At Listen with Kristen, my mission is to empower parents, educators, and professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to unlock the full potential of every child's language and literacy skills. I believe that accessible language is the cornerstone of literacy, and every child deserves equitable opportunities to develop strong communication abilities. Through personalized guidance, advocacy, and educational consultation, I strive to create inclusive environments where every child can thrive and succeed academically and beyond. 

My name is Kristen and I'm a mom of 2 beautiful children. I can actually trace back to the exact moment I knew I had something to share with other parents out there. My daughter was 2 months old and I was implementing some of the listening and spoken language strategies I'd learned/implemented for my students with hearing loss. I was having a back and forth conversational exchange with my 2 month old (yes, you read that right) and I thought.... "if I know these strategies work with my students with hearing loss, it makes sense to implement them with my own child."  

Fast-forward 18 months: I'm at a grocery store with my 20-month-old daughter sitting in the grocery cart and as we get up to the cashier to pay, my daughter said hello to the cashier and then said "it's pretty chilly outside today!"

My 20-month-old daughter was making small talk with the cashier about the weather. Did I explicitly teach her to do this?? NO. Did I utilize research and evidence-based language-building strategies for 20 months? YES!

That little 20-month-old conversationalist is now in kindergarten. She's reading books, can still strike up a conversation with anyone about anything, and has an advanced vocabulary. 

I also have a 3 year old son with incredible language skills. In fact, I'm constantly asked "how old is he? he talks so well for a little boy!"

I'm here to tell you that you can build your child's language skills at home, too. 

I realized that we as parents spend so much time researching the right car seats, cribs, pediatricians, feeding and sleeping schedules, baby food, strollers, etc. to use for our new babies...but we don't spend ANY time researching how to talk to our babies, what we can do to make them stronger in language skills, and why it's so important to do that!

With over 12 years of experience in deaf education, special education, and literacy consulting, I've dedicated myself to helping individuals like you make a meaningful impact in the lives of children.

I've experienced firsthand the transformative power of these language strategies. Watching my own children thrive academically and linguistically has fueled my passion for sharing this knowledge with others. Now, I'm dedicated to helping you replicate these results with your own children or students.

Whether you're seeking guidance in language development, literacy education, or advocacy for your child's educational needs, I'm here to support you every step of the way. Together, let's create a brighter future for the children in our communities.

Thank you for choosing Listen with Kristen. I look forward to embarking on this journey with you!