Step Forward Therapy
Step Forward Therapy is a private pediatric therapy clinic in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, founded in 2018 by Meribeth Cassidy, offering occupational, speech, and physical therapy alongside a developmental preschool and tutoring for families in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersRolling Meadows, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Step Forward Therapy does
Step Forward Therapy, Ltd. is a private pediatric therapy clinic headquartered at 1911 Rohlwing Road Suite A, Rolling Meadows, Illinois, serving families in the northwest suburbs of Chicago (Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, and surrounding areas). Founded in 2018 by occupational therapist Meribeth Cassidy, the practice delivers occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and physical therapy services alongside a developmental preschool, group therapy, outdoor therapy camps, parent training workshops, and tutoring for Pre-K through high school students. The clinical model is play-based and evidence-based, employing specialized methodologies including the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) feeding approach, Social Thinking and Zones of Regulation, Handwriting Without Tears, and Natural Language Acquisition/Gestalt Language Processing for neurodiversity-affirming therapy. The team comprises 14+ occupational therapists, 6+ speech-language pathologists, certified preschool teachers, non-clinical administrative staff, and two certified therapy dogs (Comet and Pumpkin).
The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model: families initiate intake independently, the clinic accepts all major insurance plans and provides complimentary benefit checks, and sessions are delivered in-person at the Rolling Meadows clinic or offsite at schools and childcare centers. Additional revenue comes from tuition-based developmental preschool (ages 3-6, max 1:4 staff-to-child ratio) and tutoring services. Step Forward Therapy is a founder-owned private limited company with no disclosed institutional capital, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Operations are supported by a Fusion patient portal for billing and scheduling. The clinic has no app, no published APIs or SDKs, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no patents or trademarks, no publicly disclosed awards, and no disclosed partnerships or alliances.
Step Forward Therapy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Step Forward Therapy
- Legal name
- Step Forward Therapy, Ltd.
- Website
- https://stepfwdtherapy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Step Forward Therapy is a private pediatric therapy clinic in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, founded in 2018 by Meribeth Cassidy, offering occupational, speech, and physical therapy alongside a developmental preschool and tutoring for families in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Step Forward Therapy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pediatric Therapy Services
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134)
- SIC
- Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP) (HLAFAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Therapeutic & Developmental Preschools (Specialized Support) (EDACABAO), Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Early Intervention OT (Birth–3) / Preschool OT (EDAKAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Step Forward Therapy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rolling Meadows
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Step Forward Therapy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Therapy Services (Insurance-Billed): Occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and physical therapy services billed through major insurance plans. The clinic accepts all major insurance and offers complimentary benefit checks to verify coverage before therapy begins. Pre-authorization assistance is provided.
- Developmental Preschool Tuition: Tuition-based developmental preschool program for children ages 3-6, operating 2-5 days per week from 9:15-11:45 AM with potential insurance coverage for qualifying families. Rolling enrollment available year-round.
- Tutoring Services: Individualized tutoring services for Pre-K through high school students in reading, writing, math, history, science and other subjects. Sessions available one-on-one or in small groups.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Insurance-covered therapy sessions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Developmental Preschool program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Step Forward Therapy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Step Forward Therapy is a pediatric therapy clinic delivering occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, physical therapy, group therapy, and outdoor therapy camps to children in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The clinic also operates a developmental preschool for ages 3-6 with integrated OT and SLP support, plus individualized tutoring and parent training workshops.
Product overview
Step Forward Therapy is a pediatric therapy clinic offering a unified suite of services including Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Therapy, Developmental Preschool, Group Therapy, Outdoor Therapy Camps, Parent Training & Workshops, Tutoring Services, and Therapy Dogs. The clinic operates as a single integrated practice where multiple therapy disciplines (OT, SLP, PT) collaborate through play-based approaches. Additional support includes a patient portal (Fusion) for billing and scheduling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Occupational Therapy Pediatric occupational therapy focusing on sensory integration, feeding, coordination, fine motor skills, handwriting, attention, social-emotional regulation, and executive functioning for children.
- Speech & Language Therapy Speech and language therapy addressing expressive/receptive language, pragmatics, fluency, articulation, voice, resonance, oral motor, literacy, executive functioning, AAC devices, and bilingual language development.
