The Children's Home

What The Children's Home does

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is an independent nonprofit social services organization founded in 1893 (originally as The Pennsylvania Children's Home Society) and headquartered in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood. It operates six interconnected programs from a single campus: Adoption & Permanency Services (its founding program, including SWAN-affiliated foster care adoption, home studies, search and reunion, and 24/7 birthparent support), a 30-bed Pediatric Specialty Hospital providing sub-acute care and caregiver education for medically fragile children ages 0–21, Child's Way® (a Pediatric Extended Care Center and daycare for medically fragile children, established 1998 as the first licensed PECC in Pennsylvania), Pediatric VIEW (a Cortical Visual Impairment practice led by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy, serving families worldwide), Therapy Services (OT/PT/speech/feeding/developmental/vision therapy launched summer 2023), and outpatient Counseling Services (specializing in adoption-competent, reproductive, and trauma-informed therapy). The on-site Lemieux Family Center provides free overnight accommodations for patient families, and an inclusive community playground is open daily to the public.

The Children's Home generates revenue through a hybrid model combining insurance reimbursements (for hospital, daycare medical, and counseling services — accepted payers include Highmark, UPMC, UHC, Aetna, Cigna, PA Medicaid, and PA Health and Wellness), Pennsylvania government contracts via the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN, affiliate since 2012) and county agreements, modest user fees (adoption search $200–$1,000, Child's Way $45/day, $50 info sessions, $1,600 non-reimbursable home study cost), and substantial charitable donations processed through Donor Perfect. Notably, families are never billed for Pediatric Specialty Hospital care regardless of insurance status, and most birthparent services are free. The customer base spans families of medically fragile children, pregnant individuals considering adoption, prospective adoptive/foster families, individuals seeking specialized mental health counseling, and a global cohort of families and practitioners seeking CVI expertise.

Technical and clinical assets include the proprietary CVI Range functional vision assessment protocol, the award-winning Ready. Set. Home! nine-part caregiver education video series (inaugural 2021 SPN Innovation Award), and integrated multidisciplinary therapy programs. The organization holds Pennsylvania DHS licensure as a social service agency, dual licensure for Child's Way, Keystone STARS 4-out-of-4 accreditation, and Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep certification. Go-to-market is predominantly direct (on-site intake, Pennsylvania telehealth, mobile birthparent specialists) with global consultation reach via Pediatric VIEW. Dr. Roman-Lantzy's three foundational CVI books and the Perkins-Roman CVI Range Endorsement ecosystem anchor the CVI practice's intellectual authority.

Name

The Children's Home

Legal name

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh

Website

https://childrenshomepgh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is an independent nonprofit (founded 1893) operating six interconnected pediatric and family services from its Pittsburgh campus, including a 30-bed Pediatric Specialty Hospital, Child's Way® daycare, adoption, Pediatric VIEW (CVI), Therapy Services, and outpatient counseling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric and family social services (sub-acute hospital, adoption, daycare, counseling, CVI care)

NAICS

Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care (HLADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pediatric Skilled Home Health (Home Nursing & Therapy) (HLADAFAC), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Pediatric specialty hospital
• Adoption and permanency services
• Cortical visual impairment care
• Medically fragile daycare
• Outpatient mental health counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pediatric Specialty Hospital insurance billing: Bills insurance plans or other health cost organizations for inpatient hospital care of children up to age 21. The Children's Home does not try to collect any unpaid money from any patient or family — all hospital patients are automatically qualified for financial help, making this effectively a hybrid of insurance reimbursement plus charitable coverage.
2. Child's Way child care and medical service fees: Two-part fee structure: $45/day child care fee paid by parents/guardians (with financial aid available through donor support and Child Care Works subsidy), plus medical service fees reimbursed by health insurance for skilled nursing, therapy, and medical care for medically fragile children ages 0-21.
3. Adoption search and reunion service fees: One-time fees for adoption search services: Birth History $200, Partial Search $500 (single client), Full Search $1000 (multiple clients). Partial search fee can be credited toward full search if continued within a year.
4. Adoption informational session fees: $50 one-on-one fee for adoption informational sessions with an adoption social worker covering types of adoption, legal matters, facilitators vs. agencies, fees, and timelines.
5. Charitable donations and philanthropy: Donations received through Donor Perfect online giving platform, Friends Club, planned gifts, non-cash assets, wish list items, and volunteer support. Donations fund free services including counseling, scholarships for Child's Way, free hospital care regardless of insurance, and free functional vision assessments.
6. SWAN government and county contracts: As a Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network affiliate, The Children's Home receives government funding for SWAN-referred units of service (Child Preparation, Child Profile, Child Specific Recruitment, Placement, Finalization, Post Adoption Permanency Agreements). Also maintains contracts with local, statewide, and out-of-state counties for pre-adoption placement services.
7. Outpatient counseling insurance and fee-for-service: Counseling services billed to insurance (PA Medicaid, Aetna, Cigna, Highmark, UPMC, UHC, PA Health and Wellness) with fee-for-service options and financial assistance on a case-by-case basis. Support groups are free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is an independent nonprofit that delivers a portfolio of interconnected child and family services: a 30-bed Pediatric Specialty Hospital providing sub-acute and transitional care for medically fragile children, Child's Way® Pediatric Extended Care Center (daycare), full-service adoption and permanency services, outpatient counseling, the Pediatric VIEW Program for Cortical Visual Impairment, and Therapy Services (PT/OT/speech/feeding/vision). Programs operate on a single Pittsburgh campus and are delivered to families largely free of charge, funded by insurance reimbursements, government contracts, and charitable donations.

