Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development
 The Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development has been a benchmark provider to children and adults with disabilities since 1936.
The Center has made tremendous strides since answering a call to action in our community in the early 1930’s. That is when the Lancaster Rotary saw a need for therapeutic care in Lancaster County during the polio epidemic and asked a woman named Edna Schreiber to help. They formed the Lancaster County Society for Crippled Children and Adults. Children and adults crippled by polio did not have access to orthopedic surgeons or brace clinics and something needed to change. The Lancaster County Society for Crippled Children founded in 1936 is now known as Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development.
Edna’s story is a shining example of one person making a big difference in our community. Her dedication and determination still serves as a beacon to the therapists and staff who continue to live out her legacy at Schreiber Pediatric each and every day. Because of Edna’s fortitude, Lancaster is now home to one of only six nationally accredited outpatient pediatric facilities in the entire country!
The organization, originally known as the Lancaster County Society for Crippled Children and Adults, was formed as a response to the polio epidemic by concerned community members. It was later known as the Easter Seals Society for Crippled Children and Adults of Lancaster County, with Edna Schreiber spearheading the organization’s success as its executive director for 31 years, through 1967.
During the late 1980s, the organization began to shift its focus toward specialized pediatric therapy services for infants, children, and adolescents with developmental delays and disabilities. Its preschool also began receiving more attention due to its unique patient base.
In October 1994, the organization disaffiliated from the national Easter Seal Society in an effort to maintain local autonomy over its programs and resources. By becoming a standalone organization, the Center ensured that children with disabilities in the Lancaster County area would always be able to receive the highest quality services. The new agency was named Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center in honor of Edna Schreiber, its first executive director. In 2018, the Center adopted a new name, one that better reflects the breadth of services available for children of all abilities: The Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development. Including Lancaster, Schreiber serves children in Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lebanon, and York counties.
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