Questions are welcome.

Novinway is a childcare and family support company for families raising neurodivergent children and teens. Care Services is specialized in-home childcare from Care Specialists we employ, prepare for your child and support with in-person supervision as needed and ongoing guidance. Navigation Services is practical guidance and hands-on help with whatever comes next. You can use either service or both.

Yes, in the way most families mean it. A Care Specialist comes to your home to look after your child and can take them out into the community, such as school pickup, the park or an activity you approve. What’s different is what stands behind each visit: Care Specialists are our employees, prepared for your child with a written Family Care Plan, and trained and supervised by a BCBA. It’s childcare, not therapy or home health care.

On a marketplace, on Facebook or through a referral, checking a caregiver’s experience, references, background and First Aid/CPR certification usually falls to you, and so do hiring, preparing and managing them. A placement agency may handle some of the checking but still leaves you as the employer. General “special needs” experience also only tells you so much: what works for one child can backfire with another. Anyone can now put together a convincing profile in minutes, and you may not find out until the interview, when they don’t know words like “stimming” or “elopement.”

With Novinway, that work stays with us. Care Specialists are our own employees. We get to know your child, build a written Family Care Plan with you, then match and prepare a Care Specialist or small team for your child. A licensed clinician trains and supervises them, a supervisor joins in person when care begins, and our team gives ongoing guidance and can help during a visit when things get difficult.

We handle hiring, payroll, scheduling and support, and carry comprehensive commercial insurance. You have one company to turn to about the match, your schedule or a concern. If someone moves on, we recruit, train and pair a replacement with your family, and families relying on us for a fixed work schedule have trained backups. We never send an unfamiliar substitute.

You can find someone for less. The difference is what stands behind each visit: screening, a written care plan, matching and child-specific preparation, supervision by a licensed clinician, a team you can reach during care, employment and insurance, and replacements and backups when plans change. Novinway is for when a regular babysitter doesn’t work and you need care you can trust.

No. We support families raising children and teens with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other support needs, including families still seeking answers. We start with what your family needs and whether Novinway can help safely and well.

Novinway serves Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and multiple Maryland communities. Our strongest Care coverage is close to DC, including Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Arlington and Fairfax County. We also have Care Specialists in and around Baltimore and can support families in Baltimore City and County, Howard and Prince George’s counties, and selected Anne Arundel communities. Matching depends on location, schedule and fit. Care takes place in the family’s home and community; Navigation is generally provided remotely throughout the region.

Local details: Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Start times depend on your location, the hours you need and the match. Each Care assignment requires matching and preparation for your child, so we’ll talk through realistic timing for your family during the free consultation.

For Care Services, we begin by learning about your child and preparing their caregivers. This is the $300 Family Care Intake: a structured interview, a written Family Care Plan, an in-person assessment by our BCBA, matching, child-specific training and supervision during initial visits. When Care begins, it also includes your first Monthly membership fee or first 90 days of Flex access, according to the option you choose.

For Navigation Services, tell us the decision or task you want help with. We discuss how we can help, then agree with you on what we’ll do, what you’ll receive and the price before work begins. You don’t need a Care intake to use Navigation.

Yes. Care works around your child’s existing support, helping with childcare and familiar routines. Navigation offers practical guidance and hands-on help with whatever comes next. Your family and providers continue to make clinical decisions.

Yes. Families use care for full-time or daily work coverage, school mornings, recurring time for other responsibilities or a break, and occasional plans such as an evening out. We discuss the hours you need and agree on a schedule based on matching and availability.

Use Monthly Care for an agreed recurring schedule or Flex Care for visits as needed. Monthly has a three-hour minimum per visit; Flex has a four-hour minimum. Compare Care options and costs.

Many families use our specialized childcare for respite, meaning time away from caregiving. That might be a recurring afternoon for yourself, time with another child or an occasional break. The same caregivers, preparation and team support serve families using care around work or personal plans. Novinway is private pay.

