Vision
At Footprints Collaborative, we envision communities where children and families are empowered, individual differences are respected, and collaborative supports foster meaningful growth, belonging, and resilience. We strive to create safe, inclusive, and supportive environments where individuals can build independence, meaningful relationships, and active participation within their homes, schools, and communities.
Mission
We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and individualized Section 28 Rehabilitative and Community Support Services that strengthen children, families, and communities. Through constructive, family-centered care, we promote growth, independence, and meaningful participation across everyday environments while fostering dignity, collaboration, and positive outcomes one step at a time.
Core Values
The core principles guiding our practice, team dynamics, and approach to care.
Affirm
We affirm the dignity, individuality, autonomy, and inherent worth of every person and family. We respect diverse experiences, cultures, identities, and perspectives while creating supportive environments grounded in compassion, trust, and belonging.
Collaborate
We believe meaningful growth occurs through partnership. We collaborate with individuals, families, schools, providers, and communities to design supports that strengthen natural environments, encourage participation, and promote long-term success.
Commitment
We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and individualized services grounded in ethical practice, data-informed decision making, transparency, and continuous improvement. We hold ourselves accountable to professional excellence and responsible stewardship of care.
Consent & Assent
We prioritize informed consent, assent, and shared decision-making whenever possible. We honor the individual’s voice, preferences, boundaries, communication style, and right to meaningfully participate in their own support process.
Psychological Flexibility
We support the development of psychological flexibility by helping individuals build adaptive skills that strengthen resilience, emotional awareness, self-advocacy, coping, and meaningful engagement in everyday life.
Trauma-Informed Care
We recognize the impact of trauma and strive to create emotionally and physically safe environments that promote predictability, trust, empowerment, and compassionate support while minimizing re-traumatization.
Neurodiversity & Inclusion
We value neurodiversity and recognize that differences in communication, behavior, learning, and experience are part of human diversity. We focus on strengths-based and affirming approaches that support authentic participation and quality of life.
Safety & Least Restrictive Practice
We are committed to promoting safety through proactive, respectful, and least restrictive approaches that prioritize dignity, regulation, skill-building, and positive support strategies.
Cultural Humility
We approach every relationship with openness, respect, and cultural responsiveness. We recognize the importance of listening, learning, and adapting services to align with each family’s values, background, and lived experience.
Community & Belonging
We believe every individual deserves meaningful opportunities for connection, participation, and belonging within their home, school, and community environments.
Staff Wellness & Professional Growth
We recognize that high-quality care depends on healthy and supported professionals. We are committed to fostering staff wellness, reflective practice, ongoing education, mentorship, and professional development.
Integrity & Accountability
We act with honesty, professionalism, transparency, and accountability in every interaction. We are committed to ethical decision-making, continuous quality improvement, and responsible organizational leadership.
Ethical Compliance
We are committed to practicing in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations and maintaining ethical compliance with the standards established by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. We strive to uphold ethical, compassionate, and person-centered practices across all areas of service delivery.
Meet Our Team
Our team brings together experience in behavioral health, education, child development, and family support. Through collaboration, professionalism, and a shared focus on meaningful growth, we work alongside children, families, schools, and community partners to encourage positive outcomes and lasting progress.
Elijah Soll, MS, BCBA
Owner, Founder, CEO, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Elijah Soll is the Owner and Founder of Footprints Collaborative and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with experience spanning early intervention, education, residential treatment, organizational leadership, and interdisciplinary behavioral health services throughout Maine.
His professional focus centers on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), child development, and educational systems. Elijah is particularly interested in the intersection of medical and educational service models and how interdisciplinary collaboration can improve outcomes for neurodivergent children and families.
Early in his career, Elijah worked within Maine’s Department of Education and Child Development Services (CDS), where he gained experience in Early Intervention (EI) and Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI). He later expanded his clinical and systems-based experience within educational and residential treatment settings, including work in a staff-secure treatment facility that further shaped his understanding of interdisciplinary care, behavioral health systems, and the integration of educational and clinical approaches.
Throughout his career, Elijah has supported children and families receiving Rehabilitative and Community Support (RCS) services and has worked extensively within MaineCare-funded service systems. From 2016 to 2022, he served as the BCBA and Chief Executive Officer of E.C.C.O. LLC. He later served as a BCBA and Chief Systems Officer with Brett DiNovi & Associates North LLC and BDA North from 2022 to 2026, where he helped oversee clinical operations, organizational systems, and workforce development across a growing multidisciplinary team.
Elijah remains committed to ethical, evidence-based, and family-centered practices that promote meaningful growth, psychological flexibility, independence, and long-term quality of life for children and families across Maine.
Ceara Leighton
VP of Operations
As Vice President of Operations and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in Maine, Ceara supports children and adolescents ages 3–20 across a variety of settings, including public schools, home-based services, and early intervention/preschool environments. Her clinical work has primarily focused on supporting children within public school settings through individualized behavioral and skill-based interventions that promote meaningful participation, independence, and long-term success.
In her leadership role, Ceara provides operational oversight and supervision to support high-quality service delivery across programs and settings. She is passionate about building strong systems that promote consistency, accountability, and positive outcomes, including staff support and supervision, operational workflows, site oversight, service coordination, and collaborative problem-solving to ensure services remain individualized, effective, and responsive to client needs.
Ceara strongly values interdisciplinary collaboration and believes meaningful progress is best achieved through teamwork, communication, and coordinated support across environments. She is passionate about working alongside individuals and support systems to identify strengths, address challenges, and develop practical strategies that align with individualized goals while fostering growth, independence, and meaningful participation in everyday life.
Elyssa Giguere
Director of Operations
With years of experience supporting children with autism across both in-home and school-based settings, Elyssa brings a unique blend of operational leadership, behavioral expertise, and compassionate care to her role as Director of Operations. Having progressed from direct care as a BHP to managing multidisciplinary teams and organizational systems, she understands every level of service delivery firsthand.
Elyssa has extensive experience overseeing staff, coordinating services, developing operational procedures, supporting compliance and quality assurance initiatives, and collaborating closely with families, schools, and clinical leadership to ensure meaningful outcomes for children and their support teams.
Her leadership style emphasizes organization, communication, accountability, and a strong commitment to creating supportive environments where both staff and families can thrive.