Organizations Filed Purposes:
THE MISSION OF FIRST STEPS, INC. 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.
FIRST STEPS PROVIDES EDUCATION AND THERAPEUTIC SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATING IN OUR SERVICES, CHILDREN MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARD DEVELOPMENTAL GOALS. WE CREATE STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES THAT BUILD FOUNDATIONS FOR THEIR LONG TERM SUCCESS.
SINCE 1957, FIRST STEPS HAS SERVED CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS WHILE SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES. WE SERVE FAMILIES FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS AND ETHNICITIES.OUR INCLUSIVE MCWHORTER FAMILY CHILDREN'S CENTER OFFERS FULL TIME CARE AND EDUCATION TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ALONGSIDE THEIR TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PEERS AGES SIX WEEKS TO FIVE YEARS. OUR STAFF IS HIGHLY TRAINED AND PROVIDES EACH CHILD THE INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION THEY NEED, RECOGNIZING THAT EACH CHILD HAS A DISTINCT SET OF STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES. OUR STAFF REPORTS DAILY TO PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS VIA TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD ON THEIR CHILD'S PROGRESS, WHILE PROVIDING TOOLS TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON SKILLS IN THEIR HOME ENVIRONMENT. FIRST STEPS PROVIDES OUR CHILDREN WITH A CURRICULUM RICH IN LITERACY AND DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS THAT PROVIDE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR ACHIEVEMENT LATER IN LIFE.THE FIRST STEPS COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM CONSISTS OF SKILLED DEVELOPMENTAL THERAPISTS THAT TRAVEL TO A CHILD'S HOME, CHILDCARE CENTER OR OTHER NATURAL SETTING TO SPEND TIME EACH WEEK IN PLAY BASED INTERVENTIONS GEARED TOWARDS THE CHILD'S GOALS. WORKING WITH PARENTS AND OTHER CAREGIVERS IN THESE NATURAL SETTINGS AND COACHING THEM TO UTILIZE THESE TECHNIQUES IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PROGRAM. THE AYUNDANDO NINOS (HELPING CHILDREN) PROGRAM IS A PART OF THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM THAT WORKS WITH CHILDREN FROM LATINO FAMILIES AS WELL AS OTHER CULTURES, OFFERING INTERPRETERS TO ASSIST IN COMMUNICATING WITH CAREGIVERS. WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN OFFERING THE VERY BEST TRAINING TO OUR STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABREAST OF NEW TECHNIQUES AND EVALUATION TOOLS TO ENSURE EACH CHILD RECEIVES THE VERY BEST.OUR THERAPY PROGRAM OFFERS OCCUPATIONAL, SPEECH/LANGUAGE, PHYSICAL, AND FEEDING THERAPIES TO CHILDREN UP TO AGE 12 IN OUR MCWHORTER FAMILY CHILDRENS CENTER. OVER THE PAST YEAR, OVER 4,760 THERAPY SESSIONS WERE PROVIDED.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Heather Higgins | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 37.5 | $127,805 |
| Karla Garig | DIR. OF FINANCE | 37.5 | $75,435 |
| Kelli J Hazen | DIR. OF OPERATIONS | 37.5 | $69,033 |
| Chelsea Freemon | DIR. OF DEVELOPMENT | 37.5 | $4,370 |
| Meredith Collins | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Christy Farrell | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Julie Maloney | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Emily Childers | SECRETARY | 1 | $0 |
| Hank Clay | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Will Caldwell | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| David Wedemeyer | PRESIDENT | 1 | $0 |
| Emily Runzo | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Phil Groves | TREASURER | 1 | $0 |
| Bahar Azhdari | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Jon Harris | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Harlow Sumerford | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Kathy Medlin | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Matt Eskind | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Kristy Frazier | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Travis Walters | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Stuart Burkhalter | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
| Jay Davis | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202131339349305563_public.xml