LEEP Forward

What LEEP Forward does

LEEP Forward is a privately held, multidisciplinary pediatric therapy clinic and therapeutic preschool founded in 2001 by Lorell Marin in Chicago, Illinois. The organization serves neurodiverse children (primarily those with autism and other developmental differences) through a vertically integrated continuum of clinical, academic, and community-based programs anchored in the DIR Floortime developmental framework and a neuroaffirming, play-based clinical approach. The clinical team spans eight disciplines — developmental therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA), occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, mental health/social work, physical therapy, art therapy, and registered dietitian nutritionists — collaborating in transdisciplinary teams customized per child, with 1:1 or 2:1 support ratios in the preschool. Beyond the clinic, LEEP Forward operates a therapeutic preschool and Quantum LEEP Academy (K-12 individualized educational program) at its 1447 W. Montrose location, with a satellite Ravenswood location serving the K-5 program.

The organization's service delivery is supported by in-house methodologies, including a proprietary neuroaffirming ABA model that distinguishes itself from traditional table-based approaches, an in-house Potty Protocol (toilet learning methodology) developed by the Clinical Director and Senior OT, and a partnership with Floreo for virtual-reality-based skill building. Adjacent revenue and community programs include a therapeutic summer camp with a camper-run LEEP Lemonade Stand micro-enterprise, weekend sensory-friendly birthday-party facility rentals, a co-branded apparel store on a third-party marketplace, and a community fundraising booster group supporting an affiliated nonprofit (LEEP Beyond) that provides therapy scholarships.

Commercially, LEEP Forward operates a direct-to-consumer, fee-for-service model: clinical services are primarily billed through BlueCross BlueShield PPO/Blue Choice in-network claims (with out-of-network invoicing for other carriers), while preschool and K-12 academy tuition, summer camp, and birthday-party rentals are quote-based. Go-to-market is highly local and relationship-driven, relying on Chicago-area partnerships (Rush AARTS Center, NPN, Profectum, PLAY Project, CPS ODLSS, Autism Speaks, Lincoln Park Zoo), owned social media, the "Listening in on LEEP" podcast, and earned media coverage to drive family referrals. No public pricing, no institutional investors, and no external shareholders are disclosed.

Name

LEEP Forward

Legal name

LEEP Forward, Inc.

Website

https://leepforward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LEEP Forward is a Chicago-based, founder-led pediatric therapy clinic and therapeutic preschool serving neurodiverse children since 2001 through a DIR Floortime-anchored, multidisciplinary model spanning therapy, preschool, and Quantum LEEP Academy K-12.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Therapy Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Intervention OT (Birth–3) / Preschool OT (EDAKAFAJ), Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP) (HLAFAJAL), Therapy-Integrated Childcare Support (coordination with OT/PT/SLP/ABA) (HSAAAIAM)

Keywords

• Pediatric therapy services
• DIR Floortime therapy
• Therapeutic preschool
• Neuroaffirming ABA
• Multidisciplinary clinic

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Pediatric Therapy Services (Insurance + Private Pay): Fee-for-service pediatric therapy (developmental therapy, OT, SLP, mental health, PT, ABA, art therapy) billed primarily through BlueCross BlueShield PPO/Blue Choice in-network claims; for other carriers LEEP issues invoices to families for self-submission. Recurring session-based revenue.
2. Therapeutic Preschool Tuition: Morning and afternoon therapeutic preschool sessions for neurodiverse learners with small group sizes (1:1 or 2:1 support ratio), combining therapeutic supports with academic readiness curriculum. Recurring tuition revenue.
3. Quantum LEEP Academy K–12 Tuition: Tuition-based individualized educational programming for kindergarten through high school at Quantum LEEP Academy, including rolling admissions for 2026–2027 school year.
4. Summer Camp Tuition: Two therapeutic summer camp sessions (June 22 – August 14) with swimming, city adventures, field trips, and entrepreneurship activities (LEEP Lemonade Stand). Per-session tuition.
5. Sensational Supportive Birthday Party Rentals: Hourly facility rental for birthday parties (Sat/Sun time slots) including gym, sensory areas, bounce house, and optional entertainment/cake/decorations packages. Pricing is quote-based on request.
6. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations supporting LEEP Beyond scholarships, LEEP Boosters community programming, food drives, toy drives, Giving Tuesday ($5,385 raised December 2), and silent auctions (e.g., Designing Spaces, Building Futures, Feb 20, 2026). Donation tiers: $50, $100, $200, $1,000, custom; one-time, monthly or yearly.
7. Summer Lemonade Stand Micro-enterprise: Camper-run lemonade stand every other Friday in summer ($2.00 per cup), proceeds reinvested in experiential learning program (transportation, cooking projects, real-world learning). De minimis revenue, primarily educational.
8. LEEP Apparel Store (Third-Party): LEEP Forward branded apparel and Quantum LEEP Academy spirit store sold via third-party platform (apparelnow.com). A portion of each sale is returned to LEEP. Indirect merchandising revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

