My name is Kate Kopeikin and I am thrilled to be the Program Director for Mommy Connections Beach Cities in Huntington Beach, CA.

All my life, I knew I was destined to be a mommy.  I’ve always loved kids and dedicated the majority of my career to working with children.  Through college, I worked as a Teacher’s Assistant in private preschool.  In 1999, I made the move to where my true calling was; Special Education.  I worked for a private agency as a Behavioral Therapist doing in-home therapy with children with Autism.  I loved every minute of the time I spent working with my kids.  Through-out my career in Special Education, I used American Sign Language, (ASL),  as a functional form of communication with my clients and taught parents to use sign as well.

In 2009, life for my husband, Matt, and I forever changed.  I found out I was pregnant with our daughter Samona and gave birth later that year.  Samona has been the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.  When she was born, I decided to use ASL with her from the start.  I started noticing she was tracking my hands at about 6 weeks old.  I jumped at the chance to start signing with her.  I began signing with Samona around 6 or 7 weeks old and just before she turned 5 months old, Samona used her first sign!  She signed “book” to me and my heart melted!    I knew I had given her the gift of early communication and wanted to find a way to do that for other parents.  After months of research, I found My Smart Hands.  I knew this was the right fit for me and began training right away.  I am now a Certified Instructor for My Smart Hands Beach Cities and am honored to give the gift of early communication to the children and parents who pass through my classes.

Through-out the course of teaching my classes, I realized I had a bigger vision for my business.  I also wanted to give moms the opportunity to meet new people, form long lasting relationships and make strong connections in the community.  I came across Mommy Connections through another My Smart Hands Instructor and knew right away, this was for me.  I read the class offerings and realized that this was the missing piece for my business.  I read on and found that Mommy Connections was only offered in Canada.  I decided to take a chance and contact Carol.  I am so thankful I took that chance because here I am now offering Mommy Connections classes to families in the U.S.  I am honored to be a part of Mommy Connections and I am truly looking forward to meeting you and helping you to build new connections in the community.