The Joshua Center

What The Joshua Center does

The Joshua Center for Neurological Disorders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded on November 5, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri, by Becky Ottinger following her son's Tourette Syndrome diagnosis. It provides counseling, education, social skills training, life skills classes, and ACA-accredited summer camp programs for children and young adults with Tourette Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, OCD, ADHD, and related neurological disorders, as well as for their families and the education and medical professionals who work with them. Its core product is the proprietary "Me and My World" Social Skills Teaching System — a registered-trademark board game and 80+ lesson curriculum covering 71 social-emotional topic areas aligned with ASCA National Standards — supplemented by specialized sets such as Speak Up For Schools, Kindergarten Success, and Safety Smarts, which are sold nationally via e-commerce.

The business and revenue model blends fee-for-service with philanthropic funding. Direct program fees cover $40 per class session for social and life skills classes, $450–$750 for two annual summer camp sessions serving roughly 120 campers, and one-time purchases of the Me and My World curriculum ($599) and individual card decks ($5–$10). The remainder of operating capital is sourced from individual donations, corporate sponsors (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Lockton, Knights of Columbus, John A. Marshall Company, and others), foundation grants including Camps For Kids matching-grant campaigns, United Way/Combined Federal Campaign workplace giving, fundraising events (annual Bowl-A-Thon, Pork-Out, Giving Tuesday), and proceeds from co-founder-authored publications such as Tictionary. The organization operates from a single Carondelet Drive headquarters with five satellite class locations across the Kansas City metro and reports receiving approximately twenty new calls per day from parents and community professionals.

Operationally, The Joshua Center runs on a lean staff of two full-time and one part-time employee per its Guidestar filing, supplemented by a board of directors and satellite facilitators. Its go-to-market is community-led: referrals originate from pediatric hospitals (notably Children's Mercy), physicians, and over 100 local schools using the Me and My World program, supported by direct-to-consumer enrollment through the website, an annual conference for educators and parents, church-based class locations, and a 20+ year preferred counseling referral pipeline with Sumler Counseling Services LLC. The organization cautions that it is small in headcount and local in geographic reach, with no disclosed revenue figures, no recent funding rounds, and no digital or AI infrastructure beyond a WordPress site and Constant Contact newsletter.

Name

The Joshua Center

Legal name

Joshua Center for Neurological Disorders

Website

https://joshuacenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Joshua Center is a Kansas City 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing counseling, social and life skills classes, and ACA-accredited summer camps for children with Tourette Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, OCD, and ADHD, supported by its proprietary Me and My World curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism-Specific Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ), Emotional & Behavioral Disorders (EBD) / Therapeutic Day Schools (EDAKAAAC), Autism Teacher Training & Professional Development (EDAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Social skills training
• Special education services
• Neurological disorder support
• Youth life skills
• Summer camp programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Fees charged for social skills classes ($40 per session), life skills classes ($40 per session), and summer camp programs ($450-$750 depending on session). Card deck products also available for purchase.
2. Donations: The Joshua Center accepts charitable donations through online forms and checks. Donors can make general program donations, monthly scholarship donations, camper scholarships, and purchase card decks.
3. Grants: Funding from foundations in the Kansas City community, including Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Camps For Kids matching grants.
4. Fundraising Events: Annual Bowl-A-Thon held in January, Annual Pork-Out Event, and participation in Giving Tuesday.
5. Publications: Proceeds from books written by founders Becky Ottinger and Jack Southwick, including Tictionary, Individual Home Plan, and Individual Classroom Plan workbooks.
6. United Way/Workplace Giving: Support through United Way Donor Choice Program (code 021), Combined Federal Campaign, and Community Health Charities membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Joshua Center delivers social skills classes and life skills classes to children with neurological disorders such as Tourette Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, OCD, and ADHD, and operates a summer camp program for the same population. It also develops and sells proprietary social skills curricula, card decks, and game-based learning systems to parents, schools, and clinicians.

Product overview

The Joshua Center offers a unified suite of programs and products centered on supporting children with neurological disorders (Tourette Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, OCD, ADHD). The core offering includes Me and My World Social Skills Teaching System, a comprehensive board game and curriculum product ($599), which is complemented by individual topic-specific card decks ($5-10 each), the Speak Up For Schools safety game set ($99), and specialized games for kindergarten and safety topics ($75 each). Program services include Social Skills Classes and Life Skills Classes for various age groups, an ACA-accredited Summer Camp Program, and referral access to counseling services through Sumler Counseling Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Me and My World: Social Skills Teaching System - a board game and curriculum for teaching social skills to children with neurological disorders, including over 70 different topics aligned with ASCA National Standards.
• Speak Up For Schools

Products and services

• Social Skills Classes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sumler Counseling Services LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred therapy provider recommended by Joshua Center for families seeking counseling services. They specialize in neurodiversity and work with children, adolescents, and adults. Joshua Center has worked with them for over 20 years. Mike Sumler, their therapist, works with Joshua Center families.
• Timothy Lutheran Church (Blue Springs)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial skills classes held at this church location on 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Provides facility for Joshua Center programs.
• Faith Journey Church of the Nazarene (Olathe)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial skills classes held at this church location on 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Provides facility for Joshua Center programs.
• New Beginnings Church (Lee's Summit)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial skills classes held at this church location on 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Provides facility for Joshua Center programs.
• Shoal Creek Community Church (Pleasant Valley)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial skills classes held at this church location on 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Provides facility for Joshua Center programs.
• Rotary Youth CampcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCamp location at Lee's Summit, MO next to Lake Jacomo. Provides the facility for Joshua Center's two annual ACA-accredited summer camps serving 120 children.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• KultureCity: National nonprofit focused on sensory inclusion and acceptance for individuals with invisible disabilities including autism. Comparable mission around creating accepting environments (school, community) for neurodiverse children and families.

Regional players

• Ability KC: Kansas City-area nonprofit serving children and adults with developmental disabilities through therapy, education, and family support. Operates in the same KC metro geography and serves overlapping neurological-disorder populations, including autism.
• Camp Blessing Texas: Texas-based weeklong summer camp specifically designed for children and adults with special needs including autism. Most direct analogue to Joshua Center's ACA-accredited residential-style camp serving 120 campers with neurological disorders.

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: National 501(c)(3) network providing direct services, camps, and advocacy for individuals with disabilities and neurological differences. Overlaps with Joshua Center on disability services, social skills programming, and inclusion-focused camp offerings, though at much larger national scale.
• Autism Society of America: Large national nonprofit providing information, advocacy, and affiliate-led local programming for individuals with autism. Comparable in mission to Joshua Center's High-Functioning Autism population, with overlapping social-skills, education, and family-support themes.
• Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): Established provider of ABA therapy, social skills, and school consultation services for individuals with autism and related disorders. Comparable clinical service mix and school-support model, though operating as a for-profit with national footprint.

Direct peers

• BlueSprig Pediatrics: Large autism-services provider delivering ABA therapy, social skills groups, and family support across multiple states. Directly comparable to Joshua Center's social-skills and counseling offerings for children with autism and related disorders, though at much larger commercial scale.
• Tourette Association of America: National nonprofit dedicated to Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders, providing education, support groups, and referrals. Closely aligned with Joshua Center's Tourette Syndrome focus and founder Becky Ottinger's prior board service to this organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/joshuacenterkc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joshua-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Joshua Center