CAPS

What CAPS does

CAPS (Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, Inc.), operating as CAPS of Salina, is a private nonprofit social services organization founded in 1978 and headquartered at 155 N. Oakdale Ave., Ste 200, Salina, Kansas. The organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of eight programs across three service categories—Family Support (Family Mentoring, Parenting Education, Respite Care, Grief Recovery Method), Education Services (Happy Bear personal safety program, Bullying Prevention, Early Learning Enhancement), and Advocacy Services (Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center and the Ottawa and Saline County CASA program). CAPS serves children from birth through adolescence and their families across Saline and Ottawa Counties in Kansas, with select early-childhood programming extending into Ellsworth County. All services are provided free of charge with no income or demographic qualifications, including bilingual English/Spanish delivery.

CAPS runs no proprietary technology platform; operations are delivered through direct human service delivery (in-home visits, center-based respite care, classroom-based prevention education, and forensic interviews at the accredited Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center). The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack combining (i) donations and charitable contributions raised via an annual benefit auction (over $65,000 raised in 2026), workplace giving (Denim Days), community fundraisers (Pickleball tournament, Chipotle nights), Dillons Community Rewards, PayPal direct giving, and a designated endowment at the Greater Salina Community Foundation; (ii) government grants including National CASA/GAL Needs-Based Grants (OJJDP CFDA #16.756, $23,845 in 2026), Kansas Department for Children and Families funding, and the Early Childhood Block Grant supporting the Strong Start; Strong Families Project; and (iii) community-foundation partnerships such as Salina Area United Way Make A Difference Grants ($10,000 in 2021). The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Paul Forrester, with a leadership team spanning licensed social work, family law, education, and law-enforcement backgrounds.

CAPS is anchored institutionally by National Children's Alliance accreditation (Chris's Place), National CASA/GAL Association membership (CASA program), and a multi-disciplinary partner ecosystem comprising Salina Police Department, Salina Regional Health Center, Kansas DCF, Saline County Attorney's Office, Central Kansas Mental Health Center, and seven area school districts. Quantifiable impact signals include 3,000+ children and 160+ classrooms reached annually through education programs, 127 forensic interviews conducted in 2020, and program delivery in both English and Spanish. The organization holds a 2020 GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency reflecting nonprofit accountability and operates 11-50 staff across its service portfolio.

Name

CAPS

Legal name

Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, Inc.

Website

https://capsofsalina.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAPS (Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, Inc.) is a Salina, Kansas-based nonprofit founded in 1978 that delivers free child abuse prevention, family support, and court advocacy programs—including Respite Care, Family Mentoring, Happy Bear, Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center, and CASA—to children and families across Saline and Ottawa Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Family Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Child abuse prevention
• Family support services
• Child advocacy center
• Parenting education
• Court appointed advocates

Headquarters

HQ city

Salina

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: CAPS raises funds through annual benefit auctions (raised over $65,000 in 2026), pickleball tournaments, Chipotle fundraisers, Denim Days workplace giving, Dillons Community Rewards program, and direct donations via PayPal. The organization also receives designated endowment contributions through Greater Salina Community Foundation.
2. Government Grants: Receives federal and state grant funding including National CASA/GAL Needs-Based Grants ($23,845 in 2026), Kansas Department for Children and Families funding, and Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) funding through the Strong Start; Strong Families Project.
3. Community Foundation Support: Receives support from Salina Area United Way through Make A Difference Grants ($10,000 received in 2021) and participates in annual Match Madness fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAPS (Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, Inc.) is a Salina, Kansas-based nonprofit that operates an integrated system of eight free programs to prevent child abuse and support families across Saline and Ottawa Counties. Service lines include Family Support (Family Mentoring, Parenting Education, Respite Care, Grief Recovery Method), Education Services (Happy Bear personal safety, Bullying Prevention, Early Learning Enhancement), and Advocacy Services (Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center, CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates), all delivered by trained staff, volunteers, and community partners with bilingual English/Spanish capacity.

Product overview

CAPS (Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, Inc.) is a nonprofit social services organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of prevention and intervention programs for children and families in Salina, Kansas. The organization operates eight interconnected programs organized under three service categories: Family Support (Family Mentoring, Parenting Education, Respite Care, Grief Recovery Method), Education Services (Happy Bear personal safety program, Bullying Prevention, Early Learning Enhancement), and Advocacy Services (Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center, CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates). CAPS provides free services to the community, requiring no income qualifications, and serves children from birth through adolescence along with their families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Mentoring Comprehensive professional support program connecting families with trained mentors who provide encouragement, guidance, resources, and practical support; includes social-work case management, weekly in-home visitation, crisis counseling, one-on-one parent training, and parent/child relationship assistance for English- and Spanish-speaking families.
• Parenting Education Child development and positive discipline instruction helping parents develop skills to effectively raise children, offered throughout the year with free child care available and a virtual/Zoom option for parents unable to attend in person.
• Respite Care Quality, once-a-week child care program for parents needing a break from the daily stress of parenting; CAPS's flagship founding program offering free child care for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years not yet in kindergarten.
• Chris's Place Child Advocacy Center Fully licensed, National Children's Alliance accredited child advocacy center coordinating multi-disciplinary team response for children involved in allegations of sexual abuse or serious physical abuse, providing forensic interviews in a child-focused setting and coordinated specialized services for advocacy, mental health, and medical care.
• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) The Ottawa and Saline County CASA Program recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in the local court system.
• Happy Bear Personal safety program empowering young children to protect themselves from sexual abuse; all Saline County students enrolled in preschool through 2nd grade are taught to recognize and respond to inappropriate touches, with costumed-character presentations in over 160 classrooms annually.
• Bullying Prevention Classroom instruction for elementary and middle school students to reduce peer abuse, building empathy and conflict-resolution skills so targets and witnesses can use their power to end bullying through reconciliatory justice.
• Grief Recovery Method Evidence-based program helping adults process grief from various losses (death of family members, divorce, job loss, moves), with a Helping Children with Loss program taught in four 2.5-hour weekly sessions.
• Early Learning Enhancement Community collaboration helping families and early childhood educators prepare children ages 0–5 with cognitive and social-emotional skills for kindergarten readiness, through developmental screening, coaching, and ongoing support with licensed early childhood programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ children served annually through education programs
• +2 more outcomes