- Developmental Preschool Play-based developmental preschool for children aged 3-6, with a maximum staff-to-child ratio of 1:4, led by certified teachers, OTs, and SLPs to support cognitive, social, speech, and motor skill development.
- Group Therapy Small group therapy sessions for children aged 3-12 covering Social Skills Groups, Feeding Groups (using SOS approach), and Handwriting Skills Groups using Handwriting Without Tears methods.
- Outdoor Therapy Camps Seasonal outdoor therapy camps integrating pediatric OT and speech therapy into outdoor adventures, led by Miss Claire, focusing on balance, coordination, teamwork, and social interaction.
- Parent Training & Workshops Parent training sessions and workshops covering topics including IEP support, potty training, sensory issues, bullying prevention, diagnostic-specific workshops, and support groups.
- Tutoring Services Tutoring services for Pre-K through high school covering reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), writing, math, history, science, and other subjects in one-on-one or small group sessions.
Companies that use Step Forward Therapy
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Step Forward Therapy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Step Forward Therapy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Step Forward Therapy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Easterseals: Large national nonprofit providing pediatric OT, SLP, PT, and early intervention services across many geographies; comparable on therapy disciplines but serves a broader mission and population.
Emerging players
- KGH Autism Services: Pediatric therapy provider focused on autism and developmental services including OT and SLP; partial overlap on integrated pediatric therapy for developmental needs.
Direct peers
- Centria Healthcare: Pediatric therapy provider offering ABA, OT, SLP, and PT services across multiple states; comparable on integrated pediatric therapy model and insurance reimbursement reliance.
- Hopebridge: Multi-state pediatric therapy provider delivering OT, SLP, PT, and ABA services; comparable on service mix and pediatric developmental focus, though at significantly larger scale.
- Pediatric Interactions: Suburban Chicago-area pediatric therapy practice offering OT, SLP, and developmental services; direct geographic and service-line overlap with Step Forward Therapy.
- BlueSprig Pediatrics: Pediatric behavioral and developmental therapy provider with OT, SLP, and ABA services; comparable on payer mix and pediatric therapy delivery, especially for autism.
- Lumiere Children's Therapy: Chicago-based multi-disciplinary pediatric therapy provider offering OT, SLP, PT, and feeding services; directly comparable on geography, integrated care model, and target population.
- Caravel Autism Health: Multi-site provider of autism-focused therapy including ABA, OT, and SLP; comparable on pediatric developmental therapy services and insurance-billed revenue model.
- Cortica: Multi-disciplinary pediatric therapy company combining OT, SLP, PT, and ABA under one roof with a physician-led care model; comparable on integrated therapy delivery for children with developmental needs.
- Children's Therapy Connections: Midwest-based pediatric therapy clinic delivering OT, SLP, and PT with developmental and sensory specialization; comparable on multi-disciplinary pediatric care model and clinic-based delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Step Forward Therapy social profiles
Digital presenceStep Forward Therapy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Step Forward Therapy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Step Forward Therapy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Step Forward Therapy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Step Forward Therapy
What does Step Forward Therapy do?
Step Forward Therapy is a pediatric therapy clinic delivering occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, physical therapy, group therapy, and outdoor therapy camps to children in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The clinic also operates a developmental preschool for ages 3-6 with integrated OT and SLP support, plus individualized tutoring and parent training workshops.
Is Step Forward Therapy a public or private company?
Step Forward Therapy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Step Forward Therapy founded?
Step Forward Therapy was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Step Forward Therapy based?
Step Forward Therapy is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, United States, in the North America region.
How does Step Forward Therapy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Therapy Services (Insurance-Billed) is the primary driver. The others are developmental Preschool Tuition and tutoring Services.
Who are Step Forward Therapy's main competitors?
Easterseals is listed as a broad incumbent. KGH Autism Services is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Centria Healthcare, Hopebridge, Pediatric Interactions, BlueSprig Pediatrics, Lumiere Children's Therapy, Caravel Autism Health, Cortica and Children's Therapy Connections.
Does Step Forward Therapy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Step Forward Therapy.
What industry is Step Forward Therapy in?
Step Forward Therapy's product category is Pediatric Therapy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAJAL, Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP), with a secondary code of EDACABAO, Therapeutic & Developmental Preschools (Specialized Support). Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8093.