Alta Vista Center for Autism

What it reported doing in 2024

One of a handful of autism centers in Colorado, firefly offers some of the most comprehensive services, including clinical assessments, an intensive early intervention program, school-age program, home and community-based program, and social skills classes. Firefly's services span all over the greater denver area, and reach as far north as boulder and as far south as Colorado springs. We serve ages 18 months to 21 years in our center, while there is no age limit for our home and community based programs. Every program has a 1:1 client to therapist ratio with a highly qualified technician and therapist. Firefly treatment programs are based on state of the art, empirically-based interventions, utilizing the science of applied behavior analysis to teach our clients essential and life-changing adaptive skills, and ameliorate maladaptive behavior. The supervising personnel for aba-based programs are board certified behavior analysts (bcbas) who, in addition to holding a graduate degree, completing a series of coursework in aba, and required hours of supervision, are credentialed by the behavior analysis certification board. To maintain certification, each analyst must maintain continuing education at least annually. To enhance service delivery, our organization includes speech and occupational therapy, and mental health services, based on the individual's needs. Our programs are highly effective. Since we base our services on empirically driven data and evidencebased practices, our clients always make progress. Our staff are highly trained, driven, and endlessly passionate about the individuals with whom they work. The progress of our clients, and overall improvement in the lives of the client and family unit is our ultimate focus. We provide ongoing supervision and professional development to our staff, so they are very invested in client's progress and in the expanding professional culture of firefly autism. We have numerous staff who come to us to learn the art of effective and ethical behavioral treatment. We have been proud to have staff become board certified behavior analysts through our professional development program and all of our therapists are registered behavior technicians, which are also credentialed by the behavior analysis certification board. Firefly autism is Colorado's leading treatment center for children and families living with autism spectrum disorders. Since its inception in 2003, firefly has grown to become one of the nation's most respected facilities of its kind, offering a wide variety of evidence-based programs and services. People from all over the country, and even from other countries, come to us to learn how we do what we do and parents strongly advocate to have their child receive our services because of the quality of our services. We have over 100 children waiting to receive our services. This is a testament to the reputation of effective services and high quality of our programs.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 79.5%; rating input score 79
• Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -1.6%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.26; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings