Therapy and Learning Center

What Therapy and Learning Center does

Therapy and Learning Center, Inc. (TLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered at 1723 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Operating under a New York State 4410 Special Education preschool designation, TLC delivers integrated early childhood education and therapeutic services to preschool children ages 3–5, including those with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities referred through the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). The organization serves both children with special needs and typically developing preschoolers in a culturally diverse environment with instruction delivered in English, Spanish, Arabic, and other languages.

The center operates 13 classrooms across a four-story, ADA-compliant building with rooftop playground, sensory integration room, and indoor gross motor space, staffed by more than 80 personnel including 13 dual-certified New York State Special Education and Early Childhood Education teachers, nearly 30 licensed teacher assistants, a full-time Registered Nurse, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, a School Psychologist, a School Social Worker, and board-certified Music Therapists. Service offerings include self-contained classrooms operating at 12:1:2 or 8:1:2 student-to-staff ratios, on-site CPSE evaluations that produce NYC Department of Education-issued Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), a full suite of therapy services (Physical, Occupational, Speech-Language, Play, and Music Therapy), assistive technology integration (communication devices, smart boards, visual schedules, tablet-based learning apps) built on the Creative Curriculum framework, and a parent training library.

TLC's business model is fundamentally a government-funded services model rather than a commercial SaaS or tuition-driven model. All CPSE-qualified children's services are provided and paid for by the NYC Department of Education, with funding originating from the NYS Department of Education and administered through NYC DOE's Division of Early Childhood Education. The organization reports an annual operating budget of approximately $5 million, supplemented by fundraising, tax-deductible donations, employer matching gifts, and in-kind contributions. Distribution is exclusively via the CPSE referral pipeline in Brooklyn, with tours and inquiries handled directly by TLC staff; there is no evidence of multi-site operations, geographic expansion, or commercial scaling beyond this single facility.

Name

Therapy and Learning Center

Legal name

Therapy and Learning Center, Inc.

Website

https://tlckids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Therapy and Learning Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 4410 Special Education preschool in Brooklyn, NY, serving children ages 3–5 with integrated early childhood education, on-site therapeutic services, and assistive technology, funded primarily through NYC Department of Education CPSE contracts and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Preschool Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACABAO

Therapeutic & Developmental Preschools (Specialized Support)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

SECONDARYHLAFAJAL

Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Women’s & Children’s Health Providers

SECONDARYEDACAAAH

Inclusive / Special-Needs Childcare Centers

Education/Early Childhood Education/Daycare & Childcare Centers

SECONDARYEDAKAFAJ

Early Intervention OT (Birth–3) / Preschool OT

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Occupational Therapy (OT) & Sensory Integration Services

SECONDARYEDACAFAG

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Intervention & Developmental Services (0–5)

Keywords

• Special education preschool
• Early childhood education
• Preschool therapy services
• CPSE provider services
• Assistive technology education

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funded Services (CPSE): TLC is a New York State CPSE provider. Children found to qualify for CPSE Services receive IEPs, and all TLC services are provided and paid for by the NYC Department of Education. TLC has a partnership with Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) and Division of Early Childhood Education (NYCDOE).
2. Fundraising and Donations: TLC relies heavily on fundraising and monetary donations to enhance programming. Accepts cash donations, matching gifts from employers, stock/securities donations, life insurance and retirement fund beneficiaries, and in-kind contributions. EIN: 113015277, 501(c)(3) status.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Therapy and Learning Center is a 4410 Special Education preschool that provides integrated early childhood education and therapeutic services for children ages 3–5 in Brooklyn, NY. Programs include self-contained special education classrooms, CPSE evaluations, on-site therapy (Physical, Occupational, Speech-Language, Play, and Music), and assistive technology, all funded through the NYC Department of Education for eligible children.

