About Us - Children's Center for Therapy and Learning Center

Nikki, Leighanne, Brandy and Chelsea celebrating another year at CCTL! Love our crew!

Steven, Brandy, Nikki, Leighanne, Kattie, Sorraya, Chelsea and Jase

The Children’s Center for Therapy and Learning is a unique multi-disciplinary private practice that utilizes a family centered team approach to help children to maximize their potentials. We design individualized programs, building upon each child’s strengths while conducting therapy in a quiet, personal environment. The Center offers a variety of therapies and programs that utilize the latest techniques and research to help children to feel successful and achieve their goals. All therapies are offered in the Center as well as at the child’s home, school or daycare center. Most private insurance is accepted. The Children’s Center is an in network provider for Aetna and Humana, we are happy to assist families in billing insurances that we are not in network providers with.

Meet The Owner

Steven Sanford, MOT/L received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 1993 and his Masters in Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in 2000. After working in pediatrics in the Miami area for the last 16 years, he took over ownership of The Children’s Center in 2016. “I had been traveling to schools and homes all over Miami and felt it was time to have a Center based practice where I could implement more programs and provide a sensory integrative approach using more equipment. I was so blessed to have found this opportunity to take over such an incredible practice and join this team of amazing, dedicated therapists. Right time, right place!”

Brandy – Office Manager

Brandy is our bilingual queen of everything! If you call the center she will take care of you.

Rachel – Speech Language Pathologist

Rachel received her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of South Florida and her Masters of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University. She began as a special needs teacher assistant where she focused on behavior management and working with children with developmental delays and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has proudly been a Speech Language Pathologist since August 2017. She has been so fortunate to have worked with children of all ages and with a variety of speech, language, and communication disorders. She loves helping individuals and families in our community engage in meaningful communication to live their happiest lives.

Nikki Wall – Occupational Therapist

Nikki is one of our tremendous OT’s! She is caring, creative and loves what she does. She has extensive experience working with children with ASD, SPD, Focus and Attention as well as school related issues such as handwriting and fine motor difficulties and much more. We love our Nikkers here at the Children’s Center!

Tracey Heldenmuth – Occupational Therapist

Tracey rounds out our OT team with years of experience working with conditions of all kinds. Her experience with SPD provides an invaluable resource to all of us at the Children’s Center.

Nichola Baird- Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

My name is Nichola Baird. I am a licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant in Florida and Washington in the United States. I graduated from Keiser University in 2015 as an Occupational Therapist Assistant. I embarked on my career in Washington state where I started my diverse experience delivering high occupational therapy services in various settings from school-based to geriatric care. My passion is in treating children, with a primary focus on helping children and families be as independent as possible. I have experience working with a multitude of diagnoses and a primary interest in those related to motor and neurodevelopmental dysfunction such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and acquired inquiry. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and biking. ” Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~Confucius

Chelsea Mitchell – Speech Language Pathologist

Chelsea is our amazing Speech Therapist who has a tender loving touch with her clients and the knowledge to work with any diagnosis presented. The Children’s Center is lucky to have her. Ask around, you won’t find anyone better!

Cindy Dayton Eisenberg M.S. CCC/SLP

Cindy has over 20 years of pediatric experience treating patients from 0 to 21 with a variety of speech, language and communication disorders. She has practiced in multiple settings from private practice, school based (elementary and middle), and early intervention programs focusing on 0-3 and 3-5 year old children. She has a B.S. from Wilkes University and a M.S. in Communication Disorders from California State University, East Bay. Also, she’s the Senior VP for a Florida based 501c3 charity, Reading with Erma, which promotes literacy with elementary school children.

Rachel Cohen – Physical Therapist

Leighanne Hoskins – Educational Specialist

Leighanne provides one to one tutoring for all school related learning difficulties. She has extensive experience with reading issues including dyslexia. To find out more about her services call the center to discuss.

Ursula Martinez – Behavior Specialist

Client Testimonies

Alissa Nelson reviewed Children’s Center for Therapy and Learning — 5 star

June 24, 2017

My son started OT with Steven and I have seen him improve so much already. When my son had an OT evaluation, I was completely shocked at how amazing he did on it. This was from the hard work that Steven has worked with my son.

