Five people with certificate

Children’s Guild Foundation Supports ABA Program

Since its launch in 2022, Buffalo State’s applied behavior analysis (ABA) master’s degree program has experienced exponential growth, thanks in part to substantial funding from The Children’s Guild Foundation (TCGF), a Buffalo-based philanthropic organization that seeks to improve the lives of children and young adults with special needs through grant funding and advocacy. 

ABA is an evidence-based system that acknowledges appropriate behavior through resources and rewards. It is often used with individuals with autism and others requiring behavioral change. 

By supporting more area students who are training to become behavior analysts, TCGF’s support of Buffalo State’s program will help children right here in Western New York, which currently faces a significant shortage in this field even as demand continues to increase.

“The Children’s Guild Foundation’s ABA student scholarship funding is much more than just making a grant award to Buffalo State University,” said Catherine Gura, president of The Children’s Guild Foundation. “It is about investing in a transformational change within Western New York for children and young adults with special needs and their families to take what is in behavioral support and making it what it should be.”

TCGF pledged $211,385 in scholarship funding before the program was even green-lighted, which boosted confidence in the proposal.

“It was a huge show of faith in our program,” said Kathy Doody, Buffalo State professor and associate chair of graduate programs in exceptional education, who added that of New York State’s 19 ABA master’s programs, Buffalo State’s is one of only two in Western New York and the only one at a public university.

TCGF recently awarded the program another grant in the amount of $210,000, to be used to cover tuition and textbook costs for eight to 12 students. The program—which had just five students when it started in August 2022—now boasts 31 candidates, and the number of applications continues to increase.

Completion of Buffalo State’s two-year, six-semester M.S. program leads to eligibility for approval as a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) from the Behavior Analysis Certification Board and for New York State licensure as a behavior analyst (LBA). Buffalo State will soon also offer a 4+1 accelerated combined pathway degree program for undergraduate psychology students.