Child Sleep Consultant pioneer, Deborah Pedrick, creator of the Child Sleep Consultant Certification program and founder of the original Family Sleep.com  informational website,  has been educating families since 1999 on the importance of establishing and maintaining a healthy foundation for sleep in their children.

She is co-founder of the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants  and Founder/President of the Family Sleep Institute,  which instructs, mentors and certifies Child Sleep Consultants around the world.  She is also an advisory board member for the Early Years Child Behavior Certification Program.

Deborah resides in Pennsylvania and is mother to her almost 30 something year old son, who of course, was and always an amazing sleeper, Soren.  Deborah holds a degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Loyola University of Chicago. She has been quoted/interviewed in various publications including:  The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Parents Magazine, NY Family Magazine, and has been a contributing sleep expert for “The Doctors”  television show.

Lori Strong is the founder of Strong Little Sleepers and has been working to restore sleep to families since 2012. In 2013 and 2019, Lori was honored to receive the Best Sleep Expert award from the Austin Birth Awards.

In addition to being a Family Sleep Institute Certified Sleep Consultant, Lori also holds a certificate as a Happiest Baby Educator. She enjoys working with children of all ages on sleep issues as well as newborn soothing and calming. She is a member of the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants, National Sleep Foundation, and volunteers regularly with a local parenting support group called PIP (Partners in Parenting).

Hailing from New York, Lori has a BA from Colgate University and an MS from SUNY Cortland. She worked as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist for 8 years before relocating to Austin, Texas when she was 34 weeks pregnant. She still lives there with her husband, son, and daughter. Teaching remains one of her biggest passions and she's thrilled to be part of the FSI faculty!

Marc Weissbluth M.D., FSI Pediatric Sleep Expert and Advisor, has been a pediatrician since 1973. A leading researcher on sleep and children, he founded the original Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Memorial Hospital (now the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago) and is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Emeritus, at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Weissbluth discovered that sleep is linked to temperament and that sleep problems are related to infant colic, and he coined the now-familiar phrase "sleep training" to describe his method for helping children learn how to fall asleep. His finding that changing the time a child is put to bed dramatically decreases the number of night awakenings was published in the prestigious journal Sleep in 1982. His landmark seven-year study on the development and disappearance of naps, also published in Sleep in 1995, highlighted the importance of daytime sleep. Since its original publication in 1987, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child has sold more than a million copies and, in 12 foreign editions, helped millions of families the world over.

Dr. Weissbluth was acknowledged by the American Academy of Pediatrics for his extensive contributions to the chapter "Your Child's Sleep" in their popular book for parents, Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. Dr. Weissbluth is also the author of Fussy Baby and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins , and the producer of a CD, Sweet Baby: Lullabies to Soothe Your Newborn.

Married to his wife, Linda, since 1965, he is the father of four sons and eight grandchildren--and they are all good sleepers. Dr. and Mrs. Weissbluth live in Chicago.
marcweissbluth.com

Zee Parton has been working with children showing signs of atypical development since the age of 14 when they began working as an in-home family helper respite worker through the state of Illinois. They worked in this capacity with a number of families for six years. Currently, Zee is now working in a governor-appointed position as an Early Intervention Representative on the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention

They have two degrees in Early Childhood Education, which spans the ages of birth through age 8. They have worked in a variety of childcare environments as well as teaching for several years as a pre-kindergarten teacher. After teaching, they decided to change career paths and began working as a Developmental Therapist in Early Intervention in the state of Illinois. This position allows Zee to work with children under the age of three who are showing signs of developmental delays. This includes working on an interdisciplinary team for each child that can include occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, feeding therapists, developmental therapists that specialize in hearing or vision, nutritionists, and the child's full medical team.

Zee graduated from the Family Sleep Institute in 2020 and has been able to use this training to help atypically developing children and their families get better sleep within the Early Intervention program. Since graduating from FSI, Zee has gone on to work with over 150 atypically developing children to get better sleep which helps everyone in the home function better!

Zee has worked with children with several different diagnoses from autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, several medically complex diagnoses, as well as children who are fully deaf and/or blind. They also have vast experience working with families that speak differing languages through the use of an interpreter.

