United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Central Arizona is expanding its Downtown East facility, located on the Ability360 campus at 5025 E Washington St., in Phoenix. 

With an investment of nearly $400,000, thanks to generous donations from Thunderbirds Charities and the Board of Visitors, the updated UCP mobility training program for children with motor disorders will increase from 1,600 square feet of usable space to more than 3,000 square feet, allowing for additional physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy for Valley children with disabilities.

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In 2024, nearly 200 children were served in the UCP of Central Arizona Downtown East Clinic. Now, thanks to the 2025 expansion project, UCP of Central Arizona will be able to provide three times the number of hours of therapy each year, an increase of roughly 20%, and serve as many as 40 more young children with physical disabilities annually. 

The larger UCP of Central Arizona Downtown East Clinic will house the mobility training program for children with motor disorders, which will include a rock-climbing wall for engaging therapy activities and the cutting-edge Levity Gait Trainer. Additionally, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation and therapies and added bilingual support for Spanish-speaking families will provide a full spectrum of therapy opportunities for children with motor disorders. 

The expanded space will also be home to the innovative Artech “Baby G” Early Mobilization System. The exceptional tool supports infants and young children (less than 50 pounds) and helps them learn new motor skills such as crawling, walking, jumping and sitting, by practicing the skills repetitively while being supported in a safety harness. 

UCP of Central Arizona is the first clinical facility in the United States to utilize the revolutionary Baby G equipment. 

Designed by Artech’s engineers in collaboration with researchers in the laboratories of the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the University of Southern California (USC), Baby G uses advanced technology that promotes child-initiated movement to foster motor learning within the developing neural network of young children.

“The Baby G technology will be life-changing for infants and children with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities,” said Valerie Pieraccini, Vice President of Clinical Operations and Innovations at UCP of Central Arizona. “This trailblazing tool helps fulfill UCP of Central Arizona’s mission to bring cutting-edge breakthroughs in therapy to the children and families we serve.”

The Baby G Early Mobilization System uses a robotic body-weight support system in an overhead 3D play space which allows children to practice balance tasks including sit-to-stand, standing, crawling and walking. 

“With the Baby G system, children as young as five months old can learn to roll over, sit and crawl, capitalizing on an important period of developmental neuroplasticity that affords the greatest opportunity to change the trajectory of a child’s motor development,” Pieraccini added.

The newly developed UCP mobility training clinic for children with motor disorders is the only one of its kind in the southwest region. It is dedicated specifically to serving children under 16 years of age with motor delays, cerebral palsy, genetic disorders and rare disorders that result in physical disabilities. 

Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disorder in childhood; 1 out of 345 children are born with the disorder each year. Studies show that 41% of children with cerebral palsy are limited in their ability to crawl, walk, run and play. Additionally, more than 30% need to use special equipment, such as walkers or wheelchairs, for increased mobility. 

For more information, or to schedule an appointment visit https://ucpofcentralaz.org/