Dear Friend of WonderLab,

We are writing today because we want to be candid about what goes on behind the scenes at WonderLab. We often share about the INCREDIBLE progress kiddos make while here, or the fun activities we plan for families, but we rarely let you know when we are struggling. But today, we’d like to be transparent about the current challenges we are facing.

We imagined that once COVID restrictions let up we would let out the giant breath we’d been holding. We were so excited to move toward “normal” life without the constant changes and potential dangers. But we find ourselves still holding that deep breath and wondering about our future.

The need for therapists in our area has exploded. Like many industries, we are struggling to find staffing. We have lost a substantial portion of our workforce over the past 8 months due to other settings offering never before seen salaries and time-off benefits. Unfortunately, an outpatient setting receives a fraction of what school settings receive in reimbursement for services. This puts us at a significant disadvantage. WonderLab excels in the intangibles for employees. It offers an incredible work culture and environment (not to mention we work with the best kids in the world), but we just can’t compete with the pay of a school district setting.

This is one reason why we opened as a non-profit organization. We knew we would likely need to lean on our community to keep our doors open. The need has never been as great as it is now. WonderLab has over 400 children on the waiting list for needed therapy services. Families regularly wait 6 months to a year for services. It’s heartbreaking especially since we know that early intervention is what makes the most difference with developmental progress.

This is where you come in! We are asking our community to choose us as a Lab Partner by committing to a monthly donation. Remember back in school when choosing a good lab partner meant choosing someone who’d share the work? We promise to do our part! Donation money will be used for recruiting and retaining employees, paying our rent and utilities – you know, the not so glamourous expenses that are the backbone to allowing us to continue to serve. In exchange we vow to be a great lab partner by doing the heavy lifting of providing therapy… and turning in our homework on time!

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and for any donation. Please help us to expand our reach by sharing this opportunity with your generous family and friends! We appreciate you!

Here’s to us, Lab Partner, and to a long and successful life of WonderLab!

Kindly,

WonderLab