Speech, sensory development center opens in Hampton

Yellow Bridges Speech and Sensory Development Center is now open on Route 8 in Hampton.

The center offers small group therapy for up to five children with one or two adults. Each group lasts anywhere from two to three hours.

Individual speech and language therapy sessions are available to children under age 8. The sessions are child-led and play-based.

“Our small groups feel like a typical childcare preschool classroom, where we follow a theme-based curriculum. We have structured and consistent schedules where the children participate in typical activities like circle time, snack, art free play,” owner and manager Brooke Baran said.

She is a licensed speech language pathologist who has specialized in early childhood development her entire career.

“Since the group is led by a licensed SLP, all of the activities are individualized to fit your child’s specific developmental goals,” she said about her new venture. “By targeting these skills in a classroom-like setting, children can practice learning in the group, and they can carry these skills over into other settings in their lives.”

After attending James Madison University for graduate school, Baran worked in Chicago as an SLP for several years before moving to Pittsburgh in 2019 to be closer to family members.

She was employed at an early intervention company and quickly rose through the ranks, being promoted to supervisor and then director before leaving to start Yellow Bridges, which celebrated its opening the first week of January.

“I think I’ve always had Yellow Bridges in the back of my mind. I’ve always thought this facility would be a great concept,” Baran said.

Her time in Chicago allowed her to see the model work successfully, and she thought it would translate well to Western Pennsylvania.

“I’ve found that in the Pittsburgh area, there aren’t many opportunities for children to participate in intensive individualized therapeutic speech and language interventions in the group setting,” she said. “My passion as an SLP has been to support these kids who are misunderstood and to give them a chance to think creatively and see the whole picture of development.”

Baran’s inspiration for becoming an SLP stems from wanting to help children not fall through the cracks developmentally.

She admitted to having a full plate the past few years between working, caring for her daughter and trying to get Yellow Bridges off the ground.

“I started working on the concept at night and on the weekends, after my full-time job and putting my daughter to bed, to see what I could do to make this dream come true,” she said.

She lives with her husband, Joshua, and their daughter in Brighton Heights, but she hopes to move to Allison Park to be closer to Yellow Bridges.

Even though Yellow Bridges is still a new business, Baran is looking to the future.

“I have spring classes in the works now, and in the summer, there will be two rounds of summer camps,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to those. I would eventually like to expand and offer these services in other areas of Pittsburgh.”

Yellow Bridges offers free phone consultations to assess a child’s needs.

“Following a consultation, evaluations are held to gather baseline data, track progress, determine individual strengths and targets for the groups,” Baran said. “Yellow Bridges creates individualized lesson plans for the groups to make sure that the intentions behind every activity are tailored to your child’s specific needs. Classes start after that and we provide weekly notes and share progress and intentions for the week.”

Yellow Bridges is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.yellowbridgespeech.com or call Brooke Baran at 412-267-7185.