KFS SCHOOL TEAM
Vanessa Kahlon, M.A.
Executive Director & Founder
With almost two decades of experience and a Masters in Clinical Psychology under her belt, Vanessa is no stranger to families whose children have special needs. Vanessa started her own company KAHLON FAMILY SERVICES in 2008. KFS provides behavior consultations, professional support, social skills groups, and parenting groups for families with children with Learning and Behavioral challenges and needs. In her various capacities, as she directed and supervised various in-home / at schools Behavioral programs all around California, as well as facilitating Social Skills Groups, she succeeded in developing her own Yoga Curriculum (YEAS YOGA) to help address children’s needs as well as aid professionals in the field. YEAS YOGA (Yoga Education for Autism Spectrum) is an exciting, personalized program that Vanessa created to address Self-Regulation needs of High-Spirited children. Being inspired to help more families in the Bay Area more professionally and effectively, Vanessa founded KFS SCHOOL as the Executive Director. KFS SCHOOL K-8 Program has been officially a Nonprofit Organization (501c3) since December 2016 and serving children in San Francisco and the Bay Area Community. Vanessa is the host of "Parenting with Vanessa Kahlon". The show empowers parents with tools and strategies for children's daily struggles. The show was aired on KABC Radio station and currently on her own podcast (www.VanessaKahlon.com). She is also a guest lecturer around California – with various schools and organizations seeking professional development in behavior modification and management. Named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women in 2014, Vanessa also serves on the board of the Special Place Foundation, a residential-vocational community seeking self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. She is passionate about keeping families together, communicative, happy and healthy.
Vanessa is passionate about keeping families together, communicative, happy and healthy. Vanessa’s approach is professional, yet personal. She is relationship based – and she gets results! She cares deeply for all clients and their families, bringing purposeful challenges to stretch them beyond their current capacity.
Named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women in 2014. In addition, This Is SF series three on CBS interviewed Vanessa and aired the summer of 2020. They discussed her approach along with learning more about her book “Shut Up & Parent”. In 2021 Entrepreneurs Herald named Vanessa Top 30 Influential Entrepreneurs. In 2022 Entrepreneurs Herald named Vanessa Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs To Take Inspiration From In 2022. Her latest book came out August 2022 “How To Do Parenting With Confidence”. Vanessa is passionate about keeping families communicative, happy and healthy. Vanessa’s approach is professional, yet personal. She is relationship based - and she gets results!
Vanessa Kahlon, MA
Executive Director & Founder
In 2020, I graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology, Concentration Physiology. As a teenager and young adult, I have always enjoyed working with children. In high school, I started babysitting and later volunteered in a Kindergarten classroom where I discovered my passion for working with kids. Before graduating college, I decided to pursue a role as a childcare professional. During this time, I had the opportunity to work with three wonderful children with diverse learning needs and a broad age range, which allowed me to recognize the importance of personalized attention and tailored learning approaches.
For the past year and a half, I have been working at KFS School, where I have found the most rewarding experience. Working with students at KFS School has taught me that each child has a unique learning style and requires individualized attention. With a class size ratio of 1:3, we are able to provide tailored learning experiences that allow students to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to learn. Watching students grow not only academically, but also in their development of essential life skills, in a safe and supportive environment, has been truly groundbreaking. Throughout the day, students receive emotional support and guidance, which has been a new and valuable experience for me as a childcare professional. It is truly amazing to see all aspects of a child's life come together in an environment that is designed and structured to support their growth and development.
Brianna Rosselli
Lead Teacher
Carrie Johnson, LMFT
KFS School Therapist Consultant
Carrie Johnson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT#79984), has joined KFS School to provide monthly clinical consultation and support the vision of fostering every child's unique greatness! Carrie is part of a multidisciplinary group practice, specializing in therapy for kids, teens, and families when there are mental health, attachment, behavioral, emotional, learning, or developmental challenges. Carrie is skilled at collaboration and case management to help families and teams use individualized and strength-based solutions, from her decade of working in the child welfare, residential treatment, and juvenile justice systems. Learn more about her practice and philosophy at www.CarrieJohnsonMFT.com, or email her at info@CarrieJohnsonMFT.com.
Carrie Johnson, LMFT
KFS School Therapist Consultant
Lola "The Dog"
School Therapy Dog
Lola has been supporting our school for over two years. KFS School is a big believer in celebrating birthdays, so here we are singing happy birthday to Lola on her 9th year. She is the smallest most cutest therapy dog you can look for. She has been adopted by her new mommy Vanessa Kahlon and all the kids now call her family. Lola is so funny and loves playing with balls and if you hear her make any sound that's her saying "Hi, I want to play with you". She's on a mission to help the kids learn how to take good care of her as well as grooming skills. Lola makes every child feel happy and playful!
Lola "The Dog"
Julie earned a master’s degree in speech pathology from Michigan State University in 1996 and an ASHA board certification the following year. During school and after certification, Julie provided speech language therapy in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to adults with damaged throat, esophagus or vocal cords, and cognitive therapy to patients suffering from brain injuries or stroke. She also worked to evaluate and rehabilitate clients with swallowing disorders through the use of fiber optic endoscopy (FEES).
In 1998, after a move to California, Julie joined the staff of The Spectrum Center, a non-public school for children with severe behavioral and communication disorders. Responsible for the screening, evaluation and treatment of children with moderate to severe autism, her role was to improve the opportunity of each child to return to the public school system. She participated in countless IEP meetings and worked with district representatives to lobby for an appropriate quantity and quality of service.
Recognized for her work in 2000 and 2001, the California Deaf Blind Services chose Julie to lead training sessions on best practices for communication with the deaf and blind.
At Spectrum, Julie emphasized collaboration between all communicative environments. She helped create teams of teachers, staff members and therapists to incorporate communications goals into daily activities. This model was adopted across the five Bay Area Spectrum campuses, and credited for helping to improve the carryover of skills to new environments.
On the client side, Julie created individualized communication systems for each of her students and worked with parents to incorporate these methods at home. The realization that communication skills must be generalized across environments in order to achieve long term achievement lead Julie to launch Communication Bridge Therapies in 2004.
Currently, Julie works with Bay Area children ages 2 and up, in homes, preschools or private schools. She evaluates and treats students while collaborating with their teachers and parents to provide comprehensive services. Julie sees students in both individual and group settings, and has a client list that includes students with: apraxia of speech, autism, weaknesses in executive functioning and working memory, organizational skills, dyslexia, expressive and receptive language deficits, articulation disorders, Asperger's syndrome and auditory/language processing issues.
Julie Hennessey, MA. CCC-SLP
Speech Therapist, Consultant
Melanie Velazquez
Teachers Assistant