The Center for Child Development

What The Center for Child Development does

The Center for Child Development (CCD), founded by Lisa R. Savage, LCSW, operates as a privately held, founder-owned mental health practice headquartered in Newark, Delaware. The company is Delaware's largest school-based mental health provider, employing 63 staff including 47+ licensed therapists across 32 specialty areas, with services delivered through three primary channels: on-site therapy embedded in 90+ schools across 13+ Delaware school districts, telehealth statewide, and in-person sessions at the Newark headquarters.

The service portfolio spans child therapy (ages 3-12) using play therapy, CBT, and trauma-informed approaches; teen therapy; family counseling; adult mental health through the Delaware Center for Counseling and Wellness (DCCW) sub-brand; specialized programs including EMDR, TraumaPlay, PCIT, and psychiatric medication management; and three recently launched programs — the Educator Wellness Program, Autism Access Program, and Brave Hearts group therapy. Technology stack is conventional clinical infrastructure: evidence-based therapeutic modalities, secure telehealth delivery, and HIPAA-compliant PHI handling, with Stripe and Affirm integrations for payment processing and consumer financing on autism assessments.

The revenue model is fee-for-service clinical care billed to insurance (Aetna, Highmark BCBS Delaware, Health Options, Delaware First Health, AmeriHealth, Delaware Medicaid) plus a sliding scale self-pay option starting at $25, supplemented by unit-priced autism assessments with Affirm payment plans and B2B mental health training/consulting delivered in 2-hour to 1-week formats. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer outreach (phone, web, bilingual Spanish-language presence) with enterprise field sales into Delaware school districts. Founder Lisa R. Savage retains active operational involvement with no disclosed private equity or institutional capital backing.

Name

The Center for Child Development

Legal name

The Center for Child Development Delaware

Website

https://thecenterforchilddevelopment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Center for Child Development is a Delaware-based private mental health practice and the state's largest school-based mental health provider, serving children, teens, and families through 47+ licensed therapists across 90+ schools, telehealth, and office-based care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based Mental Health Therapy (Licensed Clinicians) (EDAKAMAD), Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAF)

Keywords

• Child therapy services
• School-based mental health
• Family counseling
• Trauma therapy
• Autism assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance-Based Therapy Services: Fee-for-service therapy sessions billed to insurance providers including Aetna, Highmark BCBS Delaware, Health Options, Delaware First Health, AmeriHealth, and Delaware Medicaid. Covers individual, family, and group therapy services.
2. Sliding Scale Self-Pay: Reduced-fee sessions based on household size and income for uninsured or underinsured families, with sessions as low as $25.
3. Autism Assessment Services: Comprehensive autism evaluations for children (ages 2-17) and adults (18+) with payment plan options through Affirm (3, 6, or 12 month terms).
4. Mental Health Consulting & Training: Workshops, training programs, and consulting services for schools, organizations, and communities including 2-hour sessions, 1-day, 3-day, and 1-week training formats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Center for Child Development delivers evidence-based mental health therapy services to children, teens, families, and adults across Delaware through three primary channels: on-site school-based therapy in 90+ partner schools, telehealth statewide, and in-person office visits at its Newark headquarters. Core services include anxiety treatment, trauma therapy (EMDR), play therapy, teen therapy, psychiatric medication management, autism assessments, and the Educator Wellness Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brave Hearts: An 8-week group therapy program for children ages 9-12 that helps build confidence, develop coping skills, and master emotional regulation in a supportive peer environment.
• Autism Access
• Educator Wellness Program

Products and services

• Child Therapy Individual therapy services for children ages 3-12 using play therapy, CBT, and trauma-informed approaches to address anxiety, behavioral concerns, and emotional difficulties. Delivered in-person, via telehealth, or in schools.
• Anxiety Treatment Therapy services providing practical tools through CBT, mindfulness, and personalized care to address anxiety in children, teens, and adults across all delivery modalities.
• Trauma Therapy (EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and trauma-informed care to help children, teens, and adults process and heal from traumatic experiences using bilateral stimulation.
• Play Therapy Evidence-based play therapy for children ages 3-12 using toys, games, art, and imaginative activities for self-expression. Includes Child-Centered Play Therapy, Directive Play Therapy, and Sand Tray Therapy.
• Teen Therapy Specialized therapeutic approaches tailored for teenagers addressing anxiety, identity challenges, social pressures, academic stress, depression, and trauma. Includes individual, group, and family therapy modalities.
• Adult Counseling & Wellness (Delaware Center for Counseling and Wellness)