LEEP Forward is a Chicago-based pediatric therapy clinic and therapeutic preschool that delivers DIR Floortime-anchored, multidisciplinary care to neurodiverse children. Its core services span developmental therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, ABA, mental health, physical therapy, and art therapy, integrated with a therapeutic preschool program and individualized K-12 education through Quantum LEEP Academy. The practice operates under a transdisciplinary team model with small 1:1 or 2:1 staff-to-child ratios, and supports families with insurance navigation and a continuum of care from early intervention through high school.

Product overview

LEEP Forward is a single integrated pediatric therapy and education organization with three operating arms: the LEEP Forward Pediatric Therapy Clinic (core service), the Therapeutic Preschool, and Quantum LEEP Academy (K–12 individualized therapeutic school), supported by an ecosystem of service modules including Developmental Therapy, ABA, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Mental Health Services, Physical Therapy, and Art Therapy, plus community sub-products such as the Therapeutic Summer Camp, LEEP Lemonade Stand, Sensational Supportive Birthday Parties, the Listening in on LEEP podcast, LEEP Beyond (non-profit scholarship arm), LEEP Boosters (community fundraising), and the LEEP Apparel Store. Together these offerings deliver a neurodiversity-affirming, DIR Floortime–grounded continuum of clinical, academic, and community-based programs for neurodiverse children and families in Chicago.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quantum LEEP Academy: Therapeutic K-12 academy offering individualized, neurodiversity-affirming educational programming for neurodiverse learners, located at 1447 W Montrose, Chicago, with rolling admissions for the 2026-2027 school year.
• LEEP Beyond
• LEEP Boosters (Quantum LEEP Academy Boosters)
• LEEP Apparel Store / QLA Store
• Listening in on LEEP

Products and services

• LEEP Forward Pediatric Therapy Clinic
• Therapeutic Preschool
• Quantum LEEP Academy
• Therapeutic Summer Camp
• Sensational Supportive Birthday Parties

Quantifiable outcome

• $5,385 raised on Giving Tuesday (December 2) for LEEP Beyond scholarship program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Floreo: Virtual reality therapy platform for neurodiverse children that is already integrated into LEEP's offering. Adjacent peer as a technology partner and adjacent therapy modality serving the same neurodiverse population.

Direct peers

• Caravel Autism Health: Multi-site ABA-focused provider for children with autism, with centers across the Midwest. Comparable to LEEP Forward as a competing clinic-based ABA provider serving similar families and payors.
• Autism Learning Partners: ABA and developmental services provider with clinics in multiple U.S. states. Comparable to LEEP Forward in delivering insurance-billed center-based therapy for neurodiverse children.
• Cortica: Integrated medical, ABA, OT, SLP and developmental therapy provider for neurodiverse children with multiple U.S. sites. Highly comparable to LEEP's transdisciplinary clinic-plus-therapy model and its emphasis on play-based, neuroaffirming care.
• Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers: Multi-site pediatric ABA, OT, SLP and diagnostics provider operating in the U.S. Midwest including the Chicago area. Directly comparable as an integrated multidisciplinary autism therapy chain competing for the same neurodiverse families and insurance contracts as LEEP Forward.
• BlueSprig Pediatrics: Large multi-site ABA and pediatric therapy provider with clinics across multiple states. Comparable to LEEP Forward as a direct competitor in clinic-based, insurance-billed ABA and developmental therapy for neurodiverse children.
• Behavioral Innovations: Multi-site ABA provider with clinics in several U.S. states. Comparable to LEEP Forward as a competing center-based ABA and developmental therapy chain serving similar payor contracts and family segments.
• Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): One of the largest U.S. ABA providers with a clinic network and diagnostic services. Comparable to LEEP Forward as a competing insurance-billed therapy provider for neurodiverse children.

Broad incumbents

• Easter Seals: National nonprofit providing a broad range of disability services including therapy, autism services, and inclusive education. Comparable to LEEP Forward as a larger incumbent offering overlapping therapy and educational programming for children with developmental differences.

Regional players

• KGH Autism Services: Midwest-based provider of ABA and autism services. Comparable to LEEP Forward in delivering clinic and home-based ABA therapy in overlapping Midwestern geographies.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/leepforwardinc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/leeparoundtheworld
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeepForward
• Instagraminstagram.com/leepforward.qla
• Pinterestpinterest.com/leepforward

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEEP Forward