Kris Hamburger and the three-part mission behind a Work in Progress and Love

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The work behind A Work in Progress and Love (AWPL) is rooted in an experience familiar to many families raising children with developmental disabilities: trying to find the right support while navigating systems that can take time to respond. As President of AWPL, Kris Hamburger is developing an organization focused on three areas he believes must work together: advocacy, education and long term community support.

The approach begins with an immediate concern surrounding children who need services before a public system is able to provide them. It then moves into the home, where AWPL’s Alchemy School aims to bring educational tools and individualized learning strategies directly to families. The long term vision is broader, with plans for a community where children and their families can live, learn, work and participate in research throughout different stages of their lives.

A personal connection

Hamburger’s connection to the mission comes from his experience as the father of an autistic daughter. Like many parents, he found himself navigating a complicated landscape of services, education, providers and public agencies while trying to determine what would best support his child. That experience shaped his view that families should not have to choose between waiting for a system to respond and finding a way to help their child immediately.

For Kris Hamburger, the issue is ultimately about time. Children continue to grow while families wait for assessments, approvals and services, and those delays can leave parents searching for other ways to meet immediate needs. AWPL’s first mission is designed around helping families close that gap.

Advocacy and bridge funding

Through its planned Advocacy & Bridge Fund, AWPL intends to help families understand and navigate the systems surrounding their children. The organization aims to provide guidance and connections to appropriate services while also helping eligible families bridge the cost of care when they cannot afford to wait.

The emphasis extends beyond financial assistance. AWPL’s broader goal is to help parents become informed and effective advocates for their children by understanding their options, preparing for meetings and communicating their needs. The organization views that knowledge as a form of empowerment in systems that can otherwise feel overwhelming.

Bringing education into the home

The second part of AWPL’s mission is Alchemy School, which is based on the idea that education does not stop when a child leaves the classroom. Because children spend much of their time at home, AWPL aims to make that environment part of the learning process and give families resources they can use in everyday life.

Alchemy is envisioned as an individualized educational model incorporating visual learning, hands on activities, play, communication supports and materials selected around each child’s needs. One component is the Alchemy Learning Box, an evolving collection of resources that can change as a child develops. The materials may include books, games, puzzles, visual supports, art supplies, sensory activities, communication tools, academic resources and activities focused on daily living.

The goal is for the learning environment to develop alongside the child rather than remain fixed. Parents and caregivers would play an active role, using the materials to reinforce learning and development beyond the classroom.

Looking beyond childhood

The third part of Hamburger’s vision addresses a question families often face as their children get older: What happens after school? Adulthood can introduce new challenges involving employment, housing, independence, relationships and community participation.

AWPL’s long term vision is to create a living environment where families can remain connected as their children move through different stages of life. The proposed community would bring together education, housing, employment, research and family support. Children could grow into adolescence and adulthood without necessarily leaving behind the relationships and support systems they developed earlier in life.

Research would also be part of the proposed community. AWPL envisions a setting where families, educators, clinicians and researchers could work together to examine practical questions about education, development, independence and quality of life. Any future research would operate with appropriate consent, privacy protections and ethical oversight.

The broader concept is to create a feedback loop in which research can inform education, education can inform practice and observations from everyday life can lead to new research questions. For Hamburger, the objective is not research for its own sake. It is about identifying approaches that could ultimately improve the lives of children and families.

Three missions, one approach

Although AWPL’s three missions address different stages of a family’s experience, Hamburger sees them as connected. Advocacy addresses immediate needs, Alchemy School focuses on learning and development, and the proposed living community looks toward the future. Together, the three areas represent a life cycle approach rather than a single intervention.

A family might first encounter AWPL while seeking help navigating services. From there, the organization could provide educational resources through Alchemy and eventually offer a pathway into a broader community designed to support individuals through adulthood. That continuity is central to Hamburger’s vision.

A Work in Progress

The organization’s name reflects another part of that philosophy. A Work in Progress and Love acknowledges that children develop, families change and educational and therapeutic approaches continue to evolve. Hamburger’s vision is not based on the idea that one solution will work for everyone, but on the need to continue learning, adapting and improving.

The work begins with a child who needs support today and continues with a family learning how to advocate and participate in that child’s development. Ultimately, it looks toward a future in which children and adults can have opportunities for meaningful education, employment, relationships, independence and community.

For Hamburger, the three part mission is about connecting those pieces: helping families today, supporting children’s development tomorrow and building a community for the future. That is the vision behind A Work in Progress and Love.