PlayThinks Community Health Care Report
Mission of the Organization
PlayThinks is a 501(c)(3) sensory learning center and alternative education program serving children who do not thrive in traditional classrooms. Its mission is “to dismantle barriers to learning and functioning by creating a safe, inclusive environment where every child can thrive.” Rooted in Jewish values, PlayThinks combines individualized education, academic tutoring, enrichment clubs (e.g. coding, art, gymnastics), and therapy to meet each child’s cognitive, physical, emotional and social needs. In 2024, PlayThinks’s comprehensive service model was supported by a total operating budget of $1,114,235.69 . Reflecting strong fundraising momentum, the organization has secured $355,790.72 in calendar-year 2025fundraising commitments to date . These figures underscore the organization’s scale and capacity as it expands programs to meet growing community demand.
1. Identify the High-Risk/Underserved Population and Actions to Increase Accessibility
Population: PlayThinks serves a high-risk, underserved group – primarily children aged 5–13 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or related neurodevelopmental conditions. Many of our students come from West Rogers Park and surrounding North Side Chicago neighborhoods, communities that include large Orthodox
Jewish populations and other under-resourced groups . Without intensive support, these children face elevated risks of academic failure, social isolation and long-term dependence on services. Under our inclusive model, PlayThinks addresses both the clinical and cultural needs of families.
Barriers Identified: Through ongoing community consultations and data gathering, we have identified four critical barriers that hinder access to care: (1) Fragmented Care Systems: Families are forced to juggle multiple separate appointments (speech, OT, ABA, etc.) at different locations, which is burdensome and inefficient ; (2) Financial Burdens: Out-of-pocket costs (co-pays, uncovered services) and the high cost of insurance deductibles create severe financial strain on families ; (3) Routine Disruption: Repeatedly pulling children out of school for scattered therapy appointments causes anxiety and regressions, worsening outcomes ; and (4) Lack of Culturally Competent Providers: Few therapy programs are tailored to Orthodox Jewish and similar communities, which have unique needs around language (English/Hebrew/Yiddish), kosher/Sabbath accommodations, and cultural norms .
Actions Taken: Based on this assessment, PlayThinks has implemented targeted solutions: - Foundational Program Development: We established trust and a “safe harbor” by building core programs identified with stakeholders. This includes our Sensory Learning Center (an alternative full-day school), inclusive after-school clubs (e.g. coding, chess, STEAM, art), and a new yeshiva-style program for older boys blending secular and religious studies . We also conduct active community outreach (in synagogues, clinics and schools) to raise awareness of our services.
- Overcoming Financial Barriers (Insurance): We added insurance-billable Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
therapy, now accepted by Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, and other insurers .
This milestone greatly increased affordability by allowing families to use their benefits. (PlayThinks’s insurance reimbursement rates still fall short of actual costs, however, so this action must be paired with other measures.)
- Solving Systemic Barriers – Launch of ITAI: Even with cost addressed, fragmentation and travel burdens remained. To solve these, our primary new action has been the launch of the Integrated Therapeutic Access Initiative (ITAI) . This pilot program embeds a multidisciplinary therapy team directly at the learning center, co-locating care within the school day and building in cultural accommodations. Collectively, these actions dismantle barriers and make comprehensive care far more accessible to the families we serve
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2. Strategies to Gather Community Input for Program Development
We employ a multi-layered, participatory approach so that our programs are designed with the community, not just for it. These include:
Formal & Structural Channels: We convene a standing Parent Advisory Committee comprising
parents of neurodivergent children, rabbis, and educators. This committee meets regularly with PlayThinks leadership to give direct input on curriculum, scheduling, and cultural practice. We also conduct routine surveys and post-program evaluations with parents and students; these quantitative and qualitative data are used in continuous quality-improvement cycles. These formal feedback loops ensure that families’ lived experiences directly shape our program design.
Embedded & Programmatic Strategies: We build feedback into the service model itself.
For example, each child’s Individualized Service Plan (ISP) is co-designed with parents at intake and updated throughout the year, treating parents as active partners rather than passive recipients. We also ensure our staff are bilingual and culturally sensitive, which encourages open, honest communication. The ITAI program features on-site parent training and regular “feedback workshops,” creating continuous two-way communication so that we can make real-time
adjustments based on parent and child input.
Through these strategies, community members help set priorities at every step. This has led to programs that are trusted and highly utilized in our community.
3. Partnerships to Promote Continuity of Care
Our model relies on strong partnerships that knit together education, healthcare, and community resources, creating a 360° support ecosystem. Key partnerships include:
Educational & Community Partnerships (Referral and Reintegration): We have formal
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relationships with every local Jewish day school, yeshiva, and synagogue. These institutions refer students who are struggling, and we, in turn, provide structured reintegration support when clients transition back to mainstream schools. As a result, PlayThinks achieves an 85% reintegration success rate, ensuring continuity of education. The ITAI pilot will further formalize these
connections by establishing bidirectional referral pathways with at least five local schools, ensuring a
seamless “warm hand-off” between academic and therapeutic care.
