Introducing Project Hope: Westside’s Commitment to Ending the ABA Waitlist
| IN SHORT
Project Hope is Westside Children’s Therapy’s initiative to expand ABA therapy into weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, hours from 3 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Project Hope is designed for school-age children, generally those old enough to have an after-school or weekend schedule, rather than infants or toddlers. It’s a direct response to a documented, industry-wide shortage of ABA clinicians and long waitlists that have kept children from getting support during the hours they need it most. For families, it means expanded access to the same high-quality ABA care Westside has always provided. For clinicians, it means meaningful work with premium pay during hours built around real schedules. |
What Project Hope Is
Project Hope is a dedicated evening and Saturday ABA program, staffed and structured specifically around the hours families have historically struggled to access: weekday evenings from 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It isn’t a handful of extra slots squeezed into an already full daytime schedule. It’s a real expansion of care into the window where the need has been greatest.
Who Project Hope Is For
Project Hope is built specifically for school-age children. Because the program’s hours are designed around after-school and Saturday availability, it’s generally not the right fit for infants or very young toddlers, who wouldn’t have a school schedule to need support around. Younger children can still access ABA and other services through Westside’s standard daytime scheduling.
Why Westside Built It
The shortage behind long ABA waitlists is real and well documented. As of late 2025, roughly 71,371 Board Certified Behavior Analysts were practicing nationally, while industry estimates suggest the country needs closer to 362,500 to fully meet current demand1. Rising autism diagnosis rates, now estimated at roughly 1 in 31 to 1 in 36 children, have added further pressure on top of that gap. After school is exactly when many kids need extra support to stay on track, and traditional daytime-only scheduling simply couldn’t keep up with the demand for evening and weekend care specifically.
- Weekday evening hours: 3 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday morning hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The same individualized clinical quality as any Westside ABA service
- We’re actively hiring additional clinicians specifically to staff these hours. Interested clinicians can learn more and review current openings for Project Hope here.
What It Means for Families
If evening or Saturday availability has been a barrier to accessing ABA therapy for your child, Project Hope was built specifically for your family. Sessions follow the same individualized treatment plan and clinical oversight as any standard Westside ABA session, delivered by a consistent, qualified clinician matched to your child’s needs and your family’s actual availability. Every evening appointment scheduled through Project Hope means one less child waiting.
| PULL QUOTE
“Every kid deserves real support, right when they need it. Project Hope is how we’re making sure evening and Saturday hours stop being the reason a child has to wait.” |
What It Means for Clinicians
To staff Project Hope, Westside is actively hiring additional RBTs and BCBAs dedicated to these expanded weekday evenings and Saturday morning hours. Clinicians who join Project Hope get a schedule built around their own availability and the chance to do meaningful, mission-driven work on hours that fit their life, while helping Westside expand ABA access and move more families off the waitlist and into care. RBTs and BCBAs interested in joining Project Hope can learn more and apply on our careers page.
One Less Child Waiting, One Shift at a Time
Project Hope reflects Westside’s commitment to meeting families where their schedules actually are, , backed by a growing team of clinicians who show up specifically for those hours.
Ready to be part of it? Apply or request hours through Project Hope. Have questions first? Call us at 815-783-2544 or submit a contact form and we’ll walk you through it.
Know a family who’s been stuck on an ABA waitlist? Share this with them. It might be the answer they’ve been looking for.
