I’m thrilled to introduce you to Jen Wirt, a Massachusetts native and mom of 2 daughters, who created a company to solve a problem she faced early in motherhood. When her oldest was a baby she waited months for her first early intervention physical therapy session all while watching her miss milestone after milestone. She just knew there had to be a better way! Keep reading to learn more about how Jen and Coral Care are helping solve the problem of limited access to local, vetted childhood developmental specialists, who are available for appointments immediately.
Where are you from originally and what town do you live in now?
I grew up in Sharon, MA. I’m currently living outside of NYC (don’t worry – I’ll forever hate the Yankees), but my family is in Boston, Sudbury, Hull, and Natick.
How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
I have two daughters, ages 5 and 6. This is a big year for us. My youngest is starting kindergarten!
What’s your favorite family activity on the North Shore?
I love strolling around Newburyport – it’s the cutest town! I also love checking out the amazing sand sculptures at the Sandcastle Festival at Revere Beach.
Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop on the North Shore?
I love checking out the little shops in Rockport.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to found Coral Care.
As a mom of two young daughters, I know the stress of finding good providers for children with developmental delays and disabilities. When my oldest was a baby, I waited over 6 months for her first early intervention physical therapy session, all while watching her miss milestone after milestone. The 30 min once-a-week visit wasn’t helping enough, so I supplemented with private services. The lack of in-network providers led to out-of-network reimbursement challenges, inconsistent coverage, and mounting bills. I believe that it shouldn’t be difficult to get your child the care they need to thrive.
I’ve spent years building digital platforms to make healthcare more accessible, facilitating over 11k virtual medical consults and delivering care to over 4M patients. Now, I’m on a mission to help parents find the right developmental specialists for their children in a way that’s simple, affordable, and convenient.
How can Coral Care help busy parents?
Coral Care is the easiest way to find trusted, experienced pediatric specialists for your child. Our speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists come to your home to work with your child. We’ve eliminated the painful waitlist and guarantee your first session within 2 weeks!
What types of services do Coral Care providers specialize in?
Coral Care providers are licensed Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists. They are highly specialized in working with children from ages 0-8 for a wide range of conditions.
When does Coral Care officially launch?
We’re live and have specialists ready to work with your children! Sign up today and we’ll match you with a provider and get your child in care right away. Plus for a limited time North Shore Moms can save $50 off your first session with code NORTHSHOREMOMS at www.joincoralcare.com!
What areas of Massachusetts does Coral Care serve?
We’re working to make our way across Massachusetts as quickly as possible. Right now, our providers are located primarily in the Greater Boston area, North Shore, South Shore, and Metro West.
Why should providers join Coral Care?
We believe that it’s important to care about those who work to deliver care. That means that we pay our providers a highly competitive hourly rate and offer true flexibility. Our providers choose how many hours to work and when they want to work. We handle the administrative burden, so our providers can spend their time delivering superior care.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about Coral Care or about you?
I think people would be surprised to know where our name came from. Coral reef is an ecosystem that is the ideal environment for many ocean species to grow and thrive. Like coral reef, at Coral Care we’re building an ecosystem for children with different needs to grow and thrive.
Any tips for balancing work & motherhood?
This truly is the forever question and it’ll forever be a challenge for most of us moms. I’m building Coral Care because I’m motivated to solve a major problem for other parents. Taking care of any child is hard. Taking care of a child with additional needs is even harder, and it’s made nearly impossible when you can’t find the support you need for your kids. I try to remind myself that I’m only human and I’m learning as I go. I stay open to learning new ways to communicate with my kids. I try to be fully present when I’m spending time with my kids. It’s definitely not easy – I’m often overly addicted to my phone, but it’s something I’m aspiring to do and improve at.
What is the best piece of mom advice you ever received?
Trust your intuition. As moms, we know our kids better than anyone. This means that we know when they are comfortable or uncomfortable and we’re best positioned to advocate for them. I learned this from my long and painful experience trying to get my daughter to overcome her gross motor challenges. I wish I’d advocated sooner and gotten her in physical therapy in an environment where she was comfortable (at home) and with the right provider.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you need some “me” time?
I’d love to say that I travel and live a glamorous life when I get some down time, but the reality is that I love to sit on the couch at the end of a long day with a blanket, my dogs, and my husband and binge (bad) television.
Find Jen and Coral Care at www.joincoralcare.com, on Instagram @joincoralcare and on Facebook @joincoralcare and TikTok @joincoralcare.
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This post is sponsored by Coral Care, but all opinions present are my own.