History
Challenged Child and Friends was born when occupational therapist Jean Willers began providing services for a young boy who had been critically injured in an automobile accident. In 1985, the organization incorporated as a non-profit, offering educational, nursing, and family support services in addition to physical, occupational and speech therapy. In 1992 Challenged Child and Friends became a fully inclusive program serving children with disabilities alongside their typically developing peers. The program, which was originally housed at Gainesville First Baptist Church, outgrew those facilities as more families of children with disabilities became aware of its services. The program moved to Murphy Boulevard where it quickly outgrew that location, resulting in a new state-of-the-art facility being built in 2000 at 2360 Murphy Boulevard. The new facility was expanded in 2003. Over the past 25 years, enrollment has increased, reaching out to serve children from 12 counties across nort
Specialties
Challenged Child and Friends, an accredited nonprofit organization, offers a tailored and integrated experience where children with special needs learn and grow in a full inclusion program with children who have typical development. CCAF begins serving children as young as six weeks of age up to six years. With a staff to student ratio that averages one-to-four, individualized programs occur for all students enrolled. Our