STEM Starts Now

Science, technology, engineering, and math skills are so critical In our world today that the anacronym, STEM has become a household word. Babies are born with a natural sense of curiosity and wonder and studies show that when this is not nurtured and encouraged, it diminishes by third grade and their interest in STEM is gone. 90% of a child’s brain is developed before they even start kindergarten, so this is the time to lay the foundation for STEM.

STEM Starts Now is a digital program that parents can join to provide them with the skills necessary to nurture their child’s early development. It includes a twice-monthly comprehensive newsletter, tailored to the child’s age, covering STEM, development, bonding, mental health, language, and caring for the caregiver. Membership to STEM Starts Now also includes access to stream early childhood development videos, original children’s music, educational curriculum, and printables.

Aimee Ketchum is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience working with babies and children and educating their parents. She currently works in the neonatal intensive care unit at UPMC Pinnacle and she teaches continuing education classes to daycare providers and preschool teachers. 15 years ago Aimee created Aimee’s Babies, LLC, a child development company that creates videos, apps, and written materials for parent education. Aimee’s apps and videos have been featured on the Rachael Ray show, iPhone Essentials Magazine, are used in over 1,000 parenting Programs around the country and her Word Gap App was a finalist in the United States Department of Health’s national Word Gap Challenge. Aimee is in the process of completing her research for her doctoral project at Thomas Jefferson University where she will graduate with her doctorate in occupational therapy in December 2018.