PresenceLearning

PresenceLearning provides comprehensive teletherapy and remote assessment solutions designed for K-12 special education and mental health services. The company develops customized programs leveraging its specialized clinical network and the Kanga teletherapy platform. These services encompass speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, psychoeducational assessments, and mental health counseling, all aimed at expanding access to critical support for students.

The company was founded in 2009 by Clay Whitehead and Jack Lynch. Their initial insight stemmed from recognizing the challenges schools faced in adequately serving special education students. They sought to address these needs by enabling remote access to high-quality therapy and assessment, thus bridging gaps in service delivery for educational institutions.

PresenceLearning primarily serves K-12 school districts across the nation, working to ensure that students with diverse needs receive timely and effective support. The company’s vision is centered on empowering those who serve children with diverse needs, operating with principles of empathy, expertise, equity, and purposeful innovation. It strives to enhance educational outcomes by making specialized services accessible.

High-Level Overview

PresenceLearning, now known as Presence, is a leading provider of teletherapy and digital platform solutions for PreK-12 schools, delivering live online speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, mental health counseling, behavioral interventions, psychoeducational assessments, and early childhood services.[1][2][3][4] The company serves over 10,000 schools and districts nationwide through a network of more than 2,000 licensed clinicians, addressing clinician shortages for the 7 million U.S. students with individualized education plans (IEPs) by enabling remote access to tailored services.[3][4][5] It has delivered over 7 million sessions, raised $63.8 million in funding including a $27 million Series D led by Bain Capital Double Impact, and generates around $55.6 million in revenue, with strong growth accelerated by COVID-19-driven remote learning demands.[2][3][6]

Origin Story

Founded in 2009 as Presence Telecare (later rebranded to PresenceLearning and then Presence), the company emerged from the recognition of nationwide shortages in qualified clinicians for special education students, aiming to empower remote therapy to expand access.[1][3][5] Headquartered initially in San Francisco with current operations in New York, it started by connecting speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and other specialists via a proprietary online platform to K-12 schools.[2][3][6] Early traction built through delivering over 1 million sessions by the mid-2010s, evolving amid the COVID-19 pandemic into a comprehensive MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) solution integrating teletherapy, assessments, and partnerships like Move This World for emotional wellness.[1][3] Pivotal moments include securing growth funding in 2021 and expanding to mental health services, supporting hundreds of districts with uninterrupted remote care during school closures.[3]

Core Differentiators

• Clinician-Centric Platform: A modern, award-winning digital therapy tool built by clinicians for clinicians, featuring scheduling, documentation, customizable games, assessments, and therapy activities to reduce administrative burden and enhance student engagement.[1][4][5]
• Nationwide Network Scale: Over 2,000 licensed providers offering flexible, on-demand teletherapy across speech, OT, mental health, behavior, and evaluations, enabling schools to fill staffing gaps, clear backlogs, and serve diverse needs remotely.[2][3][4]
• Proven Impact and Integration: Delivered 7M+ sessions to 10,000+ schools; seamless MTSS alignment with partners for Tier 1-2 interventions; parent-approved with tools for home/school access.[1][3][4][5]
• Flexibility for Providers and Schools: Work-on-your-terms model for clinicians with income opportunities and community support; schools gain end-to-end clinical support, professional development, and contingency planning for hybrid learning.[3][4][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Presence rides the telehealth wave in education, capitalizing on post-COVID shifts to hybrid learning and the chronic U.S. shortage of special education clinicians amid 7 million IEP students.[1][3] Timing aligns with market forces like rising mental health needs in schools, regulatory support for teletherapy, and edtech investments—evidenced by $27M Series D funding and board additions like Jessie Woolley-Wilson for scaling.[3][6] It influences the ecosystem by standardizing remote special education delivery, partnering for comprehensive wellness (e.g., Move This World), and enabling equitable access in underserved areas, reducing barriers like geography and staffing.[1][4][5]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Presence is poised for expansion as schools prioritize mental health, SEL, and flexible staffing amid ongoing clinician shortages and edtech maturation. Trends like AI-enhanced therapy tools, deeper MTSS integrations, and federal education funding will shape growth, potentially pushing sessions beyond 10M and revenue past $100M.[4][5][6] Its influence may evolve toward full-spectrum student support platforms, influencing how districts build resilient, tech-enabled special education—transforming access from reactive fixes to proactive ecosystems, much like its founding vision of empowering clinicians remotely.[3][5]