Good Shepherd Center

What Good Shepherd Center does

Good Shepherd Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1963 and headquartered at 17314 Kedzie Ave., Hazel Crest, Illinois, serving the South and Southwest suburbs of Chicago. The organization delivers therapeutic, educational, and support services to children and adults with disabilities and their families, with a primary clinical focus on early intervention for children from birth to age 5. Its service portfolio includes speech, physical, occupational, and developmental therapy, early intervention, respite services, Medicaid waiver program support, and the Acorn Child Care Center, which provides inclusive early education. The organization also operates a Speaker Bureau and a 2018-launched training program, Building a Better Future for All Children, which trains childcare providers to handle challenging behaviors in children with developmental disabilities.

The organization does not operate proprietary technology. Service delivery is conducted in person at its Hazel Crest facility, in family homes, and at community partner locations, supported by standard payment integrations (PayPal, Venmo, Amazon Smile), a Shopify merchandise store, and JotForm event registration. Revenue is generated from a mix of Illinois Medicaid waiver reimbursements and insurance for clinical services, individual and corporate donations (one-time, memorial, honorarium, and recurring), event sponsorships, and grants. Notable grant funding includes a two-year award in 2018 from the Illinois Council on Development Disabilities for the Building a Better Future program. The largest single annual fundraising event, the Fashion Show, raises over $20,000.

Good Shepherd Center's go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on partnerships with state-level referral organizations (Illinois Action for Children, INCCRRA, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services), word-of-mouth and healthcare provider referrals, and outreach through a recurring calendar of fundraising events. The organization holds a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and a GuideStar Gold Transparency Seal from Candid. It has 11-50 employees, does not have a parent company or institutional investors, and is governed as an independent community nonprofit.

Name

Good Shepherd Center

Legal name

Good Shepherd Center

Website

https://gscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Shepherd Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1963 in Hazel Crest, Illinois, providing speech, physical, occupational, and developmental therapy, early intervention, respite, and inclusive child care services to children and adults with disabilities and their families in the Chicago South suburbs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hazel Crest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts one-time donations, memorial donations, honorarium donations, and recurring gifts through PayPal, Venmo, and check by mail. Annual fundraising events include fashion shows, golf outings, and community events.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for events such as Golf Outing, Fashion Show, and the Strong Children ~ Strong Communities Conference provide revenue and community visibility.
3. Program Service Fees: Services including early intervention, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and waiver programs are provided, likely funded through government waiver programs and insurance.
4. Amazon Smile: The organization participates in Amazon Smile program where a percentage of eligible purchases are donated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Good Shepherd Center is a multi-service nonprofit agency delivering clinical therapy (speech, physical, occupational, developmental), early intervention for children birth to age 5, respite care, Medicaid waiver program support, inclusive child care (Acorn Child Care Center), community education via a Speaker Bureau, and training for child care providers through the Building a Better Future program. Services are provided to children and adults with and without disabilities and their families in the south and southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Product overview

