
Educational Services Associates (ESA) was a division of Gordon & Heller, Inc. from 2000 to 2013. Ann Gordon and her colleagues provided consultation for parents, educators, and professionals around children's learning needs; referrals for students in need of support to educational therapists and specialists both internal and external to ESA; and supervision for educational therapists and interns working on completing their required supervisory hours.
In 1983, Ann founded the first ESA in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Gordon was responsible for developing the company from a solo practice to a group of learning specialists. The company grew from providing approximately 35 hours of services a week to approximately 100 hours a week, with a caseload of up to 70 students. In 1990, Ann relocated to California and soon thereafter founded the west coast branch of Educational Services Associates. Nan Freund, M.Ed., a founding partner of ESA and a former president of the Association of Educational Therapists, is the senior member of the Chicago practice, which continues to thrive.