The early years of childhood are filled with important milestones, from learning to communicate and build friendships to gaining confidence and independence. While every child develops at their own pace, having the right support can make all the difference.
That is the mission behind Believe in Me.
Founded by Board Certified Behavior Analyst Cassandra Generelli and Special Educator Bethany Jameson, the Randolph-based developmental therapy center provides individualized support for young children facing behavioral, social, communication, and developmental challenges while giving caregivers something equally important: guidance, understanding, and community.
The facility offers a full-day ABA program for children ages 18 months–6 years, as well as individual occupational and speech therapies for children up to age 12. It also works with a number of insurance providers.
“This is not a school setting,” Bethany explained. “We are a developmental therapy center offering year-round medically necessary services.”
At the core of the center's services is applied behavior analysis (ABA), an evidence-based therapy that uses positive reinforcement to help children build communication, social, and life skills.
“A lot of what we do is socially based,” Cassandra said. “Kids learn best through play, and we integrate skill practice into fun activities like coloring, building blocks, and pretend play.”
Children served by the program have a wide range of strengths and needs, including communication, social, sensory, self-care, and behavioral challenges. A diagnosis is not required to attend.
Often, caregivers know their child could benefit from additional support but may not know where to begin. Believe in Me provides a place where families can find guidance, answers, and a community that understands their journey.
That support extends far beyond traditional therapy sessions.
A typical day pairs individualized therapy with a structured curriculum and enrichment activities. Throughout the year, children participate in events such as a trunk-or-treat, holiday market, annual picnic, and graduation ceremony.
A sample morning includes circle time, songs, and stories.
Along with arts and crafts, children participate in music, movement, and sensory exploration. Lunch and snacks provide opportunities for socialization.
“The activities that we offer are thoughtful and intentional,” Cassandra said. “They’re very individualized to each specific child.”
“Maybe one child has a paper half cut out and another one has nothing cut out. A third might have the entire paper cut out,” Bethany said. “This is very developmentally based and completely individualized.”
The center’s personalized approach begins with the very first phone call. “When people call to make an inquiry, it’s either Cassandra or me who answers the phone. There’s no receptionist. As the co-founders, we’re the first points of contact.”
From the first phone call through graduation and beyond, Bethany and Cassandra maintain an open-door policy built on transparency and trust. Families are first invited to tour the facility before scheduling a comprehensive assessment for their child. The evaluation provides the baseline for designing an individualized and skills-specific behavioral intervention plan.
The founders believe early support can have a lasting impact, helping children develop skills to thrive now and in the years ahead. Their commitment is deeply personal, as both women have family members who benefited from similar services.
Bethany and Cassandra met while working on an early intervention case and quickly discovered a shared philosophy: children benefit most when therapy includes meaningful opportunities for social interaction.
“What was missing is the opportunity to work on socialization,” Cassandra explained.
Central to their approach is the belief that children benefit from learning alongside peers.
Believe in Me closes the gap between in-home interventions and the start of elementary school, a critical period of social development that often takes place in daycare, playgroups, or prekindergarten.
“Many children with special needs are evaluated by their pediatricians and then set on the 'typical' trajectory of going to school and getting services there,” Bethany added. “Families may not know there are other opportunities for children who aren’t quite ready yet. Not everyone follows the same path and shouldn’t be expected to. Every child deserves to get the support they need in order to succeed.”
Believe in Me works closely with local schools. In the months leading up to graduation, the staff works with districts to provide transitional support and documentation.
With the founders at the helm, the programming would not be possible without a carefully curated, emotionally invested staff who stay current by way of continual training and supervision.
“We’ve been where our staff is at and we equip them with self-care opportunities and education so they don’t get burned out,” Bethany said. “This is a very demanding position, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.”
At its core, the mission is helping children gain the skills and confidence to thrive long after they leave the program.
As for the long-term plan?
“We have a deep connection to the work we do and the community we serve. We don’t plan on leaving the field anytime soon,” Cassandra said. “We'll probably be here until we're 80!”
Believe in Me is located at 791 Route 10 East in Randolph.
"Every child deserves to get the support they need in order to succeed."