The Center For Gifted/The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity

What The Center For Gifted/The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity does

The Center for Gifted, also operating as The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity, is a private, non-profit educational organization headquartered at 1926 Waukegan Road in Glenview, Illinois, founded in 1996 by Joan Franklin Smutny. Its core service is psycho-educational assessment and gifted identification led by Cheryl Lind, M.Ed., Ed.S., an Illinois-licensed and nationally certified school psychologist with 15+ years of specialized experience. Assessments produce IQ and sub-scale scores used to inform school placement recommendations, grade acceleration evaluations, and identification of twice-exceptionalities for families of gifted children, with appointments scheduled directly by phone Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The organization complements its clinical services with a year-round educational program portfolio for advanced learners from preschool through 12th grade, including creative writing instruction taught by the founder, and with a publications and recognition platform that includes the Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity, the Innovate! newsletter, and the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards (launched 2008, four categories, students ages 8-18 globally). Founder Joan Franklin Smutny has authored, co-authored, or edited over twenty-one books on gifted education distributed through third-party educational publishers (Corwin Press, Prufrock Press, Royal Fireworks Press, Hampton Press). The awards program was paused after 2019 for format revision.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees for assessments and programs, modest royalties and one-time sales of publications, and submission-related activity for the awards. Marketing relies on community referrals, organizational affiliations with NAGC, the University of Georgia Torrance Center, and regional gifted-education associations, and the founder's published books. The organization has no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, no patents or AI/ML capabilities, and no app or API product surface; it operates as a founder-led 14-person entity with a single clinical office and a globally distributed awards program.

Name

The Center For Gifted/The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity

Legal name

The Center for Gifted

Website

https://thecenterforgifted.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Gifted (also The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity) is a Glenview, Illinois non-profit that provides psycho-educational gifted identification and IQ assessments, year-round programs for advanced learners preschool-12, and the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gifted Education and Psycho-educational Assessment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKALAA

Gifted Identification, Assessment & Screening

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Gifted Education & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Support

SECONDARYEDAKALAD

Gifted Curriculum, Differentiation & Acceleration Support

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Gifted Education & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Support

SECONDARYEDAKALAF

Social-Emotional & Counseling Services for Gifted/2e

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Gifted Education & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Support

SECONDARYEDAKALAE

Enrichment Programs for Gifted Learners (STEM, Humanities, Arts)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Gifted Education & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Support

Keywords

• Gifted child testing
• Psycho-educational assessment
• Creativity awards program
• Gifted education resources
• School psychology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glenview, Illinois

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Psychological Assessment Services: IQ testing and psycho-educational assessments conducted by certified school psychologist Cheryl Lind. Includes giftedness identification, school placement recommendations, and grade acceleration evaluations.
2. Publications and Journals: Sale/distribution of Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity (Volumes 1 and 2) and Innovate newsletter publications.
3. Educational Publications: Joan Franklin Smutny's authored and edited books on gifted education for teachers and parents, including books from Corwin Press, Prufrock Press, and Royal Fireworks Press.
4. Educational Programs: Year-round programs for bright, talented children and young people, preschool-12th grades, including creative writing instruction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center for Gifted delivers psycho-educational IQ testing and gifted identification assessments conducted by a licensed school psychologist, helping families understand a child's giftedness level, learning style, strengths, weaknesses, and twice-exceptionalities to inform school placement and grade acceleration decisions. It also runs year-round enrichment programs for advanced learners from preschool through 12th grade and hosts the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards for students ages 8-18 worldwide.