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 90+ schools throughout Delaware
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Christina School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor school district partnership providing on-site mental health services to students. CCD therapists embedded in schools throughout the district serving Newark and eastern Wilmington areas.
• Red Clay Consolidated School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership covering western Wilmington and Hockessin area schools. On-site mental health therapy and staff training services.
• Brandywine School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Wilmington and Brandywine Hundred area schools. School-based mental health services for students.
• Colonial School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Wilmington and New Castle area schools. On-site mental health support services.
• Capital School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreater Dover area schools. School-based mental health therapy services for Capital School District students.
• Caesar Rodney School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Dover and Camden-Wyoming area schools. School-based mental health services.
• Appoquinimink School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes Middletown, Odessa, and Townsend with 16 schools including Appoquinimink High School, Middletown High School, and Odessa High School. Comprehensive on-site mental health services.
• Milford School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilford and surrounding areas. On-site mental health support for students.
• Woodbridge School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridgeville and Greenwood area schools including Woodbridge High School and Woodbridge Middle/Elementary schools.
• Laurel School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaurel and surrounding communities including Laurel High School and Laurel Middle/Elementary schools.
• Indian River School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes Georgetown, Millsboro, Selbyville, and surrounding areas. School-based mental health services.
• Sussex Technical School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty-wide career-technical education district. Mental health service partnership.
• Cape Henlopen School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Milton areas. School-based mental health services.
• AetnacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider. CCD accepts Aetna for covered mental health services.
• Highmark BCBS DelawarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider. CCD accepts Highmark BCBS Delaware for covered mental health services.
• Health OptionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider. CCD accepts Health Options for covered mental health services.
• Delaware First HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider. CCD accepts Delaware First Health for covered mental health services.
• AmeriHealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider. CCD accepts AmeriHealth for covered mental health services.
• Delaware MedicaidcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network state Medicaid provider. CCD accepts Delaware Medicaid plans for covered mental health services.
• Delaware CentenecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccepted insurance provider for Educator Wellness Program. CCD accepts Delaware Centene for educator mental health services.
• AffirmminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment plan partner for autism assessment services. Offers 3, 6, or 12 month payment plans with no hidden fees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Brightside Health: Telehealth mental health platform with focus on anxiety and depression treatment, accepting insurance. Comparable in modality (telehealth, insurance-based) though not specifically pediatric-focused.
• Mantra Health: Telehealth mental health provider focused on college students and adolescent populations. Partial overlap with CCD's youth mental health segment but operates in higher-education rather than K-12 settings.

Broad incumbents

• Lyra Health: Enterprise-focused mental health benefits platform serving employers and health plans. Comparable in therapy-plus-coaching model and employer-channel motion, though it does not specialize in pediatric or school-based delivery.
• Cerebral: National telehealth mental health and medication management platform. Comparable to CCD's integrated therapy-plus-medication-management model, with broader geographic reach but less pediatric specialization.

Direct peers

• Charlie Health: Provider of intensive outpatient (IOP) and virtual mental health treatment for adolescents and young adults. Overlaps with CCD's adolescent therapy segment and trauma-focused offerings.
• Talkspace: Public telehealth therapy platform accepting insurance and serving individuals and teens. Competes directly with CCD's telehealth channel and shares an insurance-based revenue model.
• Hazel Health: National school-based mental health provider that embeds therapists and teletherapy inside K-12 schools. Directly comparable to CCD's core school-based delivery model, though at significantly larger scale and with venture backing.
• Two Chairs: Hybrid in-person and teletherapy practice model with measured-outcome matching of clients to therapists. Comparable to CCD's blended in-person (Newark HQ) plus telehealth delivery and therapist-matching approach.
• Daybreak Health: Adolescent and youth-focused teletherapy platform that partners with schools and health plans to deliver in-network mental health care. Comparable to CCD's child/adolescent therapy and school-district partnership motion.
• BetterHelp: Largest consumer online therapy platform (owned by Teladoc). Competes with CCD's direct-to-consumer therapy channel on price, accessibility, and convenience for Delaware families.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=0T4twn7muc0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-child-development

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Center for Child Development