Netta Shaked reviewed Children’s Center for Therapy and Learning — 5 star

December 14, 2016

Steven Sanford is an incredible clinician, one who I would trust with my own children. He is well trained, he is sensitive to different families’ needs, and he is very approachable–all of which speaks to his success as an occupational therapist and children’s center owner. I recommend him to my patients and to my acquaintances, without reservation. You’re in great hands with Steven and with his staff.

Dr. Netta Shaked, South Beach Psychologist

Joyce Herman reviewed Children’s Center for Therapy and Learning— 5 star

March 14

Steven Sanford took amazing care of our daughter when she was 3 and 4 years old. We had been told that she would likely graduate with a special diploma instead of a regular diploma. Steven and his staff encouraged us to keep fighting for her. They did an incredible job! I am proud to say that my 18 year old daughter is currently a high school senior taking honors and AP courses. She is also an intern and is a counselor for young children in a youth group every weekend. This accomplished young woman is headed for the University of Florida in the fall. We can’t thank Steven enough!

January 05, 2011

Posted by Sabrina My two year old son went to the Children’s Center after spending a year at another therepy center. The first couple of weeks I saw a difference in my son. Dana, the Director, is amazing. She is not only a great speech pathologist but she also knows about other therapies. After a couple of visits she told me that my son was exhibiting immature hand posture and low muscle tone. She urged me to get an OT and PT evaluation. We found that my son was also significantly delayed in these areas as well. I went to see a Neorologist who within our 20 minute session diagnosed my son with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I told Dana the diagnosis and without hesitation she STRONGLY disagreed. She then urged me to get an MRI. So I did just that and thank goodness we did. The MRI found a cyst in my son’s brain. The cyst was putting pressure on the brain stem and shifted the midline of the brain. This surgeons believe this may be the cause of my … to the Children’s Center after spending a year at another therepy center. The first couple of weeks I saw a difference in my son. Dana, the Director, is amazing. She is not only a great speech pathologist but she also knows about other therapies. After a couple of visits she told me that my son was exhibiting immature hand posture and low muscle tone. She urged me to get an OT and PT evaluation. We found that my son was also significantly delayed in these areas as well. I went to see a Neorologist who within our 20 minute session diagnosed my son with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I told Dana the diagnosis and without hesitation she STRONGLY disagreed. She then urged me to get an MRI. So I did just that and thank goodness we did. The MRI found a cyst in my son’s brain. The cyst was putting pressure on the brain stem and shifted the midline of the brain. This surgeons believe this may be the cause of my son’s delays! It takes a lot of confidence and courage to tell someone not to go with what a neurologist says…most people would have found a new SP. Thank you Dana for advocating for my son. The world needs more professionals like you who care more about the patient and less about the financial benefit.

August 10, 2009
Posted by One Mom “Our boys made great progress, the training you provided to us at the end as well as the feedback were really helpful. We would like to come back next year”

August 09, 2008
Posted by One Mom “My son made great progress and is thriving in his new class. At the end of last school year it was recommended that he start this school year with a shadow, but now thankfully that is not going to be necessary. He is functioning well in a typical classroom without any additional support.”

November 19, 2008
Posted by One Mom After originally starting my daughter with another therapy center (for her speech, or lack there of), I moved my daughter to Children’s Center for Therapy & Learning and couldn’t be happier with her progress. My daughter has been going to Children’s Center for just under a years time. The improvement we have seen is truly amazing. I have had parents at my daughters school approach me as well as her teacher to tell me how verbal she has become,how well her speech has improved etc…. The facility is always clean and inviting. The staff is professional and friendly.

August 28, 2008
Posted by One Mom “The changes in my child were tremendous. I received a call from my child’s school this year and I was so worried that they were going to say something bad like last year. They asked me what I did this summer and I told them about your camp, they now want to see if you can come to my son’s school to work with the other children”

February 08, 2007
Posted by One Mom “Children’s Center For Therapy & Learning … our 2-year-old was not talking at all and we have seen great progress since starting therapy here… a nice, spacious facility… a wonderful new therapy room has a great rock climbing wall and other exciting therapy tools… a warm loving …”?

April 07, 2005
Posted by One Mom “Professional, team-approach services for all of your needs. Speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, tutoring, behavior intervention, psychotherapy. Warm loving environment. Knowledgeable staff. We have seen incredible results with our children’s speech.”

March 23, 2004
Posted by One Mom Not doctor, but speech therapist. Excellent and reasonable.