PlayDate Behavioral Interventions

Background Statement

PlayDate Behavioral Interventions is a nonprofit organization providing a variety of services to families raising children with disabilities. All of our therapy services are based on applied behavior analysis which is a set of highly researched and proven principles used to teach skills and decrease challenging behaviors. Christina Nulk began PlayDate in April 2007 with 4 students receiving applied behavior analysis therapy in a social skills group and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in December 2007 in order to provide services to low-income families and to those who have exhausted all other funding sources. Implementing high-quality behavioral/developmental programs that are research-based can be very expensive, leaving many families to face funding obstacles when seeking essential services for their child with a disability.

Initially, we addressed the gap between obtaining services and paying for services by providing applied behavioral analysis therapy only in a group-based setting. This allowed families to receive some services at a fairly low tuition rate. Ms. Nulk also had a private practice at that time which provided a variety of services. Seeing so many families in need of services and unable to afford the costs, Christina closed her private practice and devoted all her time to PlayDate. The organization began doing business as PlayDate Behavioral Interventions and expanded the services offered to include one-on-one therapy, social skills, teen group, support groups, educational placement, respite, and training for parents. The organization also started the Andersen Scholarship Program to provide funding to families struggling to pay for essential services.