Our Programming
- Residential programs operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week with students residing in dormitories on campus. The youth participate in these programs for approximately 4-9 months and leave only for off-site supervised program activities or approved furloughs, distancing them from their ‘normal environment and allowing them to focus solely on their situation and making things right to better their future. Youth have been adjudicated delinquent by the court and typically have multiple misdemeanors or felonies.
- Day Treatment programs allow youth to reside at home and attend the program daily. Day treatment programs are co-ed, serving both boys and girls and typically last from 4-6 months. Staff are able to address issues in both the home and in the students’ neighborhood by working with the kids and family together. Youth have been adjudicated delinquent by the court for misdemeanors and lesser felonies. Students are referred through juvenile justice agencies or school districts. AMIkids is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in their Model Programs Guide for successful results with our Day Treatment programs. This OJJDP designation officially makes AMIkids the only rated Day Treatment program in the nation working with at-risk youth according to the Department of Justice criteria. AMIkids is listed in the OJJDP Model Programs Guide along with two hundred other evidence-based programs that make a difference in the lives of children and communities.
- Family Services programs provide home-based family counseling and intervention through an AMIkids counselor that makes regular visits to the home to work with the youth and family to address issues that may be causing delinquent behavior. This program is implemented as designed by Functional Family Therapy (FFT LLC, Inc.), which is a short-term, high quality intervention program with an average of 12 sessions over a 3-4 month period. FFT is a strength-based model and at its core is a focus and assessment of those risk and protective factors that impact the child and their environment.
- AMIkids Alternative Schools emphasize improving student citizenship and increasing academic functioning level during regular school hours and work in collaboration with local school districts. Referred youth receive alternative education because they are unable to perform within the public school system, have displayed disruptive behavior, are facing expulsion or having experienced learning disabilities or emotional handicaps.
- AMIkids Scholarship Program: The AMIkids Foundation was established to benefit AMIkids youth and alumni through charitable giving. Every successful graduate of an AMIkids program is eligible to apply for scholarships to assist them in paying for college admission tests, tuition for higher education, textbooks, and supplies. The AMIkids Foundation has awarded over 200 scholarships to youth who have completed an AMIkids program.
New Programs:
- The AMIkids Vocational Education and Job Placement program was launched in 2015 to provide youth with the tools they need to become successful adults after leaving AMIkids. The program includes industry-recognized certification courses in high-demand industries such as construction, food service, IT, and health care. Youth also receive job readiness skills training, opportunities to train and job shadow with local businesses and employers, coaching in job applications, resume writing, and interviewing skills. AMIkids follows up with youth for 12 months after leaving the program to connect youth with additional resources in the community that can help them to get and keep a job. Since 2015, the Vocational program has enrolled over 2,000 participants, awarding 1,800 industry-recognized certifications, and placing over 550 youth in jobs.
- The Floating Classroom Launched in 2016, AMIkids partners with Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota to provide a hands-on marine science class on Tampa Bay and in the Gulf of Mexico. Students board the Orlando’s Rose, AMIkids’ [34 ft] marine research vessel, and embark on an afternoon of learning and fun. Students engage with science like never before as they wade in the waters of the Gulf to collect samples and examine specimens under on-board microscopes. Students complete their experience with a trip to the Florida Aquarium.
- The AMIkids Family Centric Model. AMIkids developed the Family Centric Model, which is designed to strengthen the families of the youth we serve, and has been piloting the intervention since November 2016 by conducting a randomized clinical trial evaluation to test its effectiveness in collaboration with the Justice Research Center. The Family Centric Model was created to improve behaviors of both at-risk youth and their families. Sessions takes place in the home with all family members present, and progress through three stages: family bonding and assessment, family development, and family preservation. The Family Centric Model consists of 10 to 18 sessions with specific skills for families focused on aggression and conflict, healthy relationships and positive use of free time, and effective communication.
- Prevention Programs: AMIkids serves middle school aged boys who are struggling behaviorally and/or academically in our Prevention model programs. Youth who attend these programs receive services to decrease their risk for further involvement in the juvenile justice system, and increase their likelihood to graduate school and become productive citizens.
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