Zee currently also is owner and co-founder of Learning to Thrive Therapy, LLC in which they work to help children and parents navigate the world of atypical development, as well as navigating the educational system to help children receive what they need and of course...with sleep!

On the personal side, Zee lives in Illinois with their wife Stacy and their three Australian Shepherd dogs: Alice, Jasper, and Kai along with two cats: Finneas and Freddie. Zee also enjoys taking art classes at their current community art center and playing music. They are excited to join FSI as a guest lecturer to share the knowledge they have gained over the past several years in the area of atypical child development and sleep!

Sharyn’s career began 34 years ago working within a pre-school and child development environment. She specializes in children’s behavior from birth to the early teen years. She received her diploma in early childhood education while raising three young children with her husband Gaby.

Sharyn is the founder of The Early Years Family Development Center Inc. coaching parents through a wide variety of childhood stages with individual plans for positive parenting, and a “parenting script”. She is creator of the “Tools in your Pocket” series for parenting workshops.

Sharyn presents staff training programs in the pre-school and elementary school environment. Through “observing and reporting” Sharyn provides plans of action for both educators and parents for children who may require added support.

Sharyn is Founder and Director of “The Child Behavior Certification Program”. This 14- week online program specializes in certifying child behavior specialists across Canada, The United States, Russia, and Europe. She is “mentor” to over 64 certified graduates from diverse skill sets and professions.

Sharyn is a faculty member of the Family Sleep Institute teaching behavior milestones and the effects of sleep through webinars and daily dialogues. She is a member of the National Association For The Education of Young Children, Canadian Association of Early Childhood Educators and International Association of Child Sleep Consultants. She is the In-House Behavior Specialist for the The Little Campus a private Early Childhood Education & Daycare Centre

Sharyn’s most recent venture and labor of love? Enjoying her grandchildren while being part of her own children’s parenting skills and adventures! “Knowledge can only go so far, it must carry with it sincere caring, the energy to embrace each situation and the belief that there are answers to every problem. Providing a safe place where parents, educators and other professionals can see the great things they are doing, learning new skills along the way, and bring life to learning is my goal”.

Breni Malpass,  is an FSI Certified Child Sleep Consultant and founder of Seaside Sleep Consulting.

As a mother of two small children, she can relate to the feeling of being both sleep deprived and overwhelmed with the desire to get her children sleeping like they should. She helps families with children 4 months (adjusted) to 5 years of age who feel frustrated and exhausted from not being able to establish consistent bedtime/nap time routines, too many night wakings, or just need a little guidance on developing an appropriate sleep schedule for their child.

She works with each family to educate and develop a customized sleep plan in which they are most comfortable with based on their parenting style and philosophies. Breni focuses on each families unique needs and desired outcomes as a whole. It is her goal is get everyone the sleep they need and deserve.

She lives with her husband and two beautiful children in Wilmington, NC. She received a MA in Psychology. Prior to becoming a Child Sleep Consultant, she spent 20+ years in the Human Resources field. When she and her family aren’t sleeping, they love to spend time at the beach, the park or enjoy family time together.

Jessica Begley founded The Baby Sleep Geek in 2013 after graduating from the Family Sleep Institute. She has a Master’s in Public Health and over 20 years of experience in the field of health behavior change and maternal and child health.

Jessica is a sought-after expert on health behavior change, patient-centered communication, and health literacy and has presented throughout Maine and nationally on related topics. She is actively involved in numerous sleep initiatives within Maine Medical Center including teaching the seminar on behavioral insomnia of childhood for the Pediatric Residency Program and sitting on the Maine Sleep Institute’s Sleep Interest Group.

In addition to providing services through The Baby Sleep Geek, Jessica is currently the Program Manager of Patient Education Transformation with MaineHealth and a Provider Coach for Maine Medical Center’s Patient Experience Team. She previously held positions as a Compliance Coordinator for the National Institutes of Health’s National Children’s Study and as the Manager of Lactation and Parent Education for Maine Medical Center.

Jessica is excited to share her passion for health behavior change and evidence-based and patient-centered communication strategies with Family Sleep Institute students.

Kendra is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant through FSI as well as founder of Kaleidoscope Sleep.  Kendra is based in Minnesota, but she works with clients virtually all across the US.