ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - A 2025 McKinsey survey found that school districts nationwide are grappling with widespread staffing shortages, rising costs and stagnant funding, making it increasingly difficult to maintain required student services. Those pressures are being felt across California and Sacramento County, particularly in specialized education roles such as speech-language pathologists that are often hard to fill.

As districts continue to navigate those challenges, Elk Grove-based company Point Quest Group is expanding its reach to help close service gaps through virtual solutions.

Point Quest Group is a national provider of special education services, headquartered off East Stockton Boulevard, that acquired LinkUp Teletherapy in November 2025. Company leaders said the move was designed to help school districts deliver consistent therapy services as budgets tighten and hiring challenges persist.

 

With districts facing limited resources for student services like speech therapy, Point Quest Group Chief Executive Officer Chris Miller said teletherapy has shifted from a short-term fix to a strategic tool, especially for rural districts with limited access to licensed professionals. Photo courtesy of Point Quest Group

Founded in 2018 by Tracie Beckmann and Janet Kickham, LinkUp Teletherapy is a therapist-owned company that provides online speech teletherapy services to pre-K through 12th-grade students in districts with speech therapy needs.

“When a platform is designed by therapists, it transcends being a video conferencing tool and becomes a clinical environment,” said Point Quest Chief Executive Officer Chris Miller.

Miller said the platform offers virtual speech and occupational therapy services for students while also providing real-time oversight for educators and administrators.

“It also features an administrative dashboard that allows school leaders to monitor sessions and data in real time, ensuring the same level of accountability as an on-site program,” he said.

With districts facing limited resources to provide services such as speech therapy, Miller said teletherapy has shifted from a short-term solution to a strategic tool, particularly for rural districts that already struggle with limited access to licensed professionals.

He explained that by outsourcing services, school districts can address funding challenges by paying only for the hours they need while avoiding the overhead costs tied to full-time staffing, allowing vacancies to be filled more quickly and consistently.

Miller also emphasized that virtual services are intended to complement, not replace, in-person support, addressing parent and educator concerns about teletherapy’s effectiveness compared to traditional models.

“Virtual services are not a replacement for the hands-on work our paraprofessionals and therapists do in our schools; they are an expansion of our toolkit,” Miller said.

He added that virtual services can also provide continuity for students who are homebound or during localized staffing shortages, ensuring therapy remains consistent regardless of circumstances.

“Our goal is to meet the student where they are,” Miller said, “…whether that is in a classroom in Sacramento or a virtual session in Missouri.”

 

Point Quest Chief Executive Officer Chris Miller said the acquisition of LinkUp Teletherapy and use of virtual services are meant to complement, not replace, in-person support by offering students occupational therapy while providing real-time oversight for educators.

As Point Quest continues to expand and offer its services nationwide, Miller said its Elk Grove roots remain central to the company’s mission and its continued support of local students.

“Elk Grove is our home, and our legacy is built on the high-intensity, hands-on work we’ve done in our non-public schools here for over a decade,” he said. “This expansion is about taking that Elk Grove ‘spirit of care’ and giving it wings.”

Addressing concerns local parents and teachers may have about a shift toward teletherapy and the acquisition of LinkUp Teletherapy, Miller said, “To the parents, I want you to know that this acquisition means your child has access to the best specialists in the country... To our educators, we are here to be your partner, not just a vendor.” 

To learn more about Point Quest Group, visit pointquestgroup.com.