Heather Criswell

I’m Heather, the founder of Jacob’s Ladder.

I’ve spent most of my life working with children and families — first running a preschool, later creating a wellness center — but none of that truly prepared me for what it would mean to become the mother of a neurodivergent child. For the past 15 years, this has been my life. Loving deeply. Advocating constantly. Living with uncertainty that never really rests.

I know what it’s like to hold everything together while quietly falling apart. To be told what your child needs, over and over, while no one asks how you’re doing. To live in a state of vigilance that doesn’t turn off. To love your child fiercely and still feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and invisible.

Jacob’s Ladder was born from that place. From the realization that caregivers need care too — not someday, not later, but at the same time their children are supported. Here, children are learning, growing, and becoming more independent, while caregivers are held, nourished, and allowed to breathe. No one is left behind. No one is asked to sacrifice themselves for the other.

When we care for caregivers and children together, everything changes.

Jacob’s Ladder is my way of making sure we’re all held on this journey.