Today we’d like to introduce you to Chemise Taylor.
Hi Chemise, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey has been centered around one question: How can I create better support for children with special needs and the people who care for them?
I began working in the field in 2012 and, over time, that question led me in several different directions. In 2016, I founded Educate Learners, a nonprofit created to provide practical educational resources for special educators