I am a child development specialist, education entrepreneur, and school administrator with 25 years experience in Education. I create strategies, tools, and programs that empower adults to create interactions and environments that encourage children to be curious, compassionate and capable.
Empowering Confidence & Independence & Self-Advocacy in Birthing people, Parents, Teachers and Children
Empowering Confidence & Independence & Self-Advocacy in Birthing people, Parents, Teachers and Children
I am a full spectrum doula, childbirth educator, child development specialist, education entrepreneur, and school administrator with 25 years of experience in Education and a Master’s of Education and child development Degree from Loyola University. I create strategies, tools, and programs that empower adults to create interactions and environments that encourage children to be curious, compassionate, and capable.
A Little Bit About Kitchen Sink Parenting
Welcome and thank you for joining me! I'm excited to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with you through this blog. As the founder of Kitchen Sink Parenting, supporting and empowering families is my passion. I've spent over two decades guiding children, parents, teachers, and communities to foster confident, resilient capable young people. My diverse professional background has shown me both the challenges many modern families face and the immense potential we have to uplift each other.
Through this website, I hope to provide a judgment-free space for parents, caregivers, and educators to feel seen, find resources, and make connections. Stick with me as we laugh (and sometimes cry) about the wild ride of raising tiny humans, share in the joy of new milestones and discoveries, and explore ways to build compassionate communities together.
What We Do: We offer gathering spaces connecting families from pregnancy through early childhood to foster new connections – child to parent, family to family, and with child development experts. Our bilingual Riverbank Gatherings provide support during the crucial transition from birth through starting school.
By valuing cultural knowledge and empowering caregivers now, we help children while modeling effective family/school partnerships. Our vision is policy change by demonstrating the potential impact when supporting families. We immediately create individual impact while gathering evidence toward scaling solutions to help all families thrive.
Our mission has always been dedicated to empowering educators, with special emphasis on families, to embark on a journey with a solid foundation for navigating life's challenges. From the earliest stages, even before birth, we provide culturally honoring, strengths-based tools, support, and programming. Our mission is to foster confidence, connection, and resilience between children and adults within the family, community, and the broader world.
Our Past: Kitchen Sink Parenting (KSP) was founded to empower all children's educators, especially families, by providing strength-based tools, support, and programming focused on building confidence and connections. Recognizing the link between child and adult well-being, KSP serves both families and schools through two branches. Two years ago, a successful pilot partnership with Academia Ana Marie Sandoval led to a Circle Grant that enabled programming expansion last year, including Positive Discipline workshops, Grownup Child Gatherings, and postpartum community support. KSP remains committed to offering comprehensive support to both families and educators to nurture mental health and resilience on behalf of children’s development.
KSP received a highly competitive Circle Grant to support innovative solutions for childcare challenges worsened by the pandemic.
Our Future: KSP is establishing a second location in partnership with the Denver Health Doula Program, featuring prenatal classes and, postpartum support and family gatherings. This reflects our commitment to comprehensive family and educator support so all experience a grounded, nurturing community.
Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.”
Maria Montessori