About Us

History

The Children's Health Council (CHC) was founded in 1953 by Dr. Esther B. Clark, one of the Bay Area's first pediatricians. Her pioneering spirit lives on as we strive to make a measurable difference in the lives of children and their families who face developmental, behavioral, emotional and learning challenges. CHC believes that all children deserve the opportunity to reach their full emotional, educational and developmental potentials within their own families and communities.

Our Founder
In the early 1950's, Dr. Esther Clark, one of Palo Alto's first pediatricians, realized that the needs of disabled Peninsula children were being grossly neglected. To remedy the situation, she started the 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 a child. As the community's needs have evolved, CHC has changed its focus from serving mentally retarded and physically handicapped children to its current population of children with behavioral, emotional and learning disabilities while continuing to preserve the original spirit of Dr. Clark's visionary concept of integrated interdisciplinary care.