Who We Are

Whether your child isn’t talking, isn’t listening, isn’t keeping up in school or isn’t making friends, Children’s Health Council (CHC) understands how to help.  Call us when you have a concern about how your child is developing, behaving, thinking, feeling or learning.  We’re here to listen, guide you and provide the best solutions available to help your child reach his full potential.

CHC offers assessment and therapeutic and educational support for challenges small and large, brief and chronic.  Additionally, CHC has two schools, Sand Hill School and Esther B. Clark School.  The CHC team is comprised of specialists from nine different disciplines who collaborate under one roof to ensure families get the help they need for their child.  Read about Our Approach.

Mission

Children’s Health Council (CHC) helps children, teens and families find the best ways to learn, develop and thrive. 

Areas of specialty

In addition to addressing a wide range of issues children and teens face, Children’s Health Council (CHC) also has five core areas of expertise:  Parent education, ADHD and inattention, anxiety and depression, autism spectrum disorders and learning challenges.

Specialists

Assistive Technology Specialists, Educational Specialists, Behavioral Specialists, Marriage Family Therapists, Neuropsychologists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Services

Parent education, evaluations, screenings, individual and family therapy, skill building groups for kids, specialized tutoring, parent coaching, and school placement services

Schools

Sand Hill School—Early support for struggling learners (Grades K-3)
Esther B. Clark School—Comprehensive help for complex kids

History

In 1953 Esther B. Clark, MD, Palo Alto pediatrician, founded Children’s Health Council (CHC) to provide families access to multi-discipline, integrated care for their children.

Dr. Clark realized that the needs of disabled Peninsula children were being grossly neglected. To remedy the situation, she started Children’s Health Council with a $10,000 annual budget, a largely volunteer staff and most importantly, her spirited will.

At a time when many disabled children were stigmatized by society and taken away from their families to be treated in institutions, Dr. Clark insisted on keeping the child as a part of the family and treating the family as a unit.  She believed in a family’s ability to provide a nurturing and safe environment for their child. As the community’s needs have evolved, CHC has changed its focus from serving mentally retarded and physically handicapped children to serving children and teens with behavioral, emotional, developmental and learning challenges while continuing to preserve the original spirit of Dr. Clark’s visionary concept of integrated interdisciplinary care.