Care Specialists support children and teens with autism, ADHD, anxiety and other support needs, including a wide range of communication, sensory, routine, regulation and supervision needs within ordinary childcare. Tell us the practical things that make childcare work: how your child asks for a break, what helps during a transition, and what tends to make an afternoon easier. Before care begins, every Care Specialist assigned to your family is prepared specifically for your child.

No. Care Specialists provide specialized childcare, not therapy or ABA. They can help with familiar routines and follow everyday instructions and strategies established with your family and providers. Your providers continue to guide treatment; Care Specialists do not make clinical decisions.

We look at the care you’re actually asking for, your child’s interests and communication, the setting, the schedule, safety needs, and each Care Specialist’s experience and working style.

Under both Flex and Monthly Care, only Care Specialists who have been matched to your family and prepared for your child provide care. Monthly Care includes a regular schedule with your assigned Care Specialists. Flex visits are scheduled with your matched Care Specialists based on their current availability. We never send an unfamiliar substitute.

Tell us. We’ll go through what didn’t work and decide whether a different Care Specialist or a different service is the better fit.

We don’t assign someone just to fill the schedule. If we can’t find a Care Specialist who fits the request safely and well, we’ll say so. If we accept your family but cannot offer a match within 90 days of the completed intake, you can ask us to keep looking or request a full refund of the intake fee.

Care can include picking your child up from school or an activity, accompanying them to an appointment, or heading out together before returning home. We agree on the childcare, route and handoff in advance; driving requires your permission and an approved driver and vehicle.

Pickup and travel are part of a childcare visit, rather than a separate ride service. The usual visit minimums apply. Tell us where pickup happens and what care you need afterward so we can discuss a suitable match.

Yes, including neurotypical siblings. During intake, we assess whether one Care Specialist can safely support both children. When that is possible, there is no additional sibling charge. If two Care Specialists are needed, their Care hours are billed separately.

Yes. Overnight care can take place in your family’s home while you’re away. We plan the schedule, familiar routines, staffing and handoffs with you before the stay.

Care can include help with toileting, diapering, dressing, meals and other daily routines. Medication support may also be possible, such as reminders, help with self-administration, or an approved routine under fixed instructions.

Tell us the exact task before care is scheduled. We review the instructions, permissions, preparation and Care Specialist’s competence before agreeing to it. Our childcare service does not include clinical judgment, medical treatment or changing a treatment plan.

Yes. For older teens, Care may look like companionship, conversation, gaming, music, exercise, a community activity, or help following a familiar schedule. We use the young person’s own way of communicating and respect their age and interests.

Whatever is taking your time and attention around your child’s support, from working out what to do next to getting it done. Tell us what’s on your list, like a reimbursement backlog that keeps getting pushed aside, and we’ll talk through what we can take on. You make the decisions.

We can research the facts, build a side-by-side comparison around your priorities, and prepare the questions that still need answers. You make the final decision. We do not diagnose, prescribe treatment, or replace your child’s clinicians, school team, lawyer or financial adviser.

Yes, with your permission. We confirm whom you want us to contact and what you want us to ask or arrange. Some organizations will still need you to speak, sign or confirm your identity directly; we’ll tell you when that’s needed.

Yes, when arranged in advance. We can help prepare records, questions and a meeting packet, then join as a parent-invited support person, communicate your questions and priorities, and help with follow-up. We agree on the meeting format and role with you. Our team does not act as lawyers or make educational decisions for your family.

Yes. A project can run over several months, with practical coordination and follow-through as priorities change. We keep you informed about progress, open questions and next steps. We agree on the scope and price before work begins and discuss any changes with you.

Monthly Care is $45 an hour plus a $300 monthly membership, with a three-hour visit minimum and a regular schedule. Flex Care is $55 an hour plus a $100 access fee for each later 90-day period you elect, with a four-hour visit minimum. The access fee is separate from care hours, and periods do not renew automatically.

Both include matching, child-specific preparation, a Family Care Plan, scheduling, supervision and ongoing support. Monthly also includes scheduling priority for your recurring times. Compare the options and estimate your cost.

