About First Steps
With a legacy of over 60 years, First Steps is one of the largest providers of services for young children with special needs in the state. Last year First Steps served 994 families throughout all programs and provided 15,472 therapy sessions, demonstrating a tangible contribution to the health of the community.
The mission of First Steps is to educate and care for children with special needs and medical conditions alongside their typically developing peers in inclusive environments and support their families.
Our vision is to:
- Enhance the quality of life for children and their families.
- Eliminate barriers to services for children with special needs.
- Empower families as they seek to meet the needs of their children.
- Improve the community as a whole: child by child, family by family.
- Celebrate each child's unique potential.
First Steps' three programs work together for families as they navigate the challenges of meeting the needs of their children with disabilities, medical diagnoses, and developmental delays.
* In Pediatric Therapy, children receive Physical, Occupational, Speech, and Feeding Therapy at First Steps (ages 0-12).
* The Community Outreach Program supports families by providing parent coaching and learning opportunities for children with disabilities or delays, age birth to four in home-based and other community settings.
* The Child Development Center provides an inclusive learning environment for children ages six weeks to six years, where children with special needs share the classroom with typically developing children.
First Steps stands out as one of very few providers where therapists and classroom teachers are a team in the same facility, creating an inclusive, seamless way to learn. Some families choose to access First Steps’ therapy services outside a classroom environment. Others may need therapy to come into their home or another facility. All of these options are available at First Steps.
60-70% of the families served by First Steps are low to moderate income families. Community partners such as United Way, TennCare and the Tennessee Department of Developmental Disabilities assist in supporting these families along with the fundraising efforts of the agency.
Thank you for supporting the children served by First Steps!
Visit our website at https://firststepsnashville.org/
