Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your family:
I grew up in Holland with my parents and my brother. My parents are still in the area, and my brother lives in Furlong. I went through all the local schools: Rolling Hills Elementary, Holland Middle School, and then started at Council Rock North. When they split the schools, I moved to Council Rock South, so I’ve really experienced Holland’s school system from start to finish.
For college, I went to West Chester University, where I studied Communicative Disorders, and then I moved to Maryland for grad school at Towson University, where I majored in Speech Pathology. Now, I’m back in Holland and love to call it home!
My husband, Vince, also grew up here. He went to Rolling Hills, Hillcrest, Holland Middle, and Council Rock North, though we didn’t meet in school. Actually, we didn’t cross paths until much later, even though we worked in the same building. About ten days after I signed my lease for my office, we were introduced by my realtor. Funny enough, we’d met once before, through a friend at the shore in Margate the previous summer, but nothing came of it then.
When we reconnected, Vince started asking me out. After some persistence, I finally agreed, and the rest is history. We’ve been married for eight years now and have three kids. Our oldest, Holden, is seven and goes to Holland Elementary. Then there’s Rylan, our four-year-old, who we call “Pumpkin.” Our youngest is two-year-old Luca—he’s adorable, but he’s feral.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career.
Growing up, I initially wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I loved my kindergarten teachers, with their colorful skirts and sweaters decorated with pencils and other fun things. They read us stories and had white curly hair—I thought they were wonderful. When I moved on from that, I wanted to be a marine biologist and train dolphins, just like every other girl in the 90’s. When I figured that that wasn’t going to be an option for me, my mom suggested I observe her friend who was a speech therapist. I went and observed her, and I came home, and announced that I was going to be a speech therapist. From that day, I was on a track to get there. In order to get into undergrad, and, specifically, grad school for speech therapy, you have to have a 3.8 GPA and above and have a lot on your resume. It is a very limited program. Most grad schools are taking 25 people a year, and there are thousands of applicants. I was determined to get to where I wanted to be and I never questioned it.
I started Great Start Therapy almost 11 years ago. We support all of your typical speech therapy needs like, articulation, lisps, the K sound, stuttering and a much more. My passion is working with kids who need more. Today, our team includes 18 therapists, with six treatment rooms that are fully booked each night from Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings. I employ four occupational therapists; the rest are speech therapists, all working as contractors. Each therapist is here because they genuinely want to be and I love working with them.
For our 10th anniversary we redesigned our logo with the help of one of my longtime clients Brayden. Brayden’s superpower is Photoshop, art, and design. I’ve worked with him since he was almost four, and he’s now 17. With his dad’s support, he interviewed me, made a presentation, and created our new logo after six months of collaboration.
I think one of the things that really sets us apart from the other area places is we are truly a small business. I’m the only owner and everything is done in-house. I have a billing company and a front desk manager besides that, I oversee everything. When there’s an intake, I personally place each child with the therapist I think would be best for them. They’re not calling and just getting the next one on the list. If somebody says, I have a child with Down Syndrome who is preverbal, I’m going to place them with the therapist that is perfect for that child.
The other thing we do at the office that I think makes us different is that we try to find every child’s superpower. That started off with Brayden, who did my logo. I could tell that he had this superpower that my brain couldn’t relate to. He was turning four and was pre-verbal at that point, but could recite whole movies or entire commercials from start to finish. Back then, Autism was very unknown, but we were learning more about it everyday. Today, there is such a spectrum, with different levels and different ways of thinking and treating language. At our office we really make it our job to find every kid’s superpower. It could be scripting, visual memory, something artistic or whatever works for them. For example, we have some kids who draw their conversations. The idea is, why don’t we use what they have to let them make the most progress that they can. I try not to pigeon hole any child. If your child thrives on written communication, and you want them to speak, I will get them to talk, but I’m gonna use what they know and what they love to get them there.
There’s no common goals or goal banks here. There’s no “this works for this one, so it’ll work for you”. We work to make everything individualized at Great Start. Our plans start from scratch with every person that comes in.
Q: What is your favorite part about what you do?
It’s the progress. I’ve been working in this field since I earned my certification in 2011, but my interest started way earlier; I was doing internships and placements from the time I was 14, immersing myself in every opportunity I could find. I’ve always loved seeing growth, and I often tell myself I should videotape each child’s initial evaluation. Why? Because in just three months, that child is going to look so different; in six months, even more so, and after a year of therapy, they’re like a new person.
