She Needed the Tools to Be Successful In Empowering Families to Support Their Young Children
Today, I’d like to share the story of one of my clients, Laurel Smith, of More Than Words Therapy. Laurel is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with a masters in public health, and is based in the Bahamas. When we met, she told me she had an interest in gaining knowledge and skills in parent education and parent coaching, and she was very interested in providing more community-based support to families.
When she entered the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program, she stated that she believed becoming a parent educator using the Learn With Less® curriculum will give her the tools she needs to be successful in this area, and the support she needs to ensure she’s providing evidence-based strategies that will indeed empower and support families.
She loved that the Learn With Less® program focuses on using the things in the families’ environment, and helps them to understand that it doesn’t take a fancy toy to allow them to support their infant and toddler’s development. As a busy private practice owner, she’d always had an interest in leading parent education classes, but she didn’t have the time to create a program – so I wanted to share this episode with you, to check in with Laurel and see if, now that she’s completed the training program, she feels ready with the knowledge and skills to make her dream a reality.
Before we get into it, though, I’d love to invite you to join me on a private training I’m holding for educators and therapists, on Thursday, May 6. If you’re interested in working with me to create a high quality, community based parent education program using the Learn With Less® curriculum, all you need to do to get your invitation is to fill out this quick application at learnwithless.com/certification. Ok, let’s hear from Laurel.
Connect With Us
Ayelet: Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest
Laurel: Website / Facebook / Instagram
Related Resources in This Episode
Learn With Less podcast episode: How Lesley Took Her Existing Skills as an Educator, and Started Serving Infant/Toddler Families In a Holistic, Meaningful Way
Learn With Less podcast episode: How to Use Your Skills as an Educator or Therapist to Serve Families Holistically as a Parent Educator, with Allie Glazer
Apply for the upcoming private training: How to Create Lasting Impact Leading “Caregiver & Me” Classes With A High Quality, Evidence-Based, “Plug & Play” Program That’ll Have Families Coming Back Again & Again
Text Transcript of the Episode:
Ayelet: All right. Well, I am joined here by Laurel Smith. She is a speech language pathologist, as well as having a background in public health. Laurel, thank you. And welcome to Learn With Less®. Thank you for having me. I wanted to just give the good people a sense of who you are and what brought you into the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training and Certification Program. What were some of the things that drew you to this program?
Laurel: Okay. So I found it, I believe on Instagram and I, well, I love the idea of Learn With Less®. So I did your training and I was able to get a better understanding of what Learn With Less® was about and how it works and being in a community where we don’t have anything like this… And working with families that I believe would benefit from having the opportunity because, well, within my age group, a lot of my friends are now having babies. So they’re always asking various questions about what things did they can do. And I’m usually having to just guide them and give them little tips and tricks here. So I can only imagine how many other parents, especially new parents feel that way. So it would be an opportunity for me to help them along their journey. And so I liked the Learn With Less® program, because it’s not something where I having to be the instructor, but rather the facilitator and allow them to see that they are likely doing a number of things that are helping their babies and toddlers and you know, other things that they can possibly add on to, to make it even more worthwhile with building their child’s communication.
I love that this course would give me the roadmap to be able to put something like this in place, because with my busy schedule, the idea has been there, but it’s stayed at that phase. So now this training gave me the opportunity to move that into the phase of where it can come to life and I can shape it, how I’d like to see it in my community, as well as being able to add an additional service to my private practice.
Ayelet: I’d love to know a little bit about when you were thinking about joining, what were some of the things that you were skeptical about as far as joining a program like this?
Laurel: I think, in the beginning it was probably that it was only going to take me six weeks or well, or so, like it was only like six modules and I was like, boy, how are we going to learn all of this in this amount of time? But I realized that the modules are very specific, and well, they provide a lot of information, but they also provide you with opportunities to make it more practical and allow it to focus on where you’re at and the thing that you’re doing. So it’s structured, but also unstructured in a way that you can use it and personalize it to your community.
So I enjoyed that it ended up being, not just a lot of information about how to do XYZ, but it was also, there was also a practical component and then having the community available as well has also been helpful, so I didn’t have to be skeptical about, even though it’s only six modules, there is a wealth of information and a lot of examples, like the demos, which have been very helpful to see that, you know, other facilitators have had demos where it could go left or right. And they still make it work, though. They still make it work and they work with what they have. So that completely kind of went away once I started and I saw how it is and how it’s structured and that we’re able to kind of use our community to help each other, ask questions and then the Q&A calls also add to it. So if there were any outstanding questions, I can always get them answered, but everything turned out to be pretty straightforward and to the point. So now that I’m at the end where I’m preparing to do my demo, I feel pretty prepared and that the modules gave me sufficient information to get to this point. And so, yeah, I’m excited to do my demo and become certified.
Ayelet: Woo. We’re excited, too. I’d love to hear a little bit about whether there was a perception change in your work or this work or what this would be as far as the program itself, as far as what you expected to get out of it, or what leading a class might look like, you know, after having participated in the training program, were there any perception changes for you?
Laurel: Well I think because it seems like a lot of the community members’ biggest thing was trying to get parents to understand that we’re not here to just teach you. And because a lot of them are speech-language pathologists, taking that cap off… And instead of being the SLP, you’re now a facilitator or… And parent coaching is a big part of it versus what we would do in our everyday life. I think that’s changed. And I guess being able to see others, having the same mindset and thought process about it and then hearing or seeing how they’ve been able to show, or you’ve given us strategies, I should say, and tips to be able to help parents and families understand that that’s not what we are here to do. We’re here to allow you to see where you’re at and build on that versus just giving you the information but aligned… And to do it in the course. I think that was the biggest thing. Like being able to see that the parents will be able to do the hands-on and how do we get that information and get that kind of into their thought process that, Hey, we’re not here to just show you what to do, but you know, it’s more than just that.
Ayelet: It’s practical!
Laurel: Especially because people don’t – right. People don’t understand that it doesn’t have to be a time where you just have to say, okay, this is sit down time for learning with my child, but you can use it in routines. And I mean, that’s something that I continued to struggle with as an SLP anyway, because trying to tell my parents that they don’t have to necessarily create this homework time, so to speak or this speech time, but you can use it and fit it in where you can, because I understand that you have a busy life and this is just kind of to help add at home, but not necessarily in a way where you have to just carve out this time, but use it in the routines and the times that you have available. So whether that’s in the car or whether that’s during bath time or whatever, have you, you kind of use those opportunities and build on whatever goals we’re working on at those opportune times.
Ayelet: Right, right. And not only whether or not there are specific communication or motor or social, emotional or cognitive goals, right? Because again, this group of people is not just speech therapists. It’s also occupational therapists and early childhood educators and special educators. And so many more that I’m not even thinking about like clinical social workers, people like that, that this is outside of a therapeutic or educational context, right. This is like an enrichment context. This is helping them just to create those opportunities for play and helping them see that they get to do that all the time. So I love, I love what you said about that, because it also, it helps you as a facilitator, take off your therapist hat and put on more of a parent coaching hat, which I’m guessing will also impact – if it hasn’t already your therapy – with, with younger children.
Laurel: Right. I definitely see it. Well, with my little ones, I do find myself singing more. And I think one of the things that I learned was about singing about anything. So in the beginning, I would think that I could, I just had to use like, or McDonald or itsy bitsy spider. But now if my little one is playing with a puzzle piece and it’s of a firetruck, and then I can use the tune of any one of those songs and just talk about the firetruck in other ways. And instead of just having to try to think, okay, what’s song do I know that has a fire truck in it… Now I just make it up as I go. And so from that perspective, I’ve seen where my little ones will join in and it’s like, okay, well, we just made up our own little song. And so I try to remember to write down the lyrics so I could know it for the next time.
And we continue with that tune, but if not, then I just wing it and I do the same thing over and over again. But they have definitely been more responsive when I use the singing in particular, in it. And then I, well, obviously with COVID, I don’t really use as much of the toys that I would have, before. So I would try to use more of the things that they might have in their environment. So I’m not bringing stuff, but I’m like, okay, well you have an empty water bottle. Let’s just put some stuff in there and shake it. You know what I mean? And that way we are still able to use things in your environment. And I tell my parents a lot more about things and examples of things that they can use – instead of having to go out and buy things.
Ayelet: Yeah. So this is really cool to hear, right? Because it’s sort of this, I’m making a motion that nobody can see, but it’s like this cross-pollinating effect of, within this, the Learn With Less® program, which is like a family enrichment training program, so that you can go out and provide these types of parent education, parent support classes. It’s also affecting how you do your everyday job as a therapist. And vice versa, right? So I just love, I love hearing that. And I’d love… That sort of brings me to my next question, which is, you know, what, what do you anticipate more of the impact or results of being involved in this program and offering these classes in your community? What does that look like in your biggest vision?
Laurel: Well, I think for the program itself, I think that it would allow me to have an impact on a larger community because so much of the focus as we know, is on alphabet and numbers and…
Ayelet: For parents, you mean?
Laurel: Right. And so just really trying to help to change that thought process that, you know, it’s, it’s not the focus and you’re already doing the things that you’re doing. You don’t have to worry about you, you don’t have to worry about the battery operated things to be able to communicate and bond with your child. So I think I’m most excited about parents being able to see, Oh yes, I can definitely do this at home, or I’m doing this now. So now I can just add X, Y, and Z and getting them to see, which is why I like the program, because I liked that once they’re able to have that hands-on opportunity, it gives them an opportunity to see, to have that aha moment like, Oh yeah. So I really didn’t need toy X. I could just do this, instead. And I add a little song to it. And now I see my little one imitating me, imitating my actions, imitating the song. So I’m like, there it is. Now you see it for yourself, how you learning with less works and how you’re likely already doing the things that you can with, you know, maybe some additional tips, you can help to allow your child to blossom in their communication skills. So I think I’m most excited to see or hear parents, their feedback about having that aha moment and saying, I’m doing this and I can do this. And it’s nothing that I have to really change per se or even add.
Ayelet: And you’ve been able to see some of those aha moments in the classes that like the demo classes that your fellow facilitators have led for families, right? Yes. You’ve been able to see that in parents’ faces and in their comments. So it is such a positive, social and human impact that you’re making on your community when you can provide these things. I love how you said it’s, it’s not – and also it’s not just for families with children who have delays, right. It’s for all, it’s for all families. But once you can sort of make that bigger dent in like the perception of what parents and caregivers think they’re coming to the class for, or think they’re even supposed to be doing with their child and really elucidating the fact that it’s like, well, no, it’s actually way easier. It’s, number one, it’s like the stuff that you already have and the time and energy that you’re already expending with your child, those everyday routines and rituals and interactions that you’re having with your child, instead of thinking that you have to add in more opportunities for, like you said, numbers and colors and shapes, oh my! Right? Like, it’s the everyday interactions. Instead. And that’s where the value is. Right. I love that.
Laurel: Because that’s the biggest thing that everybody always says or worry about or even, well, actually is the biggest thing that they would even tell me if they come in for a consultation is, Oh, well my child can, they know their colors, they know their shapes, they know their alphabet. And then I find sometimes that the missing piece is that okay, well, and I asked them, well, how are they communicating with you? Then there’s the disconnect. And so it’s trying to retrain people to understand that this is the important parts that are needed. And I think that this Learn With Less® program will allow me to do that and expand, especially because obviously people come to me, if they have concerns with their child’s speech and language. So if they don’t, it still will allow people to understand what it really means to help to expand your child’s communication skills and what that really looks like.
Ayelet: I think it’s so important, I mean, let’s not forget the value of that for your practice, right. I mean, by offering these classes, you’re, you’re going to be providing so much more word of mouth for your other services, in addition to supporting your income through leading the classes in and of itself. So that’s, that’s hugely valuable as well. Let’s not forget that part, right.
Laurel: That’s important, the financial impact!
Ayelet: Is there anything else that you would like to share, Laurel?
Laurel: I’m just excited for the next steps, getting on the road to see how this program really evolves in my private practice and making it fit my community.
Ayelet: Yeah. Well actually let let’s chat about that for just a second, right? Because like number one, I’m based in the U S many of the facilitators are based in the U S you are not based in the U S. So, like tell us a little bit about your community.
Laurel: So well, in The Bahamas, we are, I think with, as far as parenting, I wouldn’t want to call it a parenting class, but as far as “caregiver and me” types of classes, it’s definitely going to be something that’s very new to my community, because most of the time parents aren’t really, I wouldn’t say they’re not receptive, but they don’t think about it so much. But when I speak to parents individually, especially those that know what I do, and I get the questions I’m like, Hm, that means that there are so many more people who probably feel and thinking the same thing. So it will definitely be a new addition because this is something that I haven’t seen here, as yet. So it’s going to be a new endeavor, but I believe that people are going to be receptive to it, especially new parents and people are kind of, you know, understanding that it’s so much more, that they can kind of grasp about things that they can do to help their children. So, yeah.
Ayelet: It’s interesting too, right? Because it’s not just about the, the child’s learning. It’s also about, so much about the parent’s learning. And it’s also so much about creating community around you as a new parent or caregiver, right? Because we’re supporting that community-based learning and getting that social support, which, you know, obviously people are getting in their own way, if it’s not through these sort of “parent and me” style classes, but, but I think what you said is so key, right? That they are asking, they’re all asking the same questions. And when you start pointing that out to them and the value of that social support and the being in community and getting the benefit of helping their little one and getting their child to be around other little ones, whether that is virtually or in person, right? That that will be something that has a lot of value. And of course you have all the tools available to you to talk about that and market and get it out there. So, yeah.
Laurel: Yes. I think it’ll definitely help because parents, well, I love that about Learn With Less® than the parents get an opportunity to share and probably you’re right. Realize that, Hey, I’m not the only one feeling this type of, this way at this time. Or I’m not the only one experiencing this with my child. So, you know, it’ll allow other parents to connect. And even though I’m not a parent at this time, I think that they will still be able to enjoy being able to connect with each other. And who knows where I can go after that.
Ayelet: That’s it. Awesome. Laurel, thank you so much for your time and energy today. I really appreciate it. And I love having you in the program.
Laurel: You’re welcome.
Ayelet: Now, if this kind of work calls to you, if you are an educator or therapist looking for new ways to serve families, to use your knowledge to support new parents and caregivers in your community, I’d love for you to join me on my free upcoming private training. All you need to do to get an invitation, is fill out the quick application form at learnwithless.com/certification.
Now, I’d love to know more about you: does this work call to you? Do you already serve families in your community in a similar way? Send me a direct message on Instagram – I’m @learnwithless and I’d love to hear from you!
