Our Story

Speech of Cake was founded in 2016 when Courtney, a speech-language pathologist, and Leigh, a special education teacher, joined forces at an elementary school in Alexandria, VA. While collaborating, they noticed a recurring theme: their students often had overlapping speech, language, and literacy goals. For instance, if a student struggled with pronouncing the /r/ sound, they frequently misspelled words containing that sound as well. Recognizing this critical connection, Courtney and Leigh were inspired to create a solution. In the summer of 2017, they launched a summer enrichment program designed to support students who did not qualify for the public school’s extended school year services. This program filled a crucial gap, offering targeted support to enhance speech, language, and literacy skills.

Building on the success of the summer enrichment program, Courtney opened Speech of Cake’s first brick-and-mortar office in 2018 to provide one-on-one therapy services. As the demand for services grew, Courtney established a second office in 2020. Over the years, Courtney expanded Speech of Cake into a thriving practice with multiple therapists dedicated to helping students achieve their speech, language, and literacy goals. Today, Speech of Cake serves hundreds of students across the DC Metro area, embodying the original vision of holistic, accessible, and impactful support for children with diverse learning needs.