COMPASSION FIRST LTD

What COMPASSION FIRST LTD does

Compassion First Care Services is a private, founder-led disability and neurodivergence support provider operating exclusively in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Founded in 2023 by Deanne Harding and headquartered in Summerside, the organization delivers a portfolio of human-delivered care services including adult day programs, after-school and weekend youth programs (ages 7–18), in-home support (housekeeping, meal prep, transport, companionship, body doubling), specialized K–12 and GED tutoring for neurodiverse students, sensory-friendly haircuts, resource navigation, and inclusive swim lessons. Two physical centers serve as program hubs — the Summerside Centre (674 Water St. East) and Bloomfield Centre (2238 O'Halloran Rd) — both featuring themed sensory rooms ("Under the Seas" operational; "In the Forest" forthcoming) with hand-painted murals and blacklight design intended for client decompression.

The business is service-based with no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on physical facilities and trained support staff rather than software. Revenue is generated through a mix of fee-for-service units (tutoring is the only stream with publicly listed pricing, at $30–$85 per session depending on format and duration, with some tutoring billed through the PEI Public Schools Branch) and program fees for adult and youth day programs, home support packages, swim lessons, and summer camp. There are no disclosed enterprise contracts, and the customer base consists entirely of individual families and adult participants within PEI — typical clients are individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other neurodivergences, plus their caregivers.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and community-led, with no sales team, no paid advertising, and no channel partners. Awareness is driven by the company website (compassionfirstcareservices.ca), an email newsletter ("Get Updates"), published client testimonials, community events (e.g., Community Kitchen, Second Annual Masquerade), and partnerships such as the one with the PEI Public Schools Branch for medical tutoring. The company is bootstrapped, with ownership concentrated in the founding family, and has no institutional investment, no public financials, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

COMPASSION FIRST LTD

Legal name

Compassion First Care Services

Website

https://www.compassionfirstcareservices.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Compassion First is a private, founder-led disability and neurodivergence support provider in Prince Edward Island, offering adult day programs, youth programs, in-home support, tutoring, sensory rooms, and inclusive swim lessons across two centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Summerside

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tutoring Services: Fee-for-service tutoring for neurodiverse students (K-12), including 1:1 sessions, small group sessions, GED prep, and medical tutoring billed through PEI Public Schools Branch. Priced at $30–$85 per session depending on format and duration.
2. Home Support Services: Personalized in-home support including daily housekeeping, weekly refresh, monthly deep clean, laundry, appointment transport, errands, groceries, budgeting, body doubling, meal prep, companionship, and pet care. Billed on a per-service or package basis.
3. Adult Day Programs: Day programs for adults with disabilities and neurodivergent adults, providing life skills training, socialization, community outings, and employment programming. Revenue is generated through program fees, likely funded via government disability support mechanisms.
4. Youth Programs: Structured youth programs (ages 7+) running weekday afternoons (3–5pm) and Saturday mornings, covering life skills, self-esteem, special programs, cooking/baking/budgeting, and respite care. Revenue generated through program fees.
5. Splash with Compassion (Swim Lessons): Inclusive swim lesson programs for children and adults, including group and private lessons. Revenue generated through lesson fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Compassion First Care Services provides in-person disability and neurodivergence support programs across Prince Edward Island, including adult day programs, youth after-school and weekend programs, in-home support services, sensory-friendly facilities, specialized tutoring, inclusive swim lessons, and resource navigation. Services are delivered at two physical centers (Summerside and Bloomfield Corner) and at clients' homes, targeting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and neurodivergent youth and adults.

Product overview

Compassion First Care Services is a unified care services organization offering a coordinated portfolio of programs for individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent individuals across Prince Edward Island, Canada. The core offerings include Adult Programs (Adult Day Program and Adult Support Program), Youth Programs (after-school and weekend sessions), and Compassion at Home (in-home support services). Additional specialized services include Sensory Rooms for calming/decompression, Tutoring Services for neurodiverse students, Resource Navigation Sessions, Sensory-Friendly Haircuts, Summer Camp, and Splash with Compassion (inclusive swimming lessons). All programs are designed to support life skills development, socialization, community engagement, and independence for participants from youth (ages 7+) through adulthood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Programs Comprehensive day programs for adults with disabilities and neurodivergent individuals, including life skills training, socialization, community outings, employment programming, and support with daily tasks. Includes the Adult Support Program for higher-functioning adults and the Adult Day Program for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Youth Programs After-school and weekend programs for neurodivergent youth ages 7-18 featuring Motivational Mondays, Terrific Tuesdays, Wednesday Featured Programs, Retro Thursdays, Friday Cooking/Baking/Budgeting sessions, and Saturday Respite (Messy Saturdays) for hands-on experimental activities.
• Compassion at Home In-home support services providing daily housekeeping, weekly refresh cleaning, monthly deep cleans, laundry assistance, appointment transport, errands, groceries, budgeting, body doubling, meal prep, companionship, and small pet care for individuals needing support to maintain independence at home.
• Sensory Rooms Calming spaces for neurodivergent adults and youth to decompress, featuring reduced stimuli with soft lighting and sensory items including hand-painted tactile murals and blacklight effects. Summerside Centre features 'Under the Seas'; Bloomfield Centre features 'In the Forest' (coming soon).
• Tutoring Services Specialized tutoring for neurodiverse students from kindergarten to grade twelve, including 1:1 sessions ($30/hour), small group sessions ($60/hour or $85 for a 2-hour session), GED prep tutoring ($60 per 2 hours), and medical tutoring through the PEI Public Schools Branch for students unable to attend school for medical reasons.
• Sensory-Friendly Haircuts Haircut services designed to accommodate neurodivergent individuals in a sensory-friendly environment.
• Splash with Compassion Inclusive swimming lesson programs designed for children and adults with autism and developmental differences, offering both group and private lessons in a safe, supportive environment.
• Resource Navigation Sessions Assistance helping clients understand which services they are eligible for, identify the best supports for their needs, and navigate available resources.
• Youth Summer Camp Structured summer camp programming for children and teens providing supplemental engagement and care during school break periods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deanne has been caring for a mother with paranoid schizophrenia for a year while helping the caregiver recover from burnout, enabling the caregiver to return to school.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• PEI Public Schools BranchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompassion First partners with the PEI Public Schools Branch to provide medical tutoring for children who cannot attend school for medical reasons. The PSB approves students for the program and approves a school tutor who delivers 1:1 sessions (2–3 hours) at Compassion First's center. Services are billed through PSB or privately at $30/hour.
• Bloomfield Community (local employers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bloomfield Centre partners with local community employers to find spaces to offer employment programming to adult members with intellectual disabilities. This gives clients opportunities to learn job skills such as job training, punctuality, and responsibility while fostering independence.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Living PEI: Community Living PEI is a province-wide nonprofit providing residential, day, and community support services to people with intellectual disabilities across PEI. It is the closest direct peer — competing for the same adult and youth clients, the same government funding, and the same caregiver audience that Compassion First serves.
• Kerry's Place Autism Services: Kerry's Place is one of Ontario's largest autism services providers, offering day programs, respite, residential supports, and employment services across the lifespan. It is a direct peer in operating model — multi-program autism and IDD service delivery — though operating at significantly larger scale in a different province.
• Geneva Centre for Autism: Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto delivers lifespan autism services including day programs, employment supports, and clinical services, with a similar integrated service-portfolio approach to Compassion First. Direct peer in service mix and target population.
• Reena: Reena is a nonprofit serving people with developmental disabilities in the Greater Toronto Area, providing residential, day program, employment, and community support services. Comparable in operating model and target population; differs in geography and scale.

Broad incumbents

• March of Dimes Canada: March of Dimes Canada runs national disability and rehabilitation programs including employment services, accessible housing, and post-stroke recovery support. Broader incumbent with overlapping disability services portfolio but a national, multi-disease focus rather than a neurodivergence specialty.
• Autism Canada: Autism Canada is the national advocacy and information body for autism across Canada. It overlaps with Compassion First's target population but operates primarily in awareness, research funding, and resource navigation rather than direct service delivery.
• YAI (Young Adult Institute): YAI is one of the largest US nonprofits serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with day programs, residential services, employment support, and lifespan clinical services. A broader incumbent in the same operating category.

Regional players

• Pacific Autism Family Network: Pacific Autism Family Network is a British Columbia–based hub offering lifespan autism services including day programs, employment support, and clinical resources. Comparable integrated-service model in a different western Canadian province.
• Kids Inclusive / Early Years Centres (PEI): Publicly funded PEI early childhood and youth inclusion programs that overlap with Compassion First's youth programs and resource navigation services on the same island. Regional peer competing for the same families and provincial funding.

Emerging players

• Spectrum Support: Spectrum Support is a Canadian provider of in-home and community support services for autistic and neurodivergent children and youth. Comparable in service model (in-home/community support, life skills) and target population, though focused on a narrower geography and age band than Compassion First.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Compassion-First-Ltd-100092144320094

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 COMPASSION FIRST LTD