Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children

What Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children does

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1947 in San Antonio, Texas, serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing from newborn through 4th grade. The organization operates a comprehensive continuum of services including a Newborn Hearing & Evaluation Center offering non-sedated ABR testing, a free Parent-Infant Program serving 190 families annually for children ages 0-3, and a school program with 160 enrolled students in small class sizes (6:1 in Early Elementary, 13:1 in Elementary). Services are delivered by certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialists and Master's-level educators, and the organization holds accreditations from Cognia, OPTION Schools, and the Texas Education Agency.

The organization's proprietary technology center is the Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language and Speech (CASLLS), a domain-specialized assessment methodology for tracking developmental progress from preverbal through complex language stages. The CASLLS suite, including Pre-Verbal, Pre-Sentence, Simple Sentence, Complex Sentence, Reading CASLLS, and Sounds & Speech components, has been deployed in all 50 US states and in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Digital expansion includes the eCASLLS electronic assessment platform and the Speech That Works mobile application for articulation therapy, available on iOS and Android.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: tuition and fees for the school program, charitable donations (including a recurring Dela's HEARo giving program and the annual Noche del Sol fundraiser presented by Circle Bar Foundation), educational product sales ($15-$240 per item via the Ed Products e-commerce storefront), professional 2-Day CASLLS Workshops ($275-$300 with 10 LSLS CEUs), and complimentary professional webinars. The organization operates a direct-to-consumer enrollment model for school services, an e-commerce channel for product distribution, and event-driven community fundraising, with the S.T.A.R.R. parent coaching methodology and manual products extending into adjacent clinical and family-support use cases.

Name

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children

Legal name

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children

Website

https://sunshinecottage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1947, providing listening and spoken language education and audiology services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing from newborn through 4th grade, and selling the proprietary CASLLS assessment tool suite used across all 50 US states and three international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deaf Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vision & Hearing Early Intervention Services (EDACAFAN), Literacy-Related Language Intervention (Phonological Awareness, Narrative, Curriculum Language) (EDAKAEAJ), Early Intervention OT (Birth–3) / Preschool OT (EDAKAFAJ)

Keywords

• Deaf education services
• Listening spoken language
• Audiology hearing evaluation
• Educational assessment tools
• Parent infant program

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Services Tuition: Tuition and fees for school enrollment from preschool through 4th grade, including audiology services, speech therapy, and specialized instruction for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Multiple giving vehicles including one-time donations, Dela's HEARo recurring giving program, legacy bequests, stock donations, and corporate matching.
3. Educational Products Sales: Sale of CASLLS assessment materials, manuals, goal cards, and related educational resources. Products sold in sets of 20 with prices ranging from $15 to $240 per item.
4. Professional Training Workshops: 2-Day CASLLS Workshop offering 10 LSLS CEUs for professionals. Registration fees of $275-$300 per person for in-person training held at Sunshine Cottage.
5. Webinar Content: On-demand professional development webinars for SLPs, teachers, and parents covering listening and spoken language topics. Complimentary webinars with no CEU credits provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children delivers listening and spoken language educational services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing from newborn through 4th grade, including audiology/hearing evaluations, a Parent-Infant Program for families with infants 0-3 years, a tuition-based school program, and speech therapy. The organization also develops, produces, and sells proprietary educational assessment products (CASLLS suite, Reading CASLLS, eCASLLS, Speech That Works app) used in all 50 U.S. states and internationally, alongside professional training workshops.

Product overview

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services centered on the Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language and Speech (CASLLS). The core CASLLS product suite includes four developmental assessment tools (Pre-Verbal, Pre-Sentence, Simple Sentence, and Complex Sentence) that track children's listening, language, and speech development from birth through age 8. The portfolio includes the digital eCASLLS version, the Speech That Works mobile application for articulation therapy, the Reading CASLLS for pre-literacy and reading assessment, and supplementary materials including manuals, goal cards, activity cards, and parent coaching tools (S.T.A.R.R.). The organization also operates educational services including a school (Pre-K through 4th grade), Parent-Infant Program, and audiology services. Educational products are used in all 50 U.S. states and in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eCASLLS: Electronic Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language and Speech - an online platform for tracking student progress and language development assessments.
• Speech That Works
• CASLLS

