Hi! We're Jessica and Rachel, the co-founders of Care Lab Collective—a national, community-powered platform where parents of disabled and neurodivergent kids can build community, share wisdom, and support one another through the real challenges of raising kids in a world that isn't set up for them.

🩵 Care Lab Collective: Finding your people changes everything.

Care Lab was born from a simple, urgent truth: caregivers of disabled and neurodivergent children are navigating complex systems in isolation. We knew community had to be the answer. So we started small—and built from the ground up.

We built and continue to moderate a Facebook group in our local community of Maplewood + South Orange, NJ that’s now home to 480+ caregivers seeking connection, solidarity, and relief.
That group became a listening lab - where we learned in real time what parents were struggling with, what kinds of support they needed beyond Facebook, and what made our group so unique.
Those insights shaped the design of our first beta this spring: a structured pilot cohort of 45 caregivers from across the country. See what some of them have to say about their experience!
Over only 6 weeks, we had a growing number of “super users” - highly engaged, motivated, and deeply invested in supporting the next steps of the community.
Powerfully, many early community members have now become co-creators—joining our team or stepping into leadership roles in the beta cohort.

Care Lab delivers game-changing support, built with and by the people it serves. It’s not predicated on seeing neurodivergence and disability as problems to fix, or ailments to cure. It’s a comprehensive support space rooted in dignity, affirmation, and collective wisdom.

Why We’re Raising $100,000

We’ve proven this works in our beta program—now we need the resources to build a stronger foundation and expand our reach.

Phase 1: Launch Our Next Beta Cohort – $40,000

Support 50 parents of neurodivergent and disabled kids through a structured program of connection, tools, and workshops.
Gather real-time feedback to refine content and delivery.
Fund workshop facilitation, moderation, and coordination.

Phase 2: Refine the Platform + Deepen the Model – $60,000

Make platform features and accessibility stronger, based on direct user input.
Grow our library of advocacy tools, caregiver sustainability practices, and community-created guides.
Strengthen backend systems as we get ready for our full launch in 2026.

Together, these phases will set us up for a full national launch—and help thousands of parents replace isolation and stress with connection, skills, and hope.

Thank you for your support! And please join our mailing list at www.carelabcollective.com and follow us on social media:

We're Raising Our First $100,000 to Grow Care Lab Collective!

By Care Lab Collective

We're Raising Our First $100,000 to Grow Care Lab Collective!

Team Members