CHOICES

What CHOICES does

CHOICES is an Ohio-based nonprofit social services organization headquartered in Dayton that, as of November 5, 2025, operates as part of UMCF following a merger with UMCH Family Services. The organization delivers a vertically integrated suite of child welfare and behavioral health services, including foster care, adoption, outpatient mental health, intensive home-based treatment, independent living programming, care coordination, psychiatry, and behavioral health occupational therapy. Its beneficiaries are children, adolescents, and families involved with Ohio's child welfare and behavioral health systems, referred principally through county children services agencies, juvenile courts, and Medicaid managed-care plans.

The operating model is service-delivery rather than technology-driven: outcomes are produced through licensed clinicians (LISW-S credentialed staff), case managers, and contracted foster families, with COA accreditation through Social Current serving as the primary quality and regulatory credential. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, digital product, or AI component; the organization's "technology stack" is effectively the credentialed workforce and accredited clinical protocols.

Revenue mechanics rely on three streams: government contracts (Ohio county children services and state agencies), third-party insurance reimbursement (Medicaid and commercial payers), and charitable contributions. There is no consumer-paid product revenue and no disclosed pricing model beyond standard per-diem and fee-for-service reimbursement typical of Ohio's child welfare and behavioral health Medicaid framework. Following the merger, UMCF inherits CHOICES' and UMCH's combined Ohio referral relationships, creating a statewide platform across central, western, and southern Ohio.

Name

CHOICES

Legal name

CHOICES, Inc.

Website

https://choicesfostercare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child and Family Welfare Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Outpatient mental health
• Home-based treatment
• Independent living programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CHOICES is a nonprofit social services agency that delivers a comprehensive suite of child and family welfare services in Ohio, including Treatment Foster Care, Adoption, Outpatient Mental Health Services, Intensive Home-Based Treatment, Independent Living programs, Care Coordination, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Health Occupational Therapy. Following its November 2025 merger with UMCH Family Services to form UMCF (United Methodist Children and Families), the organization provides community-based care to hurting children, parents, and caregivers.

Product overview

CHOICES is a social services agency offering a comprehensive suite of child and family welfare services. Following its merger with UMCH Family Services to form UMCF (United Methodist Children and Families), the organization provides Treatment Foster Care, Adoption, Outpatient Mental Health Services, Intensive Home-Based Treatment, Independent Living programs, Care Coordination, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Health Occupational Therapy. The portfolio is a unified set of related human services delivered across Ohio, focused on supporting hurting children and families through community-based care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Treatment Foster Care
• Adoption
• Outpatient Mental Health Services
• Intensive Home-Based Treatment
• Independent Living
• Care Coordination
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Health Occupational Therapy

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Children and Youth (Ohio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio state government agency for child welfare, providing regulatory oversight and collaboration for children's services across Ohio.
• Ohio Behavioral HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, supporting behavioral health initiatives and mental health services.
• Collaborative for Family and Community Health (CFHCOHIO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional collaborative supporting family and community health initiatives in Ohio.
• Social CurrentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization providing COA accreditation and supporting social service agencies, through which UMCF maintains COA accreditation.
• The Ohio CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association representing mental health and addiction service providers in Ohio, providing advocacy and professional network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pressley Ridge: Mid-Atlantic and Midwest nonprofit offering treatment foster care, residential treatment, education, and community-based services for children and families. Highly comparable service portfolio and contract-based funding model to UMCF.
• Easterseals Redwood: Nonprofit delivering foster care, adoption, home-based services, and mental health support for children and families in Ohio and Kentucky. Closely comparable in geography (Ohio-based) and service portfolio to UMCF.
• Lutheran Services in America - Ohio affiliates (e.g., LSS of Central Ohio): Faith-affiliated Ohio nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, mental health, and family services with similar funding mix and state-contract relationships. Direct Ohio competitor for ODJFS and OhioMHAS contracts.
• Children's Home & Aid: Illinois-based nonprofit offering foster care, adoption, counseling, and early childhood services. Comparable scope of child welfare and behavioral services, though concentrated in Illinois rather than Ohio.

Broad incumbents

• KVC Health Systems: Large multi-state nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, in-home family services, and behavioral health across the Midwest. Directly comparable to UMCF in service mix, with a broader geographic footprint that gives KVC scale advantages on multi-county RFPs.
• Boys Town: Nationally recognized nonprofit delivering in-home family services, residential care, behavioral health, and youth programs. Comparable in mission and service breadth, though much larger and operating nationally.
• Sevita Health / The MENTOR Network: National provider of foster care, intellectual/developmental disability services, and behavioral health through state Medicaid and child welfare contracts. Comparable in operating model and contract mix, with substantially greater scale across multiple states.

Regional players

• Buckner International: Faith-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and family services primarily across Texas and internationally. Comparable service model and faith-based heritage to UMCF, but geographically concentrated outside the Midwest.
• Brightpoint (formerly Child Care Connections): Multi-state child welfare and family services nonprofit serving children, families, and communities across the Midwest. Operates a similar contract-driven service portfolio, though with more presence outside Ohio.
• Jewish Family Service agencies (e.g., JFS of Columbus): Ohio-based social services agency offering mental health counseling, case management, and family support. Comparable on outpatient mental health and care coordination services, though smaller in scale and narrower in service mix than UMCF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cincinnatifostercare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choices-inc.

Compliance1 record

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 CHOICES