Easterseals Northern California

Behavioral Health: In 2023, we continued to grow our Parent-Led Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) offerings for families using the options of telehealth, a hybrid model, and traditional in-person services. Based in our desire to increase availability of a modality that decreases parental stress and increases efficacy, we set out to grow our Parent-Led Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) service line, which saw a growth of 40% in participating families, empowering them to provide ABA techniques anywhere and at any time. Our Group ABA and Social Skills Groups continued to provide our clients under 18 with opportunities to expand their social and cognitive skills with peers, relying on the practice of self-designated goals and shared interests. By increasing our offerings to include Chat for children under age 6 and Compass-Behavioral for youth-aged clients, we were able to support 80 individuals and families in their unique goals in these two newly launched services. Our comprehensive Caregiver Coaching model similarly gives parents and caregivers the one-to-one education from a high-level practitioner to focus on specific ABA strategies to feel more comfortable working with their children at home to reach target skills. Our new Connect program allows parents and caregivers of loved ones with PIMD to learn how to teach their loved one new skills while connecting to their needs and wants -- under the tutelage of a clinician. Our Respite Services deliver in-person care for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) so parents and caregivers can take much-needed breaks to prevent burnout, while our Respite Associates provide hours of socialization and connection to our participants each week.

Kaleidoscope Community Adult Program: In 2023, our Kaleidoscope Community Adult Program (KCAP), which supports individuals ages 18 and up with intellectual and developmental disabilities, continued providing its community-based programming in Dublin and Walnut Creek, focusing on community integration, socialization, skills development, and connection-building amongst the participants with a fun, educational and creative curriculum. During this time, Kaleidoscope grew to 47 participants - the largest number of participants in the program's history - while 3 participants transitioned out of the program. In 2023, Kaleidoscope provided more than 50,000 hours of service, and hosted weekly visits across the San Francisco Bay Area to engage in various activities like dining at restaurants and golfing, visiting museums, hiking in local state parks, volunteering with other nonprofit organizations, taking unique classes like survival skills and American Sign Language, and following through on wellbeing initiatives including yoga, walking and daily journaling. Critical programs like Kaleidoscope offer participants opportunities for socialization and community integration, pre-employment training, leisure and recreation, and training for independent life skills including home and personal hygiene, money management, transportation, safety and self-advocacy.

Early Intervention (EI): Easterseals Northern California's Early Intervention (EI) program served over 1,400 families in 2023, ensuring children could close developmental gaps through individualized treatment plans that address delays in overall development, motor skills and language. Early Interventionists helped support families through education and coaching, consultation with schools, childcare agencies and other service providers. Our EI programs serve children from birth to age 5 through our continued partnership with the various Regional Centers in Northern California. Our EI program in Lake County has continued offering its Infant Massage Training program to help parents and caregivers bond with their babies. Additional programming that continued and expanded in 2023 was our Learning Focus Groups, presently available in 9 Northern California counties. These 30-minute sessions, currently being provided virtually, include gross and fine motor skill development techniques, art and sensory activities, modeling for parents and caregivers, expressive and receptive language skills development, with a focus on important practices such as sharing, handwashing and toileting. Parents and caregivers have a safe, judgment-free space to connect and discover new parenting techniques. One of our greatest achievements in 2023 was the expansion of our EI program north into Mendocino, Humboldt, and Shasta counties. Recognizing delays early, being able to obtain an assessment, and moving children quickly into treatment is essential to helping them catch up during critical stages of development, and seeing how our services were positively impacting children and families in the regions we had previously been serving inspired us to expand farther north and provide more families with access to developmental support. Our goal for 2025 is to continue to grow our in-person programming to more rural and underserved families all the way to the Oregon border.

Respite Program (description on sch O)