Imua Family Services

Imua discovery garden: imua discovery garden is not a program by itself but will be an expansion of all of the imua services and programs. The critical difference is that the six acre garden space centrally located in maui's historic district will allow therapists, educators and service providers to provide clinical and educational services in an outdoor nature based environment. This kind of philosophy and treatment is a growing model across the nation and the world as more and more children are staying indoors and are more connected to technology and devices than the outdoors and nature around them which is contributing to more increase in behavior issues in children. Imua discovery garden is currently in the beginning stages of development and planning. With the launch of the capital campaign in july of 2020, the focus has been on sharing the potential and vision for the space with prospective donors, businesses and supporters in order to raise the necessary capital to fully create the vision for the discovery garden. For the most part of fy 2023 the development phase of imua discovery garden was working with architects, landscape architects and the maui of county permits department so that we would be ready for the construction work by the end of fy 2024. In spite of the early stages of development imua family services was able to launch many exciting opportunities for children and families at the imua discovery garden including: a new annual keiki halloween festival in october, our current annual keiki holiday festival each year in december, a new annual butterfly festival in summer. Additionally, we held children's summer day camp program and allowed the neighboring preschool programs to visit the space for field trip activities throughout the year. Through these start up events over 3500 families and children have visited the imua discovery garden.

Imua inclusion preschool - the preschool at kahului serves 20 children and their families in a licensed preschool facility. 25% of children enrolled have a diagnosed special need or developmental delay as determined by a standardized assessment. The preschool provides a relationship, play and place-based experience for children three to five years of age. Approximately 20 children were served in fy 2024. The preschool is funded primarily through tuition from families, government/foundation grants, and fundraising revenue. In january 2024 imua family services started a demonstration site outdoor nature-based preschool to service children and families that were affected by the maui wildfires. The outdoor preschool provided nature-based education for children three to five years old. Approximately 14 children were served in fy 24. The preschool is funded primarily through hawaii community foundation's maui strong fund.

