The Children's Center

What The Children's Center does

The Children's Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 that provides a continuum of early childhood care, education, and family support services across the Western Tidewater region of Virginia. It operates seven facilities distributed across Franklin, Suffolk, Courtland, and Smithfield, delivering center-based programs, home-based visits, and community-based support services. Its core programs include Educational Childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years using a research-based curriculum, federally funded Head Start (ages 3-5) and Early Head Start (prenatal to age 3), and Early Intervention and Pediatric Therapy (speech and occupational therapy) for children with developmental delays. Adjunct services include the SAFE (Support and Family Education) program for mental health support, a Grief Support Group for bereaved parents, and operation of the Infant Toddler Connection of Western Tidewater. The organization serves low-income and working families, children with disabilities and developmental delays, expectant mothers, and infants/toddlers across an estimated combined throughput exceeding 500 children annually.

Revenue mechanics rely on diversified, multi-source funding rather than direct tuition: federal Office of Head Start Grant 03CH012172, Virginia Department of Education funding, VDOE quality recognition programs, charitable donations routed through two United Way partner agencies and the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, local foundation grants, employer and individual giving, and a fee-for-service component for educational childcare. Pricing is free at point of service for Head Start/Early Head Start qualifying families and on inquiry for fee-based childcare, with documented waiting lists indicating demand exceeds capacity. Distribution is regional and direct: families are reached through community outreach, social services referrals, United Way partnerships, the childrenscenterva.com website, and ClassDojo family portal. Lightweight digital tools (Vimeo for virtual tours, Google Analytics, Amazon Wishlists) augment engagement, while the underlying operating model is human-delivered, location-anchored service provision rather than a technology platform.

Name

The Children's Center

Legal name

The Children's Center

Website

https://childrenscenterva.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Children's Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 that delivers educational childcare, Head Start, Early Head Start, and pediatric therapy services across seven locations in Virginia's Western Tidewater region, serving low-income families, children with disabilities, and expectant mothers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH), 24-Hour / Extended-Hours Childcare Centers (EDACAAAK), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Pediatric therapy services
• Head start programs
• Early intervention services
• Nonprofit childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: The Children's Center receives federal funding through the Office of Head Start (Grant Number 03CH012172) and operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Additional funding comes from government sources including VDOE.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts charitable donations from the community, which can be made in memory, in honor, or in recognition of someone, and can be designated to specific programs or buildings. Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
3. Fee-for-Service Childcare: Educational childcare services for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. Some programs are available at no or low cost to eligible families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Children's Center provides early childhood education, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, educational childcare, and early intervention/pediatric therapy services to children from pregnancy through age 21 and their families in Western Tidewater Virginia. Services are delivered across seven physical centers, in-home, and through community-based programs, primarily at no or low cost to qualifying families through federal grants, donations, and fee-for-service revenue.

Product overview

The Children's Center is a nonprofit organization offering a continuum of early childhood care and education services. The organization operates as a single unified offering comprising multiple interconnected programs: Educational Childcare (Virginia Quality-rated childcare from 6 weeks to 5 years), Early Head Start (federally funded prenatal-to-age-3 program), and Head Start (preschool for ages 3-5) form the core educational childcare tier. Therapeutic services including Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy are offered through the Early Intervention & Pediatric Therapy program, which houses the Infant Toddler Connection of Western Tidewater. Community support programs including the SAFE Program and Grief Support Group provide supplemental family services. All programs are designed to work together holistically, supporting children from pregnancy through age 21.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Childcare Virginia Quality-rated childcare program serving children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, using a research-based curriculum focused on developing the whole child—socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually—with low child-teacher ratios. Tuition is offered at no or low cost to eligible families with some centers open 10+ hours daily for working parents.
• Early Head Start Federally funded program promoting healthy prenatal outcomes, enhancing development of children under age 3, and promoting family well-being through home visits and center-based care. Available at no cost to qualifying pregnant women and families with children under age 3.
• Head Start Center-based preschool program promoting school readiness for children ages 3 to 5 from qualifying families with low income. Available at no cost to eligible families and includes family support services.
• Early Intervention & Pediatric Therapy Therapeutic services including speech therapy and occupational therapy for children with developmental delays or disabilities. Services are offered at centers, in homes, or community settings, often at no or low cost to parents. Includes the Infant Toddler Connection of Western Tidewater referral entry point.
• SAFE (Support and Family Education) Program Mental health support program bringing together individuals dealing with mental health challenges through monthly education and support meetings via Zoom.
• Grief Support Group Monthly support group for parents after the death of a child, offering a space to share stories and connect with others who understand.
• Infant Toddler Connection of Western Tidewater Starting point for families referred for Early Intervention and related services, housed within The Children's Center. Operated as part of the statewide Infant Toddler Connection of Virginia.
• Charitable Donation Program Accepts charitable donations from the community, which can be made in memory, in honor, or in recognition of someone and designated to specific programs or buildings. Donations are tax-deductible as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every dollar invested in quality birth-to-five programs yields $13 return annually through increased school and career achievement and decreased reliance on social and health interventions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way South Hampton RoadscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited Way partnership allowing donors to designate contributions to The Children's Center. The organization is a partner agency where workplace giving contributions can be directed.
• United Way Franklin Southampton AreacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited Way partnership allowing donors in the Franklin Southampton area to designate workplace giving contributions to The Children's Center (Agency #5076).
• OBCI Health FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health foundation partner supporting The Children's Center programs.
• Infant Toddler Connection of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState early intervention program housed at The Children's Center Western Tidewater location. Starting point for families referred for Early Intervention services.
• Suffolk Economic Development CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal economic development partner supporting the Suffolk community.
• Early Childhood Western TidewaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional early childhood development coalition supporting Western Tidewater community programs.
• SertomaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerService organization partner supporting programs and community engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• YMCA of the USA: National nonprofit operating licensed early childhood education and childcare programs in communities across the U.S., including Head Start partnerships. Comparable because both serve working and low-income families with sliding-scale tuition and integrated youth/family programming at a community level.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit operating club-based programs for school-age children and teens. Comparable as a fellow youth-serving 501(c)(3) nonprofit that combines federal/state funding with charitable donations and serves a similar low-to-moderate income population across regional affiliates.
• Save the Children US:
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Large publicly-traded operator of employer-sponsored and center-based early childhood education programs across the U.S. and globally. Comparable because the core operating model (research-based curriculum, low teacher-child ratios, multi-site delivery) closely mirrors The Children's Center, though Bright Horizons serves a more affluent and corporate-sponsored population.
• KinderCare Learning Centers: One of the largest U.S. for-profit early childhood education providers, operating centers nationwide serving infants through school-age children. Comparable because KinderCare's center-based, age-banded program structure and curriculum-driven approach parallel The Children's Center's core ECE delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/childrenscenterofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Childrens-Center-OFFICIAL-PAGE-308814304622
• Instagraminstagram.com/thechildrenscenterva
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-childrens-center

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Children's Center