water the sponge

pediatric speech, language, & learning

My goal is to enable parents and caregivers to help their children reach their true potential in speech and language.  Find useful tips in the blog articles, explore affordable email consultation services, and download fun therapy materials.

Blog

Visit the blog to learn more about pediatric speech and language development!  Are you looking for literacy tips?  How about ways to get your child talking at home?  Each post has information about what you can do at home to hone your child’s language skills.

Services

Do you have specific questions about your child’s speech and language development?  Do you think your child could benefit from a language “boost” at home?  If so, Water the Sponge offers email consultative services tailored to your child’s needs.

Materials

Interactive games and worksheets help develop children’s speech and language skills!  Check out the materials page to see what resources are available for purchase.  Each activity is designed to teach children various aspects of language.

Hello! I’m Tara

Owner / Pediatric SLP

As a parent and professional, I have found that one of the most joyful experiences in life is watching children grow and learn.  I am passionate not only about teaching children how to communicate, but also empowering parents and educators to build children’s speech and language skills.  I believe that a child’s academic and social skills will blossom once a solid language foundation has been formed.

Find useful tips in the blog articles

The blog covers various topics from speech to language to learning.  The target age range is children from birth to eight years of age.  Each blog post contains recommendations of activities to do at home to boost your child’s speech and language skills.

Explore affordable email consultation

Consult with a professional via email consultation services.  If you would like to learn how to bolster your child’s communication skills but you are unsure where to start, then this is the perfect option for you!  Choose between a one-month and three-month package.  Work alongside the therapist to set goals for your child and receive relevant weekly activities straight to your inbox.  Watch your child’s speech and language skills blossom through engaging play!

Download engaging therapy materials

Educational games and worksheets are a fun way for your child to experience lessons in language.  Browse through unique Water the Sponge materials designed to boost speech, language, and literacy skills.

Check back often for new materials from Water the Sponge!

 

Getting started is easy

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Select your package

Browse the consultation packages and choose the option that is right for you.

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Fill out intake forms

 Fill out a simple intake form online to get started.

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Message your speech therapist!

Enjoy unlimited access to email speech therapy services!

My values

I value positivity, compassion, and balance.  I believe these are three vital pillars for successful learning to take place.  Children yearn for adults to see what they can do.  They want to be heard and understood.  Furthermore, they crave freedom and boundaries simultaneously.  I fully embrace these inclinations and desires, which is why I place your child’s happiness at the center of their learning experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age population do you serve?

As a pediatric speech and language pathologist, I work with children ages birth thru 18 years old.  The bulk of my experience has been with clients ages 18 months – 16 years of age.

What if I want to extend my current package?

During your final week of email consultation services, you will be notified that our consultation period is coming to an end.  If you feel that your child could benefit from additional services, we can consider extending the consultation period for an additional month.

What is your refund policy?

If you change your mind within 48-hours of purchasing your package, you are entitled to a full refund.  After that, refunds are not given.

My child already works with a speech & language pathologist.  Can I work with Water the Sponge?

Yes, you can use the services provided by Water the Sponge in addition to in-person therapy.  However, please be sure to read our disclaimer located on the FAQ page.

Does email consultation replace in-person therapy?

No.  Email consultation does not replace in-person therapy.  It does, however, provide parents with resources to boost speech and language learning at home.  Please read our disclaimer located on the FAQ page.

Do you accept health insurance?

No, Water the Sponge does not accept health insurance.  These services are priced affordably to provide parents and caregivers with a supplementary and convenient option for speech and language therapy services.

I am so happy I reached out to Tara with concerns about my toddler! Tara provided tips to help my daughter use two-syllable words and my daughter took well to them! Throughout the month, Tara provided activities to help reach goals we had set for my daughter's language skills. I loved the activities because they were based on my daughter's interests. On top of providing activities, tips for us as parents, and reassurance of my daughter's speech development, Tara also provided us with research articles on raising a bilingual child. Towards the end of the month, my daughter was making leaps and bounds with her language! She is using new words every day and getting closer to using two-word phrases. Overall, I am so happy with the services Tara provided and we will definitely reach out for services again if needed. Thank you!

-S.G., parent of 21-month-old

Our child improved her vocabulary tremendously by working through the activities provided by Tara. All of the activities were easy to perform and directly connected with our goals of enabling our daughter to become more expressive. Tara quickly responded to all of our questions and tuned her program to our child's progress. It brings so much joy hearing our little one using her new vocabulary to describe the world around her. Thank you Tara!

-S.K. & A.K., parents of 19-month-old

Water the Sponge is the best program we have done all year! I homeschooled my child this year and found myself wanting a program that could be tailored to him. I wasn't sure where to start with my son's speech and language development. Water the Sponge came to the rescue! Tara wanted to know what motivated my son, what games he liked, and his interests. I appreciated the initial questionnaire she sent out and could tell she really wanted my child to succeed. She created a program that was fun, enriching, and effective for the both of us! We looked forward to each week's activities and new challenges. It made learning so positive for him. Along the way if we needed to slow down or speed up in different areas it was no problem. We were able to go at my son's pace, and the program was so flexible. We were able to do it on our own schedule throughout the week which was very helpful. I will say that my son had very little exposure to rhyming words, making vowel sounds, or reading before we started with Water the Sponge. By the end of the program I was blown away! My son was a rhyming machine, improved on his word retrieval, was able to sound out and read basic words, and so much more! I will definitely be recommending Water the Sponge to all our family and friends. Thank you, Water the Sponge for making learning positive and fun for both myself and my son!

-M.B., parent of 4 1/2 year old

Contact me

If you have questions regarding blog posts or are uncertain whether or not you should seek out consultation services for your child, please feel free to contact me.  You can use the form below, or email me directly at tara@waterthesponge.com