Our History

In the mid 1990’s, a woman named Theresa Woodard left a large donation to the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) with instructions that it be used “to help children with disabilities.” Marjory Kaplan, JCF CEO, decided to involve Gayle and Don Slate who, at the time, were new San Diego residents and parents of a child with cerebral palsy. Understanding the isolation faced by families who have children with disabilities, Gayle had a vision to help kids with disabilities feel more included in their communities.

A partnership was established with the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) in San Diego to host an inclusive summer camp. Mary Shea was hired to create and direct the program. Mary was an experienced occupational therapist who had previously directed a three-year project at the San Diego State University Foundation, which was focused on inclusion and funded by the National Maternal and Child Health Bureau. While Gayle and Don gathered local support, Mary reached out to families of children with significant disabilities and trained the JCC staff. 

The pilot program was a success and in 1997 it became a separate nonprofit with the mission to teach inclusive practices to child and youth programs throughout San Diego County. The KIT San Diego Affiliate program, generously funded by a variety of local corporations, foundations, and individual donors, served as a learning laboratory for how to infuse inclusive practices in child and youth program settings. Over 300 programs in San Diego County have implemented inclusive practices as a result.

In the early 2000’s, word of the KIT mission began to spread beyond San Diego. Organizations from other states began asking how they could “get KIT in their community.” KIT began to expand through an annual national conference on inclusion, out-of-state training, and online training programs. In 2010, KIT partnered with the Department of Defense to implement inclusion in every military child and youth program throughout the world. In 2013, it began work with the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

Decades later, KIT has grown its team and reach substantially, now offering memberships through its online Learning Hub and in-house Train-Your-Team (TYT) courses for child and youth professionals and leaders around the world.