Product overview

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is a nonprofit social services organization (founded 1893) operating a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single unified software product. Its core services include Adoption & Permanency Services (including SWAN Permanency Services, foster care adoption, home studies, search and reunion, and birthparent support), the Pediatric Specialty Hospital (a 30-bed sub-acute hospital with the on-site Lemieux Family Center for family nesting, plus the TEMP crisis/respite program and the award-winning Ready. Set. Home! caregiver training program), Child's Way® (a Pediatric Extended Care Center/daycare for medically fragile children), Therapy Services (PT/OT/speech/feeding/vision therapy, inpatient, outpatient, and early intervention, launched summer 2023), Counseling Services (outpatient mental health for individuals, couples, children, and families, including adoption-competent, infertility, and reproductive mental health specialties), and the Pediatric VIEW Program (cortical visual impairment assessment, intervention, advocacy, and expert-witness services). The Inclusive Playground and Family Living Center round out the campus-based offerings that physically and programmatically link these services together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Child's Way: A Pediatric Extended Care Center and daycare for medically fragile children (birth to age 21) housed within The Children's Home of Pittsburgh; dually licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Human Services; Keystone STARS 4-out-of-4 accredited.
• Pediatric VIEW Program
• Lemieux Family Center

Products and services

• Adoption & Permanency Services The founding program (since 1893) of The Children's Home, offering full-service infant adoption, SWAN Permanency Services, foster-to-adopt placement, home study services, search and reunion services, birthparent support, respite caregiver recruitment, and lifelong post-adoption counseling. SWAN affiliate since 2012; licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
• Pediatric Specialty Hospital A 30-bed transitional/sub-acute hospital for medically fragile children from birth to age 21, providing caregiver education alongside acute and post-acute care (ventilator weaning, TPN, central line care, trach/g-tube teaching, palliative care). Families stay free on-site in private rooms or the Lemieux Family Center; no family ever receives a bill.
• Child's Way® Pediatric Extended Care Center A Pediatric Extended Care Center (daycare) for medically fragile children ages 0-21 requiring 4+ hours of nursing care per day, integrating medical care, therapy, and early education. Dually licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Human Services, Keystone STARS 4 out of 4 accredited, and the first licensed Pediatric Extended Care Center in Pennsylvania.
• Counseling Services Outpatient mental health counseling for individuals, couples, children, and families with specialties in adoption-competent therapy, infertility, reproductive mental health (perinatal, postpartum, donor conception, ART), grief and loss, trauma, marital/family therapy, and play therapy. Verified by Psychology Today; accepts insurance including Medicaid.
• Pediatric VIEW Program A practice for children (birth to age 21) with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) — the leading cause of visual impairment in developed countries. Provides the CVI Range functional vision assessment, intervention planning, professional training, advocacy, and expert witness services in special-education disputes. Led by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy, the program's originator.
• Therapy Services Occupational, physical, feeding, speech, developmental, and vision therapy delivered inpatient, outpatient, and through early intervention. Specializes in complex swallowing, CVI, seating and mobility, sensory integration, splinting and casting, augmentative communication, and assistive technology, integrated with the Pediatric Specialty Hospital, Child's Way, and Pediatric VIEW.
• TEMP Program (Temporary Emergent Medical Pediatric Program) An approved inpatient hospital stay for medically fragile children experiencing disruption in their normal home care (caretaker illness, loss of housing/utilities, caregiver travel, end-of-life care, etc.), preventing unnecessary ER visits or higher-acuity admissions.
• Search and Reunion Services Three-tiered search service (Birth History $200, Partial Search $500, Full Search $1000) for adoptees, birthparents, and their family members whose adoption was coordinated or finalized by The Children's Home, conducted by an Authorized Search Representative and accompanied by counseling.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ patients served over 30 years through Pediatric VIEW Program
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Children's Home has been an affiliate of Pennsylvania's Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) since 2012. SWAN is a patchwork of government and nonprofit agencies helping children in foster care achieve permanency. The Children's Home's Permanency Social Workers deliver SWAN units of service including Child Preparation, Child Profile, Child Specific Recruitment, Family Profile, Placement, Finalization, and Post Adoption Permanency Agreements (PACA). Amanda Lowe serves as Permanency Supervisor.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS)flagshipOthersThe Children's Home is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) as an adoption, foster care, and private children and youth social service agency. Maintains contracts with local, statewide, and out-of-state counties for pre-adoption placement services. In 2012, the organization successfully advocated to the Pennsylvania legislature to raise the age of those eligible for Child's Way to 21 years of age. Child's Way is dually licensed by the Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
• Cribs for KidscoreOthersSafe Sleep certification partner. The Children's Home is Safe Sleep Certified through Cribs for Kids (cribsforkids.org), a national infant safe sleep initiative. The Pediatric Specialty Hospital follows Cribs for Kids guidelines for safe sleep environments, including back sleeping, firm sleep surface, no loose objects, sleep clothing, supervision, and physician waivers for alternative positions.