Product overview

The Center for Gifted and Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity is an educational service organization offering a portfolio of services centered on gifted child assessment and creativity development. Core offerings include psycho-educational IQ testing and gifted identification services led by licensed psychologist Cheryl Lind, and the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards program featuring competitions in Creative Writing, Visual Arts, Music Composition, and Inventions for students age 8-18. The organization supports the gifted education community through publications including the Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity and the Innovate! newsletter, resource services like Joan's Book Nook with curated book recommendations, and a directory of external gifted education organizations and publishers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gifted Testing and Assessment Services Psycho-educational assessments and IQ testing conducted by Illinois Licensed and National Certified School Psychologist Cheryl Lind, identifying giftedness levels, learning styles, strengths, weaknesses, and twice-exceptionalities. Includes discussion of public, independent, and parochial school placement options and grade acceleration evaluation.
• International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards Annual international competition for students ages 8-18 with submissions accepted in Creative Writing, Visual Arts, Music Composition, and Inventions. Celebrates and carries forward the legacy of Dr. E. Paul Torrance.
• Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity Academic journal focused on applied creativity research and practice, published by the organization. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available as downloadable PDFs.
• Innovate! Newsletter Newsletter publication featuring creative content and resources for advanced learners, with multiple archived issues including Summer 2020, March/April 2019, April/May 2018, August/September 2017, April/May 2017, and November 2016.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four sub-scale scores revealing learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Sponsor of the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards. NAGC is a major partner providing organizational backing and credibility to the annual creativity awards competition for students worldwide.
• The Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development (University of Georgia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Sponsor of the International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards. The Torrance Center at University of Georgia carries forward E. Paul Torrance's legacy and collaborates on the creativity awards program.
• Great Plains Center for Gifted Studies (Emporia State University, Kansas)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Sponsor of the 2019 Torrance Legacy Awards, contributing to the international creativity awards competition for students.
• Ignite Creative Learning StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Sponsor of the 2019 Torrance Legacy Awards, supporting creative education and the international creativity competition.
• National Association for Gifted ChildrencoreOthersLinked resource on the Resources page. Major national organization for gifted children that The Center for Gifted maintains affiliation with.
• Illinois Association for Gifted ChildrencoreOthersLinked resource on the Resources page. Regional state organization that The Center for Gifted is affiliated with as an Illinois-based center.
• Davidson Institute for Talent DevelopmentminorOthersLinked resource for families. Provides information about talent development resources including Mensa membership (IQ 130+) and Davidson Institute (IQ 145+).
• Hoagies' Gifted EducationminorOthersLinked resource for families seeking gifted education information and support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Northwestern University Center for Talent Development: University-based talent identification and gifted education program offering standardized testing (above-grade-level), summer programs, and assessment services. Comparable service portfolio (gifted identification, acceleration guidance, summer enrichment) with substantially greater institutional backing.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY): Major university-affiliated talent identification program serving gifted K-12 students globally via above-grade testing, summer/enrichment programs, and online courses. Competes in the same giftedness assessment and enrichment space with far larger scale.
• Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP): Established university-based talent identification program serving gifted students in grades 4-12 through above-grade testing and enrichment. Directly overlaps with the Center for Gifted's identification and enrichment service lines at meaningfully larger scale.

Others

• Hoagies' Gifted Education Page: Community-driven resource hub for gifted education, recognized on the Center for Gifted's own Resources page. Comparable role as a curator of gifted education resources, books, and parent support content.

Regional players

• Roeper School: Independent school serving gifted students from preschool through grade 12, with explicit mission overlap in supporting gifted and 2e learners. Comparable programmatic model for gifted learners with social-emotional emphasis.
• Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (IMACS): Enrichment program provider for gifted and talented students in mathematics, logic, and computer science, with online and in-person formats. Comparable enrichment and curriculum differentiation focus for advanced learners.

Emerging players

• Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG): Non-profit focused on the social-emotional needs of gifted individuals, providing parent education, counseling resources, and a peer community. Aligns with the Center for Gifted's social-emotional and counseling support dimension.
• Davidson Institute for Talent Development: National non-profit focused on profoundly gifted youth, providing identification resources, scholarships, and programs. Directly comparable mission of supporting gifted learners and families, with similar identification and resource curation focus.

Direct peers

• Bridges Academy: School and program specifically serving twice-exceptional (2e) students, sharing the Center for Gifted's focus on 2e identification and support. Comparable niche focus on gifted learners with co-occurring learning differences.
• Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development: University-based center offering gifted identification through the Iowa Acceleration Scale, talent development programs, and research. Closest comparable in combining formal IQ-based assessment, acceleration evaluation, and enrichment programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-gifted

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Center For Gifted/The Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity