With a mission to change the trajectory of a child’s life through innovative early childhood education, transdisciplinary teams, and family-centered partnerships, The Childhood League Center (The Center) has served children most at-risk of being left behind – at school and in life – since 1945. In 1961, President Kennedy brought awareness of developmental delays in children to the mainstream. The Center was at the forefront of that conversation with its first class for developmentally disabled children in 1964. By 1980, The Center had graduated 500 children! Following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, The Center expanded services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays. We launched our Early Intervention (EI) program, which later became home-based Early Intervention Coaching, focused on teaching parents to intervene on behalf of their children with delays. In 2001, The Center was selected to implement Ohio’s Early Start program for children at risk (Help Me Grow). In 2012, The Center recognized the increased prevalence of children identified with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the growing need for ASD-specific services and incorporated the PLAY Project interventions into our home-based Coaching Program. In 2016, we became the first licensed PLAY Project Center for children with autism in the nation. The PLAY Project (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) is an autism intervention based on how very young children learn best: through playing in their natural environment. In contrast to traditional intervention approaches that are more effective for older children, the PLAY Project is proven to have positive results for children as young as 14 months. The PLAY Project can be used as an immediate intervention, even before an official autism diagnosis, and can be integrated with other therapies. Today, The Center serves more than 550 Central Ohio children age 0-5 each year through our Early Intervention, PLAY Project and Preschool programs, and through the Ohio Department of Health’s Help Me Grow Early Intervention Service Coordination for infants and toddlers (one of four centers in Franklin County). We serve children both in their natural environment (where they live, learn, and play) and in the classroom. Each child has their own team of dedicated professionals who partner with that child’s family, drawing on the expertise of both the family and the professionals to address the child’s social, physical, and developmental needs. Critical early interventions and education for children, empowerment of parents, and greater access to community resources is our recipe for social change as we move vulnerable families toward increased success.
674 Cleveland Ave Columbus, OH 43215