Products and services

• CASLLS Complete Kit Complete set of Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech assessment tools for progress monitoring from preverbal through complex-sentence stages, including User's Manual; available in English and Spanish. Sold to speech-language pathologists, teachers of the deaf, and early intervention professionals.
• CASLLS Pre-Verbal (5th Edition) Assessment tool for children with no words, monitoring preverbal behaviors at 0-12 months developmental level across cognition/play, listening, social interaction, emerging meaning, and vocal expression. For deaf-education professionals and clinicians.
• CASLLS Pre-Sentence (6th Edition) Assessment tool for children who have started speaking in single words, monitoring emergence of semantic intentions through 2-3 word combinations at 12-24 months developmental level.
• CASLLS Simple Sentence (5th Edition) Assessment tool for children ready to develop complete simple sentences, tracking 24-48 month developmental level including basic grammatical morphemes, conversation development, and early complex language.
• CASLLS Complex Sentence (5th Edition) Assessment tool for children developing sophisticated language, monitoring discourse skills, difficult question forms, elaborated noun phrases and subordination at 4-8 years developmental level.
• Reading CASLLS Integrated framework for tracking children's development of pre-literacy and reading skills from birth through third grade, covering print concepts, alphabetic knowledge, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Sold in sets of 10.
• eCASLLS Electronic version of the Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech with online tracking of student progress and language development assessments, coupled with informal articulation evaluation through the Speech That Works application.
• Speech That Works App Mobile application for articulation therapy following typical articulation development from suprasegmentals through complex consonant blends, with data tracking, goal setting, and progress reporting. Available on iOS and Android for parents, SLPs, and educators.
• Sounds & Speech (6th Edition) CASLLS companion instrument for articulation development from suprasegmentals through complex consonant blends, enhancing motor speech planning and production. Packed in sets of 20 and available in English and Spanish.
• CASLLS Goal Cards (Set of Four) Display cards (721 total) for listening and language goals correlated with all CASLLS language structures (Pre-Verbal, Pre-Sentence, Simple Sentence, Complex Sentence) for use by SLPs and educators in intervention planning.
• Audiology Services Early identification, comprehensive hearing evaluation, and intervention services for newborns through age six, including newborn hearing evaluation, otoscopy, tympanometry, OAE, ABR (including non-sedated ABR), and behavioral audiometry.
• Parent-Infant Program Free program for families of children 0-3 years old using parent-driven, child-centered interventions to develop listening and spoken language skills. Available on-site, at home, or via teletherapy; serves 190 families annually.
• School Program (Pre-School through 4th Grade) Tuition-based listening and spoken language education for children in Pre-School through 4th grade, serving 160 students with small class sizes, specialized support, speech therapy, and an academic program meeting Texas Education Agency standards.
• 2-Day CASLLS Workshop In-person professional training held at the San Antonio campus covering CASLLS implementation, offering 10 LSLS CEUs per attendee. Registration fees of $275 (early bird) or $300 (regular) per person.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160 students prepared to embrace life in a world of sound
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Historic Menger HotelminorOthers · 16 February 2024Historic Menger Hotel offers discounted room rate of $149/night for workshop attendees of the 2-Day CASLLS Workshop. Located in San Antonio, TX. Contact person: Stacy Peak, Direct: 210-293-3413.
• Cognia (formerly AdvancED)coreOthersSunshine Cottage is accredited by Cognia, demonstrating adherence to quality standards for educational institutions.
• OPTION Schools, Inc.coreOthersSunshine Cottage is accredited by OPTION Schools, Inc., recognizing excellence in listening and spoken language education.
• Texas Education AgencycoreOthersApproved non-public school by the Texas Education Agency, meeting state educational standards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• HearUSA: National audiology and hearing care provider with pediatric services. Comparable as an audiology service competitor serving the same family pool for hearing evaluations.

Direct peers

• John Tracy Center: California-based nonprofit providing free parent-infant services, preschool, and audiology to deaf/hard-of-hearing children. Highly comparable to Sunshine Cottage's Parent-Infant Program and audiology services.
• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell): National nonprofit advancing listening and spoken language for deaf/hard-of-hearing children. Directly comparable mission and overlap with Sunshine Cottage's listening and spoken language pedagogy and professional credentialing (LSLS).
• Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) at Washington University: St. Louis-based school and research center providing listening and spoken language education for deaf/hard-of-hearing children. Directly comparable in methodology and added research and training.
• Hearing School of the Southwest: Texas-based oral school for deaf and hard of hearing children. Comparable regional peer to Sunshine Cottage's Texas school, using listening and spoken language methodology.
• Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech: Multi-state network of schools serving deaf/hard-of-hearing children via listening and spoken language approach. Closest direct competitor to Sunshine Cottage's school and Parent-Infant-style early intervention model.
• Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (Gallaudet): Washington DC demonstration elementary school under Gallaudet University serving deaf/hard-of-hearing students. Comparable age range and population; methodology differs (bilingual ASL approach).
• The Learning Center for the Deaf: Massachusetts-based organization operating schools and programs for deaf and hard of hearing children, including early intervention. Comparable in scope and method mix (oral and ASL options).

Broad incumbents

• Oberkotter Foundation: Private foundation funding listening and spoken language programs and professional development nationally. Operates in adjacent space as funder/adopter, shaping the LSL ecosystem in which Sunshine Cottage competes.

Emerging players

• OPTION Schools (formerly OSEP Schools): Network and accreditation body for oral education schools for deaf children. Connects Sunshine Cottage's peer set of schools and is comparable as both a quality standard and indirect competitor network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SSCottage
• Facebookfacebook.com/sunshinecottage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children