Good Shepherd Center operates as a multi-service non-profit agency offering a coordinated portfolio of therapeutic, support, and educational services for children and adults with and without disabilities. The core service offering includes clinical therapies (Speech, Physical, Occupational, and Developmental Therapy), early intervention programs, and specialized support services (Respite, Waiver Program). These programs are complemented by the Acorn Child Care Center for inclusive childcare and the Speaker Bureau for community education. A 2018 initiative, Building a Better Future for All Children, provides training for childcare providers on behavioral challenges. The organization serves as a one-stop resource hub for families, integrating clinical services, financial support navigation (Medicaid waivers), and community education to support individuals with disabilities in leading exceptional lives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Respite Services Temporary care services providing relief for primary caregivers of individuals with disabilities, allowing families to take breaks while their loved ones receive supervised care.
• Speech Therapy Professional speech and language therapy services helping individuals improve communication, articulation, fluency, voice, and swallowing abilities.
• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation services focused on improving movement, strength, balance, and physical function for individuals with developmental delays or physical disabilities.
• Occupational Therapy Therapy services helping individuals develop or improve skills needed for daily living, fine motor skills, sensory processing, and independence in self-care activities.
• Early Intervention Services for young children (birth to age 3) with developmental delays or disabilities, providing therapies and support during critical early growth periods.
• Developmental Therapy Services Comprehensive developmental therapy addressing cognitive, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive skill development for children with developmental disabilities.
• Waiver Program Medicaid waiver program providing funding and support services for individuals with disabilities to receive care in their homes and communities rather than institutional settings.
• Speaker Bureau Educational presentations and training provided by staff members to community groups, schools, and organizations about disabilities, inclusive practices, and related topics.
• Acorn Child Care Center Licensed child care center providing inclusive early education and care for children with and without disabilities in a supportive, nurturing environment.
• Building a Better Future for All Children Training and support program for child care providers on handling challenging behaviors, awarded a two-year grant by the Illinois Council on Development Disabilities in 2018 to prevent placement losses for children with developmental disabilities.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Action for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization that works on child care resource and referral services in Illinois. Good Shepherd Center collaborates with Illinois Action for Children as part of their community partner program.
• INCCRRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Good Shepherd Center is listed as a community partner, indicating collaborative relationship in supporting childcare providers and families.
• DCFS (Illinois Department of Children and Family Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government agency overseeing child welfare services. Good Shepherd Center collaborates with DCFS as a community partner providing services to children and families.
• Moraine Valley Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the annual Strong Children - Strong Communities Conference, an educational conference organized by Good Shepherd Center.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Smile program allows shoppers to designate Good Shepherd Center as their charity, generating donations from eligible purchases.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Clearbrook: A larger Illinois-based nonprofit providing programs, therapies, and residential/community living services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comparable because it operates across the full disability-services continuum — therapy, respite, child services, day programs — that mirrors and exceeds the breadth of Good Shepherd's portfolio.
• Easterseals (Chicago/Southern Illinois region): A long-established national nonprofit delivering disability and rehabilitation services including therapy, early intervention, respite, and case management. Comparable because it operates the same core service mix (PT, OT, speech, developmental services) for children and adults with disabilities across U.S. regions, though at significantly larger scale than Good Shepherd Center.
• Easter Seals Midwest (Illinois): A regional arm of the Easterseals network serving Illinois children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities through in-home therapy, respite, behavioral, and family services. Comparable as a multi-service disability nonprofit whose therapy-plus-respite portfolio overlaps almost entirely with Good Shepherd Center's offerings, though at larger organizational scale.

Direct peers

• Have Dreams: A Park Ridge, Illinois-based nonprofit providing autism and developmental disability services including social skills programs, family support, respite, and early intervention. Comparable as a suburban-Chicago disability services nonprofit targeting young children with developmental delays, overlapping directly with Good Shepherd's early-intervention and family-support segments.
• Almost Home Kids: A Chicago-area nonprofit offering respite and transitional care for children with complex medical needs, including therapy and family support services. Comparable because it operates in the same Chicago metro region providing therapy-anchored respite and support to medically complex and developmentally disabled children, closely mirroring Good Shepherd's Respite Services program.
• UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago: A Chicago-area nonprofit serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through early intervention, autism services, residential supports, and family respite. Shares the Chicago regional footprint and the same therapy-plus-respite service model that anchors Good Shepherd Center, making it the closest direct geographic and functional peer.
• Aspire Kids (Aspire): An Illinois nonprofit providing pediatric therapy, early intervention, autism services, and family support across multiple Chicago-area locations. Comparable due to shared focus on early-intervention therapy services (speech, OT, PT, developmental) for young children with developmental disabilities in the Chicago metro.

Regional players

• Helping Hand Rehabilitation Center: A nonprofit in the south suburbs/mid-south Chicago region providing developmental training, therapy, and adult services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comparable given the strong south-suburban geographic overlap with Good Shepherd Center and similar combined therapy/adult services model.
• Kenneth Young Center: A northwest-suburban Chicago-area nonprofit providing early childhood, behavioral health, and developmental disability services including speech and occupational therapy. Comparable due to its suburban Chicago footprint, early-intervention emphasis, and therapy services for young children — directly overlapping with Good Shepherd Center's primary service lines.

Emerging players

• Little Light Center: A smaller Illinois/Midwest nonprofit delivering pediatric therapy services for children with developmental disabilities and delays. Comparable as a niche therapy-focused organization serving a similar young-child-with-disabilities population, though smaller in scope than Good Shepherd's full multi-service platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gsckids

Compliance2 records

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 Good Shepherd Center