KFS SCHOOL TEAM
Vanessa Kahlon, M.A.
Executive Director & Founder
Vanessa Kahlon, M.A., has spent nearly two decades developing programs for exceptional children who are strong willed. As Founder and Executive Director of Kahlon Family Services (KFS) and KFS School, she has combined clinical psychology, educational practice, and family engagement into a model that produces measurable outcomes for both students and parents.
Vanessa began her career with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and quickly recognized the absence of cohesive support systems for families. In 2008, she launched Kahlon Family Services to provide behavior consultations, social skills groups, support professionals in schools, and structured parenting programs. Unlike traditional models, KFS was designed to adapt to the needs of each child. Specialists often begin in the home, where children are most comfortable, before extending interventions to classrooms and community environments. The approach ensures that strategies are both practical and sustainable.
Curriculum Development and Data-Driven Methods
Vanessa has created interventions that extend beyond individual families. YEAS Yoga, short for Yoga Education for Autism Spectrum, helps children improve self-regulation and body awareness. The curriculum is now used in both social skills groups and professional training programs. These methods are also implemented within KFS School itself, reflecting the institution’s commitment to integrating proven practices directly into everyday learning environments.
She also designed the 3R Method, short for Redo, Rewind and Repair, a bilingual English and Spanish social-emotional learning curriculum. It is implemented district-wide in San Bernardino, California, with Tier 3 families who require intensive support. The program includes parenting workshops and consultation for schools. Data from participants shows consistent outcomes: more stable home environments, clearer boundary setting, and stronger academic performance. By directly linking emotional development with educational progress, the 3R Method has provided school districts with a framework that produces results in both areas.
Establishing KFS School
In 2016, Vanessa founded KFS School, a nonprofit K–8 program in San Francisco designed for students who do not thrive in traditional environments. The school incorporates movement desks and other tools that strengthen the connection between physical activity and cognitive focus. Lessons are structured with embedded supports, reflecting Vanessa’s belief that academic progress depends on emotional regulation and thoughtful classroom design.
KFS School demonstrates what education can look like when behavioral science and pedagogy are integrated. It shows how schools can better serve children and other students with diverse needs without lowering academic expectations. The methods Vanessa developed are applied daily at KFS School, reinforcing her commitment to ensuring that her approaches are not only theoretical but actively practiced.
Publications, Media and Public Engagement
Vanessa is the author of four books, How To Do Parenting With Confidence and Parenting With An Open Heart: A Self-Help Journal. Both focus on giving parents actionable tools for managing daily struggles while fostering healthier family dynamics. Her first book is “Shut Up And Parent” along with a Self-Help Journal for teachers, “Teaching With An Open Heart.”
Her expertise reaches the public through “Parenting with Vanessa Kahlon,” a weekly segment on 95.5 The Drive in Napa and Sonoma Wine Country. The show provides insights on child behavior, family communication, and strategies that parents can implement immediately. She has been featured on CBS’s This Is SF as well as in Forbes, Bloomberg, and the New York Journal, solidifying her role as a national voice on child development and education.
A major profile in SF Weekly recognized Vanessa as one of the “Top 5 Women Transforming Family Support and Unique Learners’ Education in California.” The article highlighted her integrative approach to education, noting how her programs support both parents and educators while offering tools that enhance learning outcomes for students with unique strengths and challenges.
Recognition has followed. She was named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women and later recognized among the Top 30 Influential Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs Herald. She also lectures widely across California, offering training in behavior management and professional development for schools and organizations.
A Philosophy of Flexibility and Accountability
At the core of Vanessa’s work is the principle that no two families require the same plan. At KFS, specialists design clear, goal-oriented strategies in collaboration with parents, educators, and advocates. Each plan includes timelines, benchmarks, and measurable outcomes, ensuring that families see progress rather than entering into indefinite cycles of support.
This structure addresses a common frustration in educational services: the lack of accountability. By combining flexibility with data-driven practices, Vanessa ensures that families experience both immediate relief and long-term development.
Implications for Education and Family Services
Vanessa’s work is relevant far beyond the communities she directly serves. Across the United States, schools face growing pressure to address behavioral health alongside academic instruction. Teacher shortages, the demand for social-emotional learning, and widening achievement gaps reveal the limitations of traditional systems.
The programs Vanessa has developed, particularly the integration of movement-based learning at KFS School and the measurable outcomes of the 3R Method, offer a blueprint for how institutions can adapt. Her work demonstrates that supporting exceptional children who are strong willed and addressing diverse needs are not separate challenges but interconnected goals.
For policymakers and educators, the lesson is clear: lasting change requires flexible, evidence-based frameworks that recognize the realities of both the classroom and the home. For families, her model provides practical solutions that lead to better communication, stability, and stronger academic outcomes for children.
Conclusion
Through KFS, KFS School, and her published work, Vanessa has established herself as a leader in rethinking how families and schools support children with diverse needs. Her combination of clinical training, entrepreneurial initiative, and data-driven methods has produced programs that are replicable, scalable, and results-oriented.
By aligning support for exceptional children who are strong willed with academic development, Vanessa has shown that children and families can succeed when given the right tools and environments. Her work sets a new standard for the future of education and family services, one built on accountability, adaptability, and measurable outcomes.
Vanessa Kahlon, MA
Executive Director & Founder
Kemet Bender
Lead Teacher
Kemet received his Teaching Credentials from Holy Names University in 2015 and is loving the path he is on helping children. Originally born in San Francisco he started teacing in Oakland. His teaching experiences includes teaching 6th to 8th grade math but not limited to Kindergarten to 4th grade. He loves his dog and two cats!
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
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
Ujah born and raised in San Francisco with a love for sports he brings his passion with the scholars at KFS School everyday.
Ujah Pratt
Teachers Assistant
Ijah Pratt
Teachers Assistant