For instance, I recently evaluated a young boy with Down syndrome who was just starting therapy—totally new, a “blank slate,” as I like to say. Working with him is pure joy. He laughed at everything, making me feel like a comedian, and I could tell he had so much potential. I told his mom, “In three months, you’re going to see a different child,” and she cried with hope and gratitude. I wished I had recorded that first session because he didn’t have any words yet, but I could already envision where he’d be in three, six, and twelve months.
The real reward of this job is watching kids grow, week after week. Sometimes I work with them two or three times a week, and I get to witness these incredible transformations. And it’s not always just about reaching a single goal. I’ve been with some young adults, now in their mid-20s, for over a decade. Our work evolves as they grow up—from job interview skills to budgeting, even ordering at a restaurant. There’s always more to learn and practice as they reach new stages in life.
For the ones who reach the point of discharge, when I’ve watched them go from where they started to where they are now, that’s the best feeling in the world. Sometimes there isn’t an “end goal”—just a continuation as they grow. But when we do get to celebrate those moments of completion, it’s incredibly fulfilling.
Q: What are some of your favorite restaurants in the area?
My all time favorite place is a family owned restaurant called Niko’s in Yardley. They know me very well and call me “the redhead”. I also love El Barrio, Aldo’s, and Isaac Newtons.
Q: What about movies and TV shows? What are some of your favorites?
Anything that has to deal with autism. I really enjoyed Love on The Spectrum. My guilty pleasures are all the Housewives and anything I can binge on Netflix that gets me out of my daily thinking. Annie is one of my all time favorite movies. My daughter was just Annie for Halloween and my youngest was Sandy. I grew up doing theater so I really enjoy movie musicals. I am really excited for the Wicked movie. I am going to take one of my clients with me. We are working on singing Defying Gravity together so once she tackles that, which will be soon, we are going to go see the movie together.
Q: What type of music do you listen to?
Baby shark…. just kidding, sort of. Most of my life revolves around Miss Rachel and children’s songs these days. I begin and end most of my sessions with songs. My whole waiting room knows when it’s Miss Mel because I have no volume control. The other day, I sang Everybody by The Backstreet Boys with a client due to his request.
So Miss Mel and mommy is all about the kids’ music. Melanie listens to country or musicals.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
First, it’s never too late to start. Second, always look for the superpower. Especially as a parent, notice what lights your child up, use it, and advocate for it. In today’s world, it can be tough to get the services your child needs. If you don’t actively advocate for them—whether at school, through private providers, or county services—they might not get what they deserve. Every child deserves the support to become the best version of themselves.
Remember, they don’t have to be perfect. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. I always say that each child is like a kernel of popcorn: they’ll “pop” at their own time. Throw the milestones out the window, and don’t compare your child to anyone else. Find the light. Find what’s special about each child, and use that to make them the best version of them.
Q: What about travel? Where is your favorite place that you’ve been and the place you want to go to next?
We haven’t traveled much recently—three kids will do that! But I’d love to go to Bora Bora someday. I dream of staying in one of those huts overlooking the water, with no cell service, just completely unplugged and spending time with my husband.
I think my favorite trip so far was our honeymoon in Antigua. It was such a beautiful experience; I’d love to go back! We also have a place in Margate and love to go down there as a family.
Q: What are a couple of your favorite smells?
This is going to be very specific, but my favorite smell ever is The Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island. Apparently each Ritz Carlton hotel has its own unique scent. My brother’s wedding was there and I was 11 weeks pregnant. I was so sick, and the smell of that hotel was glorious. It gives me so much inner peace. It has become my life’s mission to recreate that smell at home. I got an aroma 360 that apparently is supposed to smell like it. It is close, but not quite there. If not that, I lean towards a vanilla crisp apple pumpkin thing.
Q: What are a couple words or phrases you think of when you hear the word home?
Oh, I think of love and trust and my babies, and the little ginger family that we built. I just think of home as being like our comfort place. A place where my kids can be themselves. It’s just our place.
Q: Where can people find your or your business?
IG: @greatstarttherapy
FB: Great Start Therapy
Tik Tok: MissMel226
Website: www.greatstarttherapy.com