Raising Special Kids

What Raising Special Kids does

Raising Special Kids, operating as Encircle Families, is an Arizona-based nonprofit organization founded in 1979 that provides free support, training, and advocacy services to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities and special health care needs. The organization delivers its services through a portfolio of programs including Family Support, Parent-to-Parent mentoring, Positive Family Coaching, Family Transition Navigation, NICU Support, Military Family Support, and the Refugee and Asylee Mentorship Program (RAMP), alongside training offerings such as IEP workshops, Positive Behavior Support, Parent Panels, and a Physician Residency Program. Bilingual English-Spanish service delivery and culturally responsive programming for military and refugee families distinguish its portfolio.

The organization operates from three physical offices in Phoenix (headquarters), Tucson, and Yuma, serving families statewide across Arizona. Services are provided at no cost to families and are delivered through direct in-person support, virtual workshops, and a "Refer a Family" channel that integrates healthcare providers and educators into the intake pipeline. Revenue is generated through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, supplemented by government grants and foundation funding; the organization launched "Lumina" in 2026 as a dedicated fundraising event. All programming is human-delivered through trained Parent Leaders who bring lived experience, and no proprietary technology platform or AI capabilities are disclosed.

The organization's competitive position rests on a 45-year brand legacy, a statewide Arizona footprint, regulatory expertise in IDEA and disability rights, and active policy advocacy at the state and federal levels. Christopher Tiffany serves as Executive Director. Operating as a donor-funded nonprofit, Raising Special Kids has no equity ownership, parent company, or public-market listing.

Name

Raising Special Kids

Legal name

Raising Special Kids

Website

https://raisingspecialkids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Raising Special Kids (operating as Encircle Families) is an Arizona-based nonprofit founded in 1979 that provides free support programs, training, and policy advocacy to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, serving families across Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Family Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ), Behavioral Support & Positive Behavior Intervention Childcare (HSAAAIAF), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Disability family support
• Parent mentoring services
• Special needs advocacy
• IEP education training
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The website prominently features 'Donate' calls-to-action, indicating donations are a primary revenue source.
2. Government Grants and Funding: As a nonprofit serving families of children with disabilities, the organization likely receives government grants and funding to support its programs and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Raising Special Kids is an Arizona-based nonprofit that provides free, direct support services to families raising children with disabilities, including peer-to-peer parent mentoring, family support coaching, IEP/education advocacy training, and transition navigation. The organization also delivers structured training programs for professionals such as physicians, educators, and community partners who interact with these families. All programs are offered at no cost to participants and are funded through charitable donations and grants.

Product overview

Encircle Families (formerly Raising Special Kids) is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive suite of support programs and training services for families raising children with disabilities. The organization provides multiple support programs including Family Support, Parent-to-Parent Support, Military Family Support, NICU Support, and Refugee/Asylee Mentorship (RAMP), alongside training programs such as Parent Leadership, Positive Family Coaching, Physician Residency Programs, and Parent Panels. The portfolio also includes educational workshops like IEP Training and Positive Behavior Support. Services are provided at no cost to families and include both direct support (mentors, coaches, navigation) and professional training for educators and healthcare providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Support Direct, individualized support services for families of children with disabilities in Arizona, providing guidance, resources, and connection to community services. Offered at no cost to families.
• Parent-to-Parent Support Peer-to-peer mentoring program that pairs parents of children with disabilities with trained parent mentors who share lived experience, providing emotional support and practical guidance.
• Parent Leadership Training and development program that builds leadership capacity among parents of children with disabilities to advocate within schools, healthcare systems, and community organizations.
• Positive Family Coaching Coaching service for families that supports positive behavior strategies and strengthens family functioning when raising a child with disabilities.
• Family Transition Navigation Support service that helps families navigate life-stage transitions (such as early intervention through post-secondary planning) for children with disabilities.
• NICU Support Support program for families with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or families receiving a new disability diagnosis, delivered in partnership with hospital partners.
• Military Family Support Tailored support program for military families raising children with disabilities, addressing the unique challenges of military life and frequent relocations.
• Refugee and Asylee Mentorship Program (RAMP) Mentorship program serving refugee and asylee families raising children with disabilities in Arizona, delivered in partnership with community resettlement agencies.
• IEP Training Training program that teaches parents how to navigate and participate effectively in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process for their child with disabilities.
• Positive Behavior Support Training and support program for families focused on positive behavior strategies for children with disabilities.
• Imagining a Great Life (Imaginando una Gran Vida) Bilingual (English/Spanish) workshop series for Hispanic/Latino families of children with disabilities, focused on envisioning a positive future and accessing community resources.
• Parent Panels Structured program in which trained parent mentors present to professionals (including physician residents and educators) to share parent perspectives on raising a child with disabilities.
• Physician Residency Program Training program that places parent mentors and parent-panel presentations into medical residency curricula to build physician competency in family-centered, disability-aware care.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights): Minnesota-based parent training and information center that supports families of children with disabilities through IEP advocacy, workshops, and parent leadership — overlapping closely with Encircle's IEP Training and Positive Behavior Support offerings.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs: Massachusetts-based family support organization providing parent training, IEP clinics, and family advocacy for children with special needs. Directly comparable in service mix and family-centered approach.
• Support for Families of Children with Disabilities (SFCD): San Francisco-based parent-run nonprofit providing information, parent-to-parent support, and resources for families raising children with disabilities. Highly comparable in service model and free-to-families positioning.
• Parent to Parent USA: National network of Parent to Parent programs that match parents of children with disabilities to trained mentor parents with similar lived experience. Operates the same peer-mentor support model that is Encircle Families' core offering.
• Family Voices: National family-led organization supporting children and youth with special healthcare needs and disabilities through peer support, advocacy, and policy work. Directly comparable in mission, peer-mentor model, and family-to-family support structure.

Broad incumbents

• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN): Federation of protection and advocacy agencies providing legal and advocacy services for people with disabilities. Overlaps with Encircle's IDEA advocacy and policy work but operates at national/legal-aid scale.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit with 70+ affiliates providing disability services, family support, and early intervention across therapy areas including autism and behavioral health. Comparable mission and direct-services model at significantly larger scale.
• The Arc of the United States: Largest national disability advocacy and services organization, with affiliated local chapters providing family support, advocacy, and direct services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Overlaps with Encircle on family support and policy advocacy.

Regional players

• Children's Action Alliance (Arizona): Arizona child and family advocacy organization working on policy and systems change affecting children, including those with disabilities. Comparable in Arizona footprint and policy advocacy orientation.
• Arizona Parents Commission on Drug Education & Prevention / Raising Arizona Kids: Arizona-focused family-support and parenting resource hub with state-wide networks supporting parents and children; comparable in regional Arizona nonprofit footprint and parent-education mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/raisingspecialkids
• Xx.com/raisingspecialk
• Instagraminstagram.com/encirclefamilies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raising-special-kids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Raising Special Kids