Healthcare & Insurance Partnerships (Clinical and Financial): Clinically, we work with •
pediatricians and therapists through formal referral networks, linking primary care to our specialized
services. Financially, we have agreements with insurers (e.g., Blue Cross/Blue Shield IL, Medicaid)
to cover ABA and speech therapy, reducing out-of-pocket costs for families. We also receive in-kind support from industry partners: for example, Blue Cross/Blue Shield provides consultative guidance on credentialing our new ITAI therapists, strengthening program planning, and sustainability. These collaborations help ensure families don’t fall through the cracks between systems.
Together, these partnerships break down the silos that typically fragment care. By aligning with community institutions, medical clinics, and payers, PlayThinks creates continuity, ensuring that children receive comprehensive support across various settings.
4. Two Examples of Community-Driven Program Development (with Quantitative Data)
Our community-oriented approach means programs are born directly from stakeholder-identified needs. Continuous feedback loops and data-driven planning ensure they remain effective and sustainable. Below are two flagship programs developed this way:
Example 1: Sensory Learning Center & Inclusive Clubs: This year-round program grew out of close collaboration with parents, educators, and therapists. It provides a full-day alternative school for neurodivergent students (with a robust academic curriculum and therapies) plus inclusive enrichment clubs (e.g., coding, STEAM, music). Specialists and families co-design the curriculum, and we regularly refine methods based on student progress and family feedback. Through these cycles, the program stays highly effective and financially sustainable.
Reach and Impact: In FY2024, the Sensory Learning Center served 50 unique clients. This program is the heart of PlayThinks and operates on a budget of $944,005, which is about 85% of our
total 2024 operating budget. (This reflects the intensive staffing and resources required for full-day academic plus therapy services.) About 20.6% of the program’s cost is reimbursed by insurance, and 22.5% is covered by public/private grants. The remaining costs are met by donor support, ensuring that financial barriers do not limit enrollment.
Example 2: Integrated Therapeutic Access Initiative (ITAI): This pilot program was launched in direct response to our community’s waitlist crisis and demographic growth. PlayThinks currently serves 30+ children with autism, but demand has rapidly outstripped capacity. To address this, we expanded into a 23
larger facility by leasing a building that adds 6 new classrooms. This expansion will allow us to serve
many more families in Chicago and nearby suburbs (Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, etc.). Crucially, ITAI co-locates therapy services in this expanded space, eliminating the usual delays of referral and travel.
Under ITAI, we have hired a multidisciplinary clinical team (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, and ABA therapists) who work alongside our educators. All therapies – speech, behavioral, sensory, and counseling – are delivered on-site during the school day, so a child need not leave campus for services. This model directly tackles fragmentation: families no longer
must shuttle their child to multiple clinics. Cultural competence is built in: we accommodate Sabbath scheduling and kosher meals, and we use bilingual (English/Hebrew-Yiddish) staff trained in the
community’s values. Each family co-designs the child’s plan (ISP) with these staff, ensuring the program is both family-centered and culturally aligned.
Funding & Scale: In its pilot year (2025), ITAI is fully grant-funded (no charge to families). We have secured initial seed funding for this pilot from the Hidden Gems Foundation ($25,000) and have a strong history of general operating support from major partners like the Walder Foundation ($150,000 in 2024-25). In Year 2, PlayThinks will begin billing insurers for these services; we project that 50–70% of ongoing therapy costs will be reimbursed based on typical
coverage rates. We expect the ITAI pilot to serve ~65 clients (children and families) by the end of
2025, on a program budget of about $300,000 (roughly 18% of our organizational budget).
The quantitative data for these two programs are summarized below (FY2024 data for Example 1 and 2025 pilot projections for Example 2):
Metric SLC & Inclusive
Clubs (FY2024)ITAI (2025 Pilot)
Number of Clients Served 50 ~65 (projected)
Total Program Budget (Funds Used) $944,005 $300,000
Program Budget as % of Org. Budget ~85% ~18%
% Reimbursed by Third-Party Payers 20.6%0% (Year 1; grant funded)
% Covered by Public/Private Grants 22.5%>70% (e.g. Walder,
Hidden Gems)
Data source: PlayThinks internal reports (FY2024
organizational budget and 2025 ITAI pilot plan) .
For context, PlayThinks’s total 2024 operating expenses across all programs were $1,114,235.69. The $944K allocated to the Sensory Learning Center reflects its comprehensive services, while the rest covers administration and emerging programs like ITAI. The $355,790.72 raised for 2025 will largely support scaling these initiatives. These figures highlight the full scale of our effort: even with insurance and grants, fundraising and grants must fill the gap to sustain high-quality, full-day support for our students.
Conclusion: Together, these data show that PlayThinks is successfully translating community needs into action. We identified the crisis of long waitlists and inaccessible care, engaged families and partners to develop a solution, and are now launching ITAI as a strategic expansion. The high level of third-party funding and active fundraising demonstrates that this work is both community-driven and well-supported. By expanding space, staff, and integrated services, PlayThinks is poised to meet the growing demand in Chicagoland and dismantle barriers for even more children and families.