Signal Centers, Inc.

Mission:

To strengthen children, adults and families through services focusing on disabilities, early childhood education and self-sufficiency.

Vision:

A community that fosters lifelong independence for children, adults and families.

Our Core Values:

Respect. Integrity.  Teamwork.  Innovation.  Stewardship.

Signal Centers, Inc. is a community based 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1957. When Signal Centers opened its doors, our program consisted of nine children with cerebral palsy, one small classroom, and a common goal to help individuals with disabilities achieve a life of self-sufficiency. More than 60 years later, our goal has not changed. We now serve thousands of families and individuals every year through services that include: a child care center, assessments, case management for families who are pregnant or have a young child to help them meet their goals, home-based services for young children with disabilities, Adult Day Services for adults with disabilities and older adults, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Hamilton County Tennessee, Assistive Technology Services, the Hart Gallery for underserved individuals to make and sell their art, Camps for children, students, and young adults with disabilities, coaching for the staff of child care facilities, information for parents, a program for TANF-eligible individuals who are interested in working in the field of early childhood education, and a separate program that pays salary supplements to those in the field of early education.

• Adult Day Services – A social and recreation-based program for individuals with disabilities.
• Assistive Technology Services – Assessments, equipment demonstrations, device loans, a toy lending library, and a reutilization/refurbishment program to promote the incorporation of technology in the lives of people with disabilities.
• CCR&R – Free resources for parents, child care educators, employers and the communities who support quality care and development for our children.
• Children’s Services – Center-based and home-based programs for children six weeks to five years of age to prepare children for Kindergarten and lifelong learning.
• Family Forward – Intensive Case Management, mentoring, coaching and various types of support to expectant mothers and families, and/or families with young children, who live in low-income communities in Chattanooga or have circumstances such as being unhoused or experiencing domestic violence. There is a special focus on pregnant teens and teen parents, and curriculum for fathers. Services are free and voluntary.
• Hart Gallery – A creative home for artists coming from varied underserved backgrounds and circumstances: those experiencing homelessness, living with mental and physical disabilities, disabled veterans, women fleeing abusive situations, political refugees, and others.
• WAGE$ – An education-based salary supplement program for child care educators employed in DHS Licensed Child Care agencies.
• Work Ready – Support TANF-eligible individuals with at least a high school education or GED/HiSET, and at least one child 18 years old or younger, to quickly gain paid internships and college education, to prepare for employment in the licensed child care industry.
• Imagination Library – Free books for children birth through their fifth birthday
• Camps – Summer camps, and camps occasionally at other times of the year, for children, students and young adults with various disabilities, divided appropriately by age.  There are camps for those who are blind or have low vision, for those who use communication devices to communicate, and for elementary-age children with various disabilities.
• Assessments – Assessments for very young children in all of East Tennessee who may have a developmental delay or disability