Diabetes Youth Services

What Diabetes Youth Services does

Diabetes Youth Services (DYS) is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Its mission is connecting families, educating communities, and supporting children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) across a 37-county service area in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The organization serves three primary beneficiary groups: children and youth with T1D, their families, and schools/daycares needing diabetes-management training.

DYS's service portfolio is anchored on three pillars: (1) School Support Services, which deliver free customized diabetes training to school staff — aligned with American Diabetes Association Levels 1, 2 & 3 — conducted by Certified Nurse Educators, Endocrinology Nurses, and Pediatric Nurses, many of whom live with diabetes themselves; (2) Hot Shots Camps, a tiered camp program (Little Shots Day Camp in Ohio and Michigan, Middle Shots, and Big Shots) providing residential and day-camp experiences for children ages 5-17; and (3) Family Programs, a year-round calendar of community events (e.g., Kalahari Waterpark Adventures, Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Games, pool parties, and in 2026 new activities such as Dinoland Ann Arbor and rock climbing). Supporting these pillars are a Diabetes Technology Resource Hub covering insulin pumps and CGMs, a School Resources Library with printable management guides and 504 Plan templates, the annual School Nurse Conference (8th year, hosted with ProMedica), a Youth Advisory Board, a Family Resources Hub, and a partnership with Prevent Blindness Ohio for vision-care access. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is in-person and via Zoom, supplemented by static web content.

DYS operates as a donation- and grant-funded non-profit with 1-10 staff. All services are provided free of charge to families and schools. Funding comes from individual donations, fundraising events, corporate sponsorships, and grants from partners including ProMedica, Walmart, City of Toledo, Beta Bionics, Abbott, and Grifgrips. The organization is governed by a board of directors; current executive director is Sherry Gibson. Revenue and financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization maintains a regional-only footprint by design, declining training requests outside its 37-county service area beyond Zoom-based delivery.

Name

Diabetes Youth Services

Legal name

Diabetes Youth Services

Website

https://dys4kids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Diabetes Youth Services is a Toledo, Ohio-based non-profit founded in 1984 that provides free diabetes education, school staff training, camps, and family support programs for children with type 1 diabetes across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diabetes Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Type 1 Diabetes Care (HLAKADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Diabetes Education & Insulin Management (Home-Based) (HSABACAJ)

Keywords

• Diabetes education services
• Type 1 diabetes support
• Youth diabetes camps
• School diabetes training
• Family support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toledo

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: DYS is funded through individual donations, fundraising events, and charitable contributions from the community.
2. Grants: Funded by grants from various organizations including corporate partners.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Financial and promotional support from corporate partners including ProMedica, Walmart, City of Toledo, Beta Bionics, Abbott, and Grifgrips.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Diabetes Youth Services (DYS) is a non-profit organization providing free educational programs, camps, and family support services for children living with Type 1 diabetes and their families across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The organization also delivers school-based training to help school staff safely manage students with diabetes. Programs are led by Certified Nurse Educators, Endocrinology Nurses, and Pediatric Nurses.

Product overview

Diabetes Youth Services (DYS) is a non-profit organization providing educational and support services for young people living with type 1 diabetes. The organization operates a service portfolio centered on three core pillars: School Support Services (free customized diabetes training for school staff by Certified Nurse Educators), Hot Shots Camps (residential and day camps for children ages 5-17 with diabetes including Little Shots, Middle Shots, and Big Shots programs), and Family Programs (year-round events connecting families through activities like waterpark adventures and baseball games). Supporting these core services are educational resources including a Diabetes Technology Resource Hub covering insulin pumps (Tandem, OmniPod, Medtronic) and CGMs (Dexcom, FreeStyle Libre), a School Resources Library with printable management guides and legal documents, an annual School Nurse Conference, and a Family Resources Hub providing mental health support, scholarships, and advocacy information. DYS serves Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hot Shots Camp: A camp program for children with diabetes providing a safe environment for kids to experience firsts, build confidence, and connect with a supportive community. Includes Little Shots Day Camp (Ohio and Michigan), Middle Shots Camp, and Big Shots Camp.

Products and services

• School Support Services Free training and support for schools to help staff safely care for and manage students living with Type 1 diabetes, delivered by Certified Nurse Educators.
• Hot Shots Camps Summer camping program offered at no cost for children living with Type 1 diabetes, divided into age-appropriate tiers (Little Shots Day Camp, Middle Shots Camp, and Big Shots Camp) and led by medical and nursing professionals.
• Family Programs Programs designed to connect families of children with Type 1 diabetes, fostering peer support, education, and community across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free diabetes training provided to schools, daycares, and other facilities at no cost to the family or school

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ProMedicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProMedica is a major healthcare system partner, hosting the School Nurse Conference at ProMedica Mary Ellen Falzone Diabetes Center. They collaborate on diabetes education and support services.
• Prevent Blindness Ohio Vision Care Outreach ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDYS partners with Prevent Blindness Ohio's Vision Care Outreach Program to help families access free vision care and glasses for children and adults meeting 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camp Nejeda Foundation: New Jersey-based nonprofit running residential camps and year-round programs for children with Type 1 Diabetes. Directly comparable to DYS's Hot Shots Camps model — same target population, same camp-based peer-support mechanism.
• ConnecT1D: Community-based nonprofit connecting people living with Type 1 Diabetes through peer support and local events. Closely comparable to DYS's family-connection programs and community-event model, operating in a different U.S. region.
• Diabetes Foundation: Regional nonprofit providing education, support, and direct services to people with diabetes, including youth programs. Comparable as a smaller, community-anchored diabetes nonprofit with similar family-support service mix.
• Children with Diabetes: Organization providing education, support, and conferences for families and children living with Type 1 Diabetes. Directly comparable focus on youth T1D and family education, with a similar mix of online resources and in-person events.
• Beyond Type 1: Nonprofit focused on the Type 1 Diabetes community through education, peer support programs, and digital resources. Directly comparable to DYS's T1D community-and-education model, though primarily digital and national rather than regionally in-person.

Broad incumbents

• JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation): The largest U.S. nonprofit focused exclusively on Type 1 Diabetes, funding research and providing community support. Directly comparable to DYS in mission area (T1D), but operates at national scale with a research-funding mandate DYS does not pursue.
• American Diabetes Association: National nonprofit serving all types of diabetes through research, advocacy, and education. Comparable because it also trains school staff (DYS aligns with ADA Levels 1, 2, 3) and serves T1D families, but at vastly larger national scale.

Others

• T1D Exchange: Research and data-driven nonprofit focused on improving outcomes for people with Type 1 Diabetes. Thematically related to DYS's T1D mission but operates in research/clinically-oriented ecosystem rather than direct family services.
• diaTribe Foundation: Nonprofit producing patient-facing education and advocacy content on diabetes, including Type 1. Comparable T1D mission and educational orientation, but operates primarily as a media/advocacy organization rather than a direct-service provider.

Emerging players

• DiabetesSisters: Nonprofit providing peer support and education primarily for women with diabetes. Comparable in the nonprofit/community-support model but with a different demographic focus, making it only partially overlapping with DYS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dys4kids
• Instagraminstagram.com/dyssweetkids
• Xx.com/dys_4kids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diabetes-youth-services-toledo

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 Diabetes Youth Services