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About us

Compassionate care, tailored to your child

LifeLab Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Ferndale, Michigan. Since 2019 we've helped children of all abilities discover their unique, true potential, with up to ten services in one place and one shared plan.

Meet the team
Two children building a block tower together at LifeLab Kids
Children making music and art together

Our approach

We win when we work together

Children at LifeLab Kids can receive anywhere from one to ten services in one location. We schedule therapies so families make fewer separate trips, and so staff, parents and community partners have more time to plan together. That collaborative time creates consistency between caregivers and providers, and moves each child's goals forward.

501(c)(3)

A nonprofit, and you can check that

Paid team time

Clinicians are paid to plan together

Mission

Helping children of all abilities discover and explore their unique, true potential through evidence-based interventions, therapeutic activities and innovative technologies.

Vision

Supporting children of all abilities to live unlimited lives.

Values

  • Respect for people
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion
  • Empathy & kindness
  • Working together
  • Doing what's right
  • Curiosity & innovation
  • Always improving

Impact

What progress looks like here

Progress here is measured in steps a family can see: a goal that matters at home, broken into pieces small enough to notice. Some of the biggest wins, like a new friend or a calmer morning, don't fit in a number. You'll still see every one.

352Children served
30+Diagnoses we work with
0–26Ages, from infants to young adults
97%Children with 2+ diagnoses

Parent survey

What parents told us

What parents told us in our latest family survey.

  • 100%say their child is more confident practicing life skills
  • 100%say their child has more skills to become independent
  • 100%of social group families say their child feels a stronger sense of community
  • 94%say their child’s new skills carry over to school and home
  • 94%say their family feels more supported and understood
  • 88%say their child can better manage feelings in hard moments
  • 86%say their child learned skills to make friends

GROW initiative

Growth Requires Overall Wellness

In 2020 we launched GROW to close the gaps that keep children from the support they need. It rests on four pillars of wellness, the same as for any child, though the path there can look different.

01

Mental health

The challenge

Children with developmental disabilities face higher rates of anxiety, depression and school-related distress, and some find it hard to express how they feel.

Our solution

Counseling plus ABA, art, music and technology, coordinated in one plan for each child.

02

Social connection

The challenge

Children with disabilities are often left out socially, and isolation can slow communication and harm physical and mental health.

Our solution

Small social groups built around recreation, art, music and technology, led by trained therapists and licensed counselors.

03

Physical health

The challenge

Higher rates of obesity and diabetes, and on average a 20-year shorter life expectancy, linked to limited activity and nutrition education.

Our solution

Our Create Health Literacy program: recreational therapy, a sensory garden and therapeutic playpark, and kitchens for feeding therapy and nutrition education.

04

Financial health

The challenge

About 60% of adults are employed after the pandemic, but only about 30% of adults with disabilities, and few training programs start before 18.

Our solution

A pre-vocational program, still growing, for ages 11–19: technology, culinary, money and workplace skills, with partners who open career paths.

Friends & collaborators

Thank you to our supporters

Foundations, companies and neighbors fund the hour our clinicians spend building one plan for each child, and the gym, park and garden where the work happens.

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation
  • Carls Foundation
  • The Children’s Foundation
  • Comerica Charitable Giving Foundation
  • Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
  • Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation
  • Ethel & James Flinn Foundation
  • Ferndale Community Foundation
  • Garrett-Sobey Family Fund
  • Herrick Foundation
  • Pulte Family Charitable Foundation
  • Sills Foundation
  • Ted Lindsay Foundation
  • United Jewish Foundation
  • Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds

Take a tour of our space

Tour the gym, the Play Park and the garden, and ask us anything about how we work.

Schedule a Tour