Navigation is quoted by project. Before work begins, we agree with you on the work, what you’ll receive and the price. You can start with one focused task. If the project needs to change, we discuss the change and its cost before proceeding.

Both services accept ACH or credit card only. ACH has no surcharge. Credit cards carry a 3% surcharge. Debit and prepaid cards are not accepted.

Invoices go out every two weeks. Undisputed amounts are charged automatically five calendar days after the invoice is sent, so please raise any billing question before then.

Your first 90 days of Flex access are included with the Family Care Intake and begin on your first Care Specialist session, including a supervised session. Intake and matching do not use up that time. Each later period begins with your first session after the previous period expires and has a $100 access fee, which covers keeping your child’s Family Care Plan up to date. Periods run for 90 consecutive calendar days and do not renew automatically. Care hours are billed separately at $55 per hour, with a four-hour visit minimum.

No. Novinway is private pay and does not bill health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE, waiver programs, or another health payer for its services.

Care is often eligible for a dependent care FSA when it lets you work or look for work. A health FSA or HSA can’t be used for childcare. Read our dependent care FSA guide.

Novinway provides receipts and provider information. Your plan administrator or tax adviser decides whether an expense qualifies.

For new Care intakes, the $300 fee includes one first-plan benefit when Care begins: the first Monthly membership fee through month-end or the first 90 days of Flex access, starting with the first Care Specialist session. Care Specialist hours during initial sessions are billed at the applicable Care rate, with no separate charge for initial-session supervision. If we decide after intake that we cannot serve your family, we refund it. If we accept your family but cannot offer a match within 90 days of the completed intake, you can ask us to keep looking or request a full refund of the intake fee.

You may cancel or reschedule a Care visit without charge at least 48 hours before it begins. With less notice or a no-show, the full scheduled charge applies, except for unexpected illness or a genuine family or medical emergency. Please let us know as soon as practical. There’s no charge when we can’t provide a matched Care Specialist or when an outside emergency makes travel or care unsafe.

We review the full cancellation, rescheduling, and ongoing service terms before you pay.

Care Specialist is our title for the caregivers we employ, train and support. They include students, recent graduates and working professionals with backgrounds across healthcare, psychology, human services, public health, childcare, inclusive recreation, crisis support and direct work with neurodivergent children. We select them for their judgment, experience and interest in this work, then prepare each person for the children they’ll support.

Candidates complete a structured, scenario-based interview that looks at judgment, communication, boundaries, and how they respond to realistic childcare situations. Before any unsupervised contact, Care Specialists also complete criminal-history and sex-offender screening, provide three references we verify directly, finish the remaining hiring requirements, and hold current First Aid and CPR certification.

Care Specialists complete paid, in-person training built around practice and feedback. Instructors explain and demonstrate common care situations; Care Specialists rehearse them and receive feedback.

Training covers:

• Neurodivergent communication, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
• Building rapport and recognizing assent (a child’s willingness to participate).
• Routines, transitions, sensory support and regulation.
• Low-pressure approaches for PDA, including declarative language and choice.
• The ABCs of behavior and sharing factual observations.
• Active supervision, environmental safety, aggression, elopement (leaving a supervised area) and self-injury.
• Emergency response, boundaries and mandatory reporting.

Training specific to the child comes next. A Novinway supervisor is there when care begins and can return in person for as many visits as the assignment needs. Ongoing supervision and support continue throughout.

Our Chief Clinical Officer, Sydney Pickard, is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst. She sets training and preparation standards, and a clinician develops each Family Care Plan with your family. Each assigned Care Specialist receives one-on-one preparation for your child.

A supervisor joins in person when care begins, for as many visits as needed, and can return later. Clinician guidance continues throughout care. This supervision supports childcare: Care Specialists don’t provide therapy or make clinical decisions, and your child’s providers continue to guide treatment.

Yes. Care Specialists provide services as Novinway employees under Novinway’s commercial insurance coverage.

Care Specialists follow the family’s emergency information and Novinway’s safety procedures. They contact emergency services when needed and notify the family and Novinway.