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

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

• Salina Area United WaymajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Salina Area United Way provides annual Make A Difference Grants to CAPS. In 2021, Ottawa and Saline County CASA Program received $10,000 through this partnership to support community programs.
• National CASA/GAL AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ottawa and Saline County CASA Program is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association, which supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy. National CASA/GAL offers leadership, training, technical assistance, and grant funding to local programs.
• National Children's AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChris's Place Child Advocacy Center is accredited by the National Children's Alliance, having met ten rigorous Standards for Accredited Members. The alliance provides standards and support for child advocacy centers nationwide.
• Salina Regional Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the multi-disciplinary team responding to child abuse cases. Provides medical exams and care by trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) on the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). Chris's Place coordinates services with the health center.
• Department for Children and Families (Kansas DCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas Department for Children and Families partners with CAPS for child protective services, foster care coordination, and family support services. DCF refers families to CAPS programs and coordinates case management.
• Salina Police Department and Local Law EnforcementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Salina and Saline County law enforcement collaborate with Chris's Place for multi-disciplinary response to child abuse investigations. CAPS helped establish the SANE/SART team in 2000.
• Central Kansas Mental Health CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-disciplinary partner providing trauma-focused mental health services referrals for child abuse victims served by Chris's Place. Formerly collaborated on foster care case management.
• Saline County Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the multi-disciplinary team at Chris's Place for prosecution support in child abuse cases.
• Salina Public Schools and Area School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAPS delivers Happy Bear and Bullying Prevention programs in all Salina Public Schools, Ell-Saline, Southeast of Saline, Minneapolis, Bennington, Tescott, and St. Mary's grade school. Over 160 classrooms served annually.
• Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner supporting survivors of child abuse. BACA representatives appear at CAPS events to provide support to children and families.
• Donna L. Vanier Children's CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAPS programs are conducted at the Donna L. Vanier Children's Center, 155 N. Oakdale Ave Suite 200, including The Incredible Years parenting classes and other community programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• TFI Family Services: Midwest-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and family preservation services, including in Kansas. Comparable to CAPS because both deliver family preservation and child welfare programming through community-based case management models.
• KVC Health Systems: Large Kansas-headquartered nonprofit child welfare and behavioral health provider delivering foster care, in-home family services, and residential treatment. Comparable to CAPS as a regional peer competing for similar Kansas DCF contracts and family support funding.
• St. Francis Ministries: Kansas-based nonprofit child welfare agency providing foster care, case management, and family preservation services across multiple states. Comparable because it is referenced as a past employer for multiple CAPS family mentors and operates in the same Kansas DCF-referred services space.

Direct peers

• Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit providing evidence-based parent education and early childhood development programs from prenatal through kindergarten. Comparable to CAPS's Parenting Education and Early Learning Enhancement programs that similarly target parents of young children with school-readiness content.
• Darkness to Light: National nonprofit that trains adults and youth to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse through evidence-based curricula delivered in schools and communities. Highly comparable to CAPS's Happy Bear personal safety program, which similarly teaches children body safety and disclosure.

Others

• National Children's Alliance: National accrediting body and membership association for Child Advocacy Centers. CAPS's Chris's Place is an accredited member, so NCA is a standards-setter and network rather than a direct service peer.
• National CASA/GAL Association: National membership organization supporting local CASA programs that recruit and train volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. CAPS operates a member CASA program, making the national association the network coordinator and grant funder rather than a direct competitor.
• Salina Area United Way: Local United Way chapter that funds CAPS through Make A Difference Grants and coordinates community health and family stability initiatives. Not a direct peer but an active funder and ecosystem partner in the Saline County social services network.
• CASA of Kansas: State-level CASA organization that supports and coordinates local CASA programs across Kansas. Comparable because it operates in the same statewide CASA network as CAPS's Ottawa and Saline County CASA Program.

Broad incumbents

• Prevent Child Abuse America: National nonprofit dedicated to child abuse prevention through public awareness, advocacy, and state chapter network. Comparable to CAPS because both focus on primary prevention of child abuse through education and family support programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLPZSEUoE5KSseLvmopX8d-cTkjMQ_l21r
• Xx.com/capsofsalina
• Facebookfacebook.com/capsofsalina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/capsofsalina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 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 CAPS