Early childhood development program - provides services to children age three to six who are at risk of or have developmental delays that fall outside the scope of department of education special education services. The needs of each child will be met through imua family services' provision of professional therapeutic services for the child and support for those involved in the child's life in order to help them thrive in the home and community environments, and be better prepared for kindergarten and beyond. Approximately 71 children were served in fy 2024. Camp imua - nestled in the heart of maui, is a beacon of joy and inclusivity, providing a unique and transformative experience for children of maui county ages 7-15 years with special needs, developmental delays, and disabilities. Celebrating over four decades of community support and volunteerism, this week-long overnight summer camp is a cornerstone of imua family services' mission to foster personal growth, social interaction, and pure fun. On june 8-13, 2024 we had 24 special needs children and 54 high school and college aged counselors come together in a setting that is as picturesque as it is purposeful, offering a blend of recreational activities and personal development opportunities tailored to the needs of its young participants. One of the most remarkable aspects of camp imua is its commitment to inclusivity. Many of the children who attend the camp face challenges that prevent them from participating in typical recreational activities. Camp imua breaks down these barriers by providing a supportive environment where every child can engage in activities designed to boost their confidence and social skills. Camp activities include but are not limited to horseback riding, swimming, surfing, kayaking, hiking, arts & crafts, music, dance, talent shows, movie nights, and our ever-popular helicopter tours. Every day at camp is filled with carefully curated experiences that ensure every child can participate fully and joyfully. This inclusive approach not only helps the children develop new skills but also fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie that extends beyond the camp itself. The high school-aged counselors play a crucial role in the camp's success. These young volunteers, many of whom return year after year, form meaningful bonds with the campers, acting as mentors, friends, and role models. The counselors receive specialized training to support the unique needs of the campers, ensuring that every child receives the attention and care they deserve. This dynamic creates a nurturing environment where both campers and counselors grow and learn from each other. The relationships forged at camp imua often continue long after the camp ends, creating a lasting impact on all involved. This year over 15 local businesses donated in-kind services and supplies to make our camp experience happen. From food donations to art supplies and much more we humbly thank blue hawaiian helicopters, da bounce party rentals, dakine herb farm, flatbread company, hawaiian paddle sports, hyatt regency maui resort, jillian's piiholo stables, lappert's hawaii, mana foods, marriott ocean club, maui cattle company, pukalani superette, roy's kaanapali, takamiya market, and the westin kaanapail ocean resort villas for their generous contributions. Additionally, five other non-profit agencies assisted in supporting camp imua this year. From donations of supplies, food, and other services we must show our gratitude to maui food bank, maui's caring women in action, na moku aupuni o ko'olau hui, pa'ia youth & cultural center, and maui economic opportunity. Beyond the immediate joy and excitement of the camp, camp imua has a profound and lasting impact on the lives of its participants and their families. For many children, this camp is the highlight of their year, a rare opportunity to step outside their daily routines and experience the freedom and adventure of summer camp. For their families, camp imua provides a much-needed respite and the comfort of knowing their children are in a safe, caring, and enriching environment. The benefits of the camp extend to the broader community as well, as it raises awareness about the capabilities and potential of children with special needs. Imua autism services: with the increase in prevalence of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders reaching 1 in 36 (autism speaks/cdc, 2023), imua family services has created a program targeted to treat individuals in the early childhood age group who are diagnosed with the disorder. Treatment for these individuals is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (aba). Aba is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior. Aba is widely recognized as a safe and effective treatment for autism, focusing on making data-based decisions to guide an individual child's learning program. Treatment targets the reduction of challenging behaviors including aggression, self-injury and non-compliance. It is also important to target the acquisition and increase of socially significant behaviors to include functional communication, social skills, motor, and cognitive skills, guided by typical developmental milestones in the development of goals and objectives. Treatment is designed to meet the individual needs of each child and their family. Location, time, and duration of services are individualized based on clinical need and availability. Treatment takes place in the home, community, or in the imua aba center, and can be delivered using a tiered service delivery model. Service delivery is comprised of program development and supervision provided by a board certified behavior analyst who is licensed to practice in the state of hawaii, as well as a registered behavior technician who carries out 1:1 services. Parent training sessions are also a part of treatment to promote generalization and maintenance of skills, as well as empowering parents as active participants in their child's treatment. Services are available to families who hold med-quest insurance as well as commercial plans such as kaiser, ohana health care, aloha care, hmsa, etc. Ias has served 31 children and their families in the first and second quarters of fy2024, with 10 becoming full-time clients. We have provided over 1655 hours of treatment of treatment and over 100 hours in assessment, which also includes the provision of parent/family training opportunities. We have provided services in our aba clinic, in the community, as well as in-home. We had our first ias "graduates" leave the nest this year, celebrating all they accomplished as we worked in concert with the hidoe to get them into their new and appropriate programs as their school careers begin. Accomplishments during this fiscal year include: hosting ceu events for bcbas with co-presentations from the team clinical meetings continue once per month where we discuss clients and situations where increased supports may be necessary. Have fielded many calls and in-person consultations from parents sharing their difficulties with getting appropriate help within the doe. We have attended several ieps to support our families, and families that only request help with this one issue. With the addition of hiring another bcba, we have been able to serve families with a 50% increase in the number of clients. We continue to build our program slowly and soundly. Ias has worked in concert with imua inclusion preschool to cover needs for students with autism via both programs. This is a beautiful partnership that likely does not exist on our island in any other location our bcbas have worked diligently with the hidoe to ensure appropriate placement for 6 students (some who attended our program, some we'd never met). This partnership is critical to the continued success of our ias children, and beyond. Imua autism services was discontinued in march 2024 after the retirement of our program supervisor - a new supervisor has not been hired as of this time. Maui wildfire relief efforts on august 8, 2023 maui suffered a tragic wildfire event that left entire communities homeless, many people on maui died or were seriously injured in the fire events on maui. As a community based nonprofit organization of course imua family services made every effort to meet the needs of our community during this time of crisis. Many children and their families were impacted by these traumatic events - these are some of the ways in which imua responded outside or our typical scope of services which also grew in numbers as a result. Care coordination - the care coordinators immediately reached out to all families enrolled in imua's services located in the maui fire locations including west maui and kula areas. The calls were m