Announcing nationwide partnership with Kids ‘R’ Kids to support their 35,000 children in over 170 franchised academies 

Clay is unrolling a multi-state partnership with Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, one of the largest franchising systems supporting individually owned and operated preschools in the US and around the globe.

Clay, a virtual behavioral health solution for young children, today announced its nationwide partnership with Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, a preschool franchise that cares for 35,000 children a day in over 170 Franchised Academies across the country. 

Early education centers are on the frontlines of care for young children and they feel the acute pain of the growing behavioral health crisis. This partnership acknowledges the important role and responsibility preschools have in supporting families at the earliest onset of a behavioral and developmental issue. By partnering with Clay, Kids ‘R’ Kids is making an important stand in the industry. 

Every family at Kids ‘R’ Kids now has access to a powerful behavioral support system at their fingertips through this partnership. In addition to the support we provide to families, Clay provides professional development to teachers, directors, and administrators at Kids ‘R’ Kids so that the entire ecosystem around a child feels supported and resourced when it comes to navigating behavioral health. 

The founding philosophy of Kids ‘R’ Kids is happy children are better prepared for school achievement, healthy relationships, and success in life, they should be loved unconditionally and taught with kindness. By focusing on all parts of development including character, intellect, creativity, and physical growth, they use the whole-child approach to ensure each child’s success. This mission made the partnership with Clay a no-brainer for their franchise. 

 At Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies our vision is to pioneer and develop learning that encourages generations to cherish and impact their world. In our current climate we have seen more children struggling with mental health and anxiety than before. As early educators we are constantly looking for innovative ways of connecting with our children and helping families cope with challenging behaviors. This is why we are so excited to be partnering with Clay.  Early intervention in the preschool setting is key to helping families and teachers form a support system to help children build confidence, curb challenging behaviors, and develop a lifelong love of learning. By partnering with Clay, we believe we have found a piece of our puzzle that will impact children’s social and emotional health and help us to better embrace the whole child.

– Sasha Vinson

Chief Operating Officer at Kids ‘R’ Kids Corporate

Starting today, Clay will serve as the behavioral health partner to the entire Kids ‘R’ Kids community (students, parents, teachers, administrators), with comprehensive behavioral health services including developmental and behavioral screening for early identification, personalized strategies, and behavioral support to drive better outcomes both at home and in the classroom, and proactive professional development training for behavioral health.

 To support one of the largest childcare operators in the country is an incredibly exciting milestone for Clay! With this partnership, we will be able to support the over 170 locations in the United States and have the opportunity to provide powerful behavioral & developmental support to the more than 35,000 children that are a part of the Kids ‘R’ Kids community. 

– Lee Rotenberg

CEO and cofounder of Clay

About the team

Founded by repeat technology entrepreneurs Lee Rotenberg, Alex Schinasi and Omri Mendellevich, Clay is joined by a team of best-in-class clinicians with decades of experience at leading institutions such as Boston Children’s Hospital,  NYU Langone and the Family Institute at Northwestern. They are backed by healthcare thought leaders like Jonathan Bush of Athenahealth & Zus, Mark Frank of Sondermind and Scott Flanders of eHealth.

About the Product

Clay’s product allows for schools and their families to access a behavioral care team on demand when behavioral concerns arise. Their proprietary technology automatically assigns age-appropriate developmental & behavioral screeners, scores results and creates meaningful behavioral health assessments with care navigation on what to do next and evidence-based strategies to address the concern. The platform also powers teacher groups and parent groups moderated by behavioral coaches for immediate support.

The Clay app allows educators and families to keep a pulse of children’s behavioral and developmental challenges and to enable points of intervention when needed.

To learn more, contact [email protected]