Design for innovative autism therapy center

Stride Autism Centers

Stride Autism Centers provides intensive therapy to pre-kindergarten kids (0 to 6 years old) and families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder. We operate a mission-driven public benefit corporation that is both focused on social impact and profitability. Our #1 priority is generating quality outcomes for our patients -- our work enables them to live more independent and joyous lives. Our next priority is investing in our staff, -- we give them the space and support to deliver amazing outcomes to our kids.

The target audience is primarily young mothers who decide where to get services for the complex needs of their Autistic child. To a lesser extent we are catering to fathers of those children, to our staff and to the broader community.

Concept Guidelines:
-The logo should convey the following ideas/emotions: Trustworthiness, Caring, Hope, Inspiration, Empowerment, Happiness.
-As a therapy center for autistic children, we want to convey a balance of being warmly welcoming and a sense of sophisticated competence. The logo should not be overly mature or overly cartoonish/childish. It should feel smart, accessible, and safe.

Design Guidelines (**Please read carefully, the winning logo will follow all of these**):
-This logo will be used to represent the business both digitally and physically and thus should be adaptable to a wide variety of formats and usecases including websites, print materials, stamped metals, embroidered clothes, and physical signage.
-It should work at small scale as a logo on a pen and at large scale as a sign on the side of a building, therefore intricate details should be avoided.
-It should feature no more than five distinct colors, preferably 2-4. It should still be identifiable in monochrome.
-It may use gradients but should not rely on them so it will work in monochrome.
-We would prefer that the autism "puzzle piece" image play a minor role or not be used at all. It should not be dominant in the logo.
-No word-only logos. The logo should have a unique mark that fits the name "Stride" and the brand values. The mark should be distinct enough that it can be used on its own with no text to represent the business.

Here are a few logos/designs in the same industry that I like: https://aimclinics.com
https://bluesprigautism.com/
http://cornerstoneautismcenter.com/
https://harmony-autism.com
https://behavioral-innovations.com