• Psychology TodayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVerified counseling listing on Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/the-childrens-home-lemieux-family-center-pittsburgh-pa/795418) providing referral traffic to outpatient counseling services. The Children's Home is verified on the platform with a profile linking to counseling programs including individual, couples, child, and family therapy.
• Donor PerfectcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline donation processing platform. Donations are processed through Donor Perfect's WebLink platform at wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E352536&id=1, with a mobile fallback link at weblink.donorperfect.com/tchoplfc_donate2. The platform handles the large volume of online donations supporting free services.
• PaylocitycoreTechnology or IntegrationRecruiting and HR platform. All employment applications are submitted through Paylocity's Self-Service portal (recruiting.paylocity.com). Job listings for positions including Teacher's Aide, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and Registered Nurse are managed through this platform.
• Lemieux Family CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lemieux Family Center is a named component of The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center, providing free on-site overnight family accommodations with 8 private bedrooms, 2 kitchens, 2 living and dining areas, free laundry, and Austin's Playroom. The center enables families to nest with their child at the bedside or in private rooms while their child receives care at the Pediatric Specialty Hospital.
• Perkins School for the Blind / Perkins-Roman CVI Range EndorsementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam members of the Pediatric VIEW Program are Perkins-Roman CVI Range Endorsees, including Francesca Crozier-Fitzgerald who serves as Co-President of the Board of Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society. This represents a professional endorsement and partnership in the CVI field. Jonathan Graves is also a board member of the Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society.
• Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (University of Pittsburgh)minorOthersErika Schmitt, Director of Counseling & Family Support Services, previously worked for over 4 years as a Psychiatric Specialty Counselor for an adolescent drug and alcohol research program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and remained on staff as a Behavioral Health Counselor until May 2018. Several counselors earned their Master's Degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)coreOthersASRM training and mental health professional certification partner. Multiple counselors (Erika Schmitt, Joe Ritacco, Kristin Morris-Thompson) are trained through ASRM as mental health professionals, qualifying them to provide required counseling and documentation for patients undergoing third-party reproduction, IVF, and donor conception.
• Pittsburgh Public Schools Early Intervention Program & Allegheny Intermediate Unit DARTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChild's Way works closely with Pittsburgh Public Schools Early Intervention Program and Allegheny Intermediate Unit DART – Preschool Early Intervention to provide therapy services and coordinate educational programming for children attending Child's Way. Special education schools and the child's school district arrange transportation for children to and from school to Child's Way for before- and after-school programming.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Children's Home & Aid: Midwest-based non-profit providing adoption, foster care, counseling, and early childhood services. Direct peer to The Children's Home's integrated adoption-counseling-early childhood service portfolio.
• Children's Home Society of Minnesota: Non-profit providing adoption, foster care, child welfare, and family counseling services. Comparable to The Children's Home's adoption, permanency, and outpatient counseling offerings within a similar multi-program non-profit model.
• Children's Home Society of California: California-based non-profit focused on adoption, foster care, and child welfare services. Direct peer to The Children's Home's founding Adoption & Permanency program in mission and operating model.
• Bethany Christian Services: National non-profit providing adoption, foster care, pregnancy counseling, and family support services across the U.S. Highly comparable to The Children's Home's Adoption & Permanency and birthparent counseling programs in mission, funding model, and SWAN-style public contracting.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Non-profit operating residential, behavioral health, and foster/adoption services for children and families. Comparable to The Children's Home's counseling, permanency, and trauma-informed care programming.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children: Network of pediatric specialty hospitals providing sub-acute and specialty care to children regardless of ability to pay. Comparable to The Children's Home's 30-bed Pediatric Specialty Hospital in specialty pediatric inpatient care and charity-funded free care model.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Charity providing free family lodging and support services near pediatric hospitals. Comparable to The Children's Home's Lemieux Family Center model of free on-site family accommodations adjacent to pediatric medical care.
• Perkins School for the Blind: Non-profit serving children with visual impairments, including the Perkins-Roman CVI Range Endorsement program. Direct peer and partner to The Children's Home's Pediatric VIEW Program in the CVI specialty.

Broad incumbents

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Largest pediatric specialty non-profit hospital/research institution in the U.S. Comparable in mission (free pediatric specialty care funded by donations) but operates at materially greater scale and disease-area focus.

Regional players

• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh: Full-service acute pediatric hospital located in the same Pittsburgh market. Regional incumbent that refers medically fragile children to The Children's Home for sub-acute, daycare, and therapy services and represents the dominant tertiary pediatric care provider in the shared catchment area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChildrensHome
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Chomepgh
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildrensHomePgh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-children%27s-home-of-pittsburgh-&-lemieux-family-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/childrenshomepgh

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Home