Product overview

Therapy and Learning Center (TLC) is a 4410 Special Education preschool provider offering a unified early childhood education program for children ages 3–5 in Brooklyn, NY. The core offering spans Pre-School Programs (3–5 Years) built on the Creative Curriculum, supported by Self-Contained Classrooms (in 12:1:2 and 8:1:2 ratios), Pre-School Evaluation via CPSE, Therapy Services (Physical, Occupational, Speech-Language, Play, and Music Therapy), and Assistive Technology (communication devices, smart boards, visual schedules, tablet apps). Parent Trainings — both live and recorded — complement the program. All services are funded through the NYC Department of Education for eligible children, with fundraising supplementing the $5 million budget. The organization operates 13 classrooms across a four-story building with over 80 staff members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-School Programs (3–5 Years) Culturally diverse early childhood education for three- and four-year-olds, delivered in English, Spanish, Arabic and other languages, using the research-based Creative Curriculum to build cognitive, literacy, and social skills for kindergarten readiness.
• Self-Contained Classrooms Specialized classrooms for children with special needs providing high support ratios — 12:1:2 (twelve children, one teacher, two teacher assistants) or 8:1:2 (eight children, one teacher, two teacher assistants) — offering pre-academic, science, math, early literacy, music instruction, enrichment activities, and social skill building.
• Pre-School Evaluation (CPSE) Initial Committee for Preschool Special Education (CPSE) evaluation conducted by TLC's interdisciplinary team to identify significant delays or disabilities in cognitive, language, communication, adaptive behavior, social, emotional, or motor development, resulting in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) issued by the NYC Department of Education.
• Therapy Services On-site therapeutic services including Physical Therapy (gross motor skills and independence), Occupational Therapy (fine motor, sensory, and daily living skills), Speech-Language Therapy (language processing, articulation, pragmatics, feeding), Play Therapy (emotional regulation and coping), and Music Therapy (board-certified MT-BC) for self-expression and social-emotional development.
• Assistive Technology Empowering preschoolers with assistive technology including communication devices, smart boards, visual schedules, and tablet-based learning apps to foster independence, communication, and engagement, creating inclusive learning environments.
• Parent Trainings Parent education programs including upcoming live trainings and a library of training recordings covering transitions (Turning 5), CPSE vs. CSE processes, and due process topics for families of children with special needs.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cool CulturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTLC partners with Cool Culture to support family engagement in art and culture throughout New York City. Cool Culture provides families with FREE admission to 90 NYC museums, gardens, historical societies, and zoos via the Cool Culture Family Pass. TLC hosts family festivals and family programs. Gretel Scott and Lynne Koehler Lewis serve as Cool Culture Liaisons.
• NYC Department of EducationcoreOthersTLC is a New York State CPSE provider. The NYC Department of Education issues IEPs for qualifying children and pays for all TLC services. Funds for CPSE are from NYS Department of Education and streamlined through NYC DOE.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Aaron School: NYC special education school serving students with learning and developmental needs through integrated therapeutic and academic programming, comparable to TLC's interdisciplinary approach in a private special-ed setting.
• QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community): NYC-based nonprofit serving children and adults with autism, including preschool and school-age educational and therapeutic services that compete for the same CPSE/CSE-eligible families in the five boroughs.
• Yeled v'Yalda Early Childhood Center: Brooklyn-based 4410 preschool and early childhood special education provider offering integrated CPSE evaluations and related services; most directly comparable by geography, CPSE designation, and integrated therapy model.
• Cooke Center Academy & Programs: NYC nonprofit operating special education preschool and school-age programs with integrated related services and assistive technology, directly comparable to TLC's CPSE classroom and therapy model.

Emerging players

• Include Autism: Specialized special-education and therapy programs for children with autism and related disabilities in NYC, comparable as a niche CPSE/CSE-adjacent provider overlapping TLC's targeted population.

Broad incumbents

• AHRC New York City: Large NYC nonprofit providing a broad portfolio of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including early childhood and school-age programs that overlap with TLC's CPSE preschool services.
• HeartShare Human Services: Brooklyn-headquartered human services agency operating early childhood, special education, and disability programs across NYC, comparable as a larger Brooklyn nonprofit serving similar CPSE/CSE populations.
• Hamaspik: New York-area nonprofit network providing early childhood, special education, and developmental disability services under OPWDD and education funding streams, comparable as a larger regional provider of CPSE-style services.

Regional players

• Special Needs Network (SNN): Los Angeles-area nonprofit providing early intervention, preschool, and therapy services for children with developmental delays and disabilities; comparable operating model but operates in a different geography.
• Sinergia / Metropolitan Center for Culturally Responsive Therapeutic & Educational Services: NYC-based nonprofit serving children and adults with developmental disabilities through culturally responsive, multilingual special education and therapy services, comparable as a Brooklyn peer offering CPSE-style integrated supports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Therapy and Learning Center