SETTING FOR PARENTS TO MEET, NETWORK, AND TALK ABOUT HOW BEST MEET BOTH THEIR NEEDS AND THEIR CHILDREN'S WE FACILITATE A MONTHLY ASD PARENT SUPPORT GROUP. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE PARTICIPATING FAMILIES TO IDENTIFY AREAS AND TOPICS WHICH THE SELF-SELECT AS CHALLENGES OR BARRIERS IN THEIR LIVES. WE PURSUE LOCAL AND STATEWIDE SPEAKERS TO PRESENT AND EDUCATE ON THESE TOPICS EACH MONTH TO PROVIDE THE FAMILIES WITH INFORMATION WHICH THEY FIND EXTREMELY VALUABLE. OUR MOST RECENT INITIATIVES INCLUDE THE LAUNCHING OUR ASD BAND TOGETHER PROGRAM WHICH INVOLVES A PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS TO HELP PROTECT AND SUPPORT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH AN ASD DIAGNOSIS.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $593.7K

  • Family Initiative Autism Programs

    FAMILY INITIATIVE HAS CONTINUED TO GROW AND EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY IN 2022. OUR FOUR LARGEST PROGRAMS ARE OUR AUTISM COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS, APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS PROGRAM, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM, AND OUR CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS IN MIAMI-DADE, SARASOTA, AND THE ADDITION OF PASCO AND PINELLAS COUNTIES. OUR AUTISM COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS INCLUDE OUR AUTISM SOCIAL SKILLS PLAYGROUP, AUTISM TEEN HANGOUT GROUP, AUTISM ARTPLAY, AND AUTISM PARENT SUPPORT GROUP. OUR PARENT SUPPORT GROUP IS A SPACE FOR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS TO SUPPORT AND CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER, LEARN ABOUT AVAILABLE RESOURCES, DISCUSS TOPICS OF INTEREST, AND RECEIVE UPDATES. IN 2022, OUR AUTISM TEEN HANGOUT GROUP AVERAGED 20 PARTICIPANTS PER SESSION, THERE WAS AN AVERAGE OF 28 PARTICIPANTS IN OUR AUTISM PLAYGROUP, AND 8 PARTICIPANTS PER SESSION IN AUTISM ARTPLAY. WE SERVED A TOTAL OF 83 UNDUPLICATED PARTICIPANTS OVERALL IN THESE PROGRAMS IN 2022. FAMILY INITIATIVE ALSO HAS A POSITION, AN AUTISM NAVIGATOR, DEDICATED TO CONNECTING FAMILIES WITH RESOURCES AND SUPPORT. THIS CRITICAL POSITION MAINTAINS ONGOING CONTACT WITH BOTH THE FAMILIES AND AGENCIES THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. IN THE HEIGHT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF HURRICANE IAN, FAMILY INITIATIVE TRANSFORMED OUR AUTISM SUPPORT CENTER INTO A COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER WHERE OVER 1800 FAMILIES WERE ABLE TO COLLECT FOOD, WATER, CLOTHING, AND GENERAL SUPPLIES TO HELP NAVIGATE THE DIFFICULTIES WE WERE ALL FACING. HAVING THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN NW CAPE CORAL SAVED VITAL GAS FOR SO MANY FAMILIES WHO COULD NOT AFFORD TO DRIVE TO FORT MYERS FOR RESOURCES. WE HAD OVER 100 VOLUNTEERS SERVE ALONGSIDE US, FROM ALL OVER THE STATE OF FLORIDA. ADDITIONALLY, FAMILY INITIATIVE HOSTED SPEAKERS FROM ACROSS THE NATION IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN, WHICH DREW OVER 500 PARTICIPANTS FROM ACROSS THE REGION. OUR APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS PROGRAM TEACHES SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS BY USING PRINCIPLES OF REINFORCEMENT. CLIENTS SERVED HAVE DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ATTENTION, FOCUS, AND SOCIAL SKILLS, ALL WHILE INCREASING LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND DECREASING MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS. OUR APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS PROGRAM HAS INCREASED BY A TOTAL OF 19 NEW CLIENTS (16 FOR LEE COUNTY AND 3 FOR SARASOTA COUNTY). OUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO HELP IMPROVE COGNITIVE, PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND MOTOR SKILLS, WHICH LEAD TO MORE INDEPENDENCE AND CONFIDENCE IN OUR CLIENTS. MORE CHILDREN WERE ONBOARDED COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS. A TOTAL OF 22 UNIQUE CHILDREN WERE ADDED TO THE PROGRAM. OUR CHILD WELFARE FAMILY IMPACT PROGRAM (FIP) IS BASED IN 3 UNIQUE COMPONENTS TO ASSIST OUR CAREGIVERS ACROSS FLORIDA IN BUILDING A STRONGER TRAUMA INFORMED APPROACH FOR OUR CHILDREN WITH A HISTORY OF COMPLEX DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA. THE FIRST COMPONENT IS PRE-SERVICE TRAINING, WHERE PROSPECTIVE FOSTER PARENTS WILL LEARN ABOUT BEHAVIOR-BASED PARENTING, DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TOOLS, AND ARE INTRODUCED TO TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION (TBRI). THIS INTRODUCTION TO TBRI LEADS INTO THE SECOND COMPONENT OF OUR PROGRAM. CURRENTLY LICENSED FOSTER PARENTS WILL RECEIVE A 3-WEEK, 9-HOUR ADVANCED BEHAVIOR TRAINING. EACH WEEK A PRINCIPLE OF TBRI WILL BE EXPLORED AND TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE CONCEPTS IN THEIR HOME WILL BE PROVIDED. THE THIRD COMPONENT OF OUR PROGRAM IS INTENSIVE IN-HOME SUPPORT. OUR CLINICAL STAFF TRAVELS TO THE FOSTER FAMILIES AND COACH AND MODEL THE PRINCIPLES OF TBRI AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT IN REAL TIME TO ASSIST THE CAREGIVERS GAIN PROFICIENCY INDEPENDENTLY UTILIZING TBRI. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO INCREASE STRONGER, MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENTS AND A PLACE FOR OUR YOUTH IN OUT OF HOME CARE TO GROW AND THRIVE. IN 2022, WE SERVED CHILD WELFARE CLIENTS IN DESOTO, SARASOTA, MANATEE, MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES, AND ADDED A NEW CONTRACT WITH PASCO AND PINELLAS COUNTIES. IN ORDER FOR A FAMILY TO BE CONNECTED TO OUR FAMILY IMPACT PROGRAM, A REFERRAL IS PROVIDED BY THE CASE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION OR THE COMMUNITY BASED CARE PROVIDER WITHIN THAT SERVICE AREA. THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVED WERE ALL ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THE CIRCUITS DEPENDENCY SYSTEM (CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM). IN 2022 WE SUCCESSFULLY SERVED 213 FAMILIES (AN INCREASE OF 87 FAMILIES FROM LAST YEAR), 288 CHILDREN (AN INCREASE OF 146 CHILDREN FROM LAST YEAR), AND THE DISRUPTION RATE FOR 2022 WAS 6% (ONE PERCENT LOWER FROM LAST YEAR).
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2022
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $2M

  • Program 1 [2023]

    FAMILY INITIATIVE HAS CONTINUED TO GROW AND EXPAND IN 2023. OUR FOUR LARGEST PROGRAMS REMAIN OUR CLINICAL SERVICES (APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA) AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT)), CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS THAT ALSO INCLUDE PASCO AND PINELLAS COUNTIES NOW, AND AUTISM BASED COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, WHICH HAVE EXPANDED IN 2023. OUR AUTISM COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS INCLUDE: AUTISM SOCIAL SKILLS PLAYGROUP, TEEN HANGOUT GROUP, YOUNG ADULT GROUP, FREE AUTISM SCREENINGS, BABY AND ME, PARENT SUPPORT GROUP, FI CREATES, AND SIBLING GROUP. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A SARASOTA SOCIAL SKILLS PLAYGROUP AND FI CREATES PROGRAM IN 2023. ALL PROGRAMS HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IN 2023 AND WE HAVE SERVED OVER 1,000 FAMILIES ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN SERVED IN ABA AND OT, INCLUDING THOSE IN SARASOTA COUNTY. OUR APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS PROGRAM TEACHES SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS BY USING PRINCIPLES OF REINFORCEMENT. ALMOST 100% OF CHILDREN SERVED WHO A REDUCTION IN PROBLEM BEHAVIOR AND AN INCREASE IN APPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS. IN 2023, FAMILY INITIATIVE LAUNCHED A PILOT OF AN AUTISM PRIVATE SPECIALTY SCHOOL AND PROVIDED EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING TO 12 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. OUR CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS ALSO GREW IN 2023. IN ADDITION TO SARASOTA AND MIAMI, WE ADDED ANOTHER SITE IN PASCO AND PINELLAS COUNTIES. WE ALSO EXPANDED THE FAMILIES SERVED TO INCLUDE RELATIVE, ADOPTIVE FAMILIES AND FAMILIES REUNIFYING WITH THEIR BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN. THE CHILD WELFARE FAMILY IMPACT PROGRAM IS BASED ON THREE UNIQUE COMPONENTS TO ASSIST OUR CAREGIVERS ACROSS FLORIDA IN BUILDING A STRONGER TRAUMA INFORMED APPROACH FOR OUR CHILDREN WITH A HISTORY OF COMPLEX DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA. THE FIRST COMPONENT IS PRESERVICE TRAINING WHERE PROSPECTIVE FOSTER PARENTS WILL LEARN ABOUT BEHAVIOR-BASED, DEVELOPMENTALLY SENSITIVE, AND TRAUMA FOCUSED PARENTING. USING TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION (TBRI) AS A FOUNDATION OF THIS TRAINING LEADS INTO THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING ONCE FAMILIES ARE LICENSED AS FOSTER FAMILIES. THE THIRD COMPONENT OF THE PROGRAM INCLUDES IN HOME SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES TO ASSIST CAREGIVERS IN REAL TIME TO GAIN PROFICIENCY IN INDEPENDENTLY USING TBRI. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO INCREASE STRONGER, MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENTS AND A PLACE FOR OUR YOUTH IN OUT OF HOME CARE TO GROW AND THRIVE. OUR CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS SERVED OVER 500 FAMILIES IN 2023.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $3.5M