Our Story & Why We Started Skidamarink Kids
Helping families move from overwhelm and survival mode toward regulation, connection, emotional safety, and intentional parenting.
Our journey as moms changed everything.
Even after years of working as a pediatric occupational therapist, Kendra found herself overwhelmed trying to help her own daughter through intense emotional meltdowns and nervous system dysregulation. Nothing seemed to fully explain why everyday moments felt so hard.
That experience led her to stop asking, “How do we stop the behavior?” and start asking, “What does the brain and nervous system actually need to regulate, connect, and learn well?”
At the same time, deeper family challenges strengthened her faith and changed how she viewed parenting, emotional health, and child development.
Ali’s experience as a pediatric speech-language pathologist added another important perspective through her work supporting children with feeding challenges, communication delays, language development, and sensory-related struggles. As a mom, she also understood firsthand the stress, uncertainty, and desire to do what is best for your child when things are not going as expected.
Together, we realized many families are overwhelmed not because they are failing, but because they have never been shown the developmental and nervous system foundations children need first.
Skidamarink Kids was born from that realization.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe many parenting struggles make more sense when we understand how children develop and how stress affects both children and parents.
Too often, parenting becomes focused on stopping behaviors, controlling outcomes, and worrying about the future. When we parent from fear, pressure, or overwhelm, we are more likely to react instead of respond. Families can become stuck in cycles of stress, frustration, and disconnection.
We believe there is another way.
We believe development happens in a natural sequence. Children build foundational skills before more advanced skills can fully develop. Movement supports regulation. Regulation supports learning. Connection supports communication.
When we honor that process, we help children build the executive functioning skills they need for life, including self-regulation, flexibility, problem-solving, and emotional resilience.
We believe children need boundaries, guidance, and leadership. We also believe they learn best when they feel safe, connected, and supported.
Our faith shapes everything we do. We believe parents were never meant to carry the weight of parenting alone. As we release fear, trust God more deeply, and parent with greater peace and intentionality, it changes both our homes and our relationships with our children.
Our goal is not perfect parenting. Our goal is helping families move out of survival mode and create calmer, more connected homes where children and parents can thrive.
Meet Kendra
Kendra is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 21 years of experience supporting children and families through developmental challenges, sensory differences, emotional regulation struggles, and medically complex conditions.
Most of her career has been spent helping children develop skills families once feared might never come, while equipping parents with practical tools they could use in everyday life.
Her professional experience spans pediatric clinics, home health, developmental support, and therapy leadership roles. But her deepest learning came through motherhood.
Navigating her daughter’s emotional dysregulation transformed how she understood nervous system regulation, development, and parenting itself.
Today, Kendra is passionate about helping overwhelmed parents move out of survival mode and better understand how children grow, regulate, connect, and learn.
Kendra Worley, OT
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Founder, Skidamarink Kids
Creator, Tantrum Tamer App
Meet Ali
Ali is a pediatric speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding, communication, language development, and early childhood support. She has over 14 years of experience helping children find their voice.
She is passionate about helping children build confidence through emotionally safe, relationship-based support while giving parents practical tools that reduce stress and strengthen connection.
Her experience supporting families helped shape the heart of Skidamarink Kids.
Ali brings warmth, practical guidance, and encouragement to families navigating the beautiful and often overwhelming realities of parenting young children.
She has worked in home health, private practice, hospitals, and schools. No matter the setting, she genuinely cares about equipping parents with skills they can use at home.
She has specialized in feeding difficulties, autism, articulation, language delays, and fluency. She is also certified in Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
Alison Ellison, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist (14+ years)
Skidamarink Kids Co-Founder
Who We Serve
New Parents
Want to give your baby the best developmental start? We show you how everyday moments build skills when approached intentionally.
Concerned Parents
Worried about delays or challenging behaviors? We help you understand what’s happening, act early, and know what steps to take.
Families with Special Needs
We provide practical home strategies that complement professional therapies for children with sensory processing challenges, autism, ADHD, speech delays, or other developmental differences.
Educators & Therapists
Looking for brain-based resources to strengthen your practice and share with families? Our materials bridge clinical recommendations and everyday implementation.
Meet Kristin
Kristen is an Occupational Therapist and Ph.D. candidate in Child Development and Early Education. But her most important role is being a mom to five children, who joined her family through infant adoption, international adoption, and foster care.
When they adopted her two-year-old from Russia over 18 years ago, it launched her journey into Trauma-Informed Care. She discovered these principles benefit every child, not just those with trauma histories.
She has worked as a developmental specialist in early intervention, taught and directed early childhood programs, trained preschool teachers, and now teaches undergraduate child development courses. Her research focuses on young children’s social-emotional development, especially self-regulation and conflict resolution.
She is excited to support Skidamarink Kids’ mission because she has seen firsthand how connection-based, developmentally-informed strategies help children and families flourish.
Kristin Mathis, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Ph.D. Candidate, Child Development & Early Education
Skidamarink Kids Contributor
The Heart Behind Our Name
“Skidamarink” comes from a playful song Kendra sang with her patients. It never failed to bring smiles! Singing face-to-face while using gestures creates powerful developmental benefits.
You don’t need a perfect voice. What matters is the intentional, face-to-face connection that transforms ordinary moments into development-boosting experiences.
That’s our philosophy: Supporting child development through connection, play, and purposeful interaction. Exactly how families are designed to thrive together.
Ready to Get Started Raising Calmer, More Capable Kids?
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“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14
Transforming childhoods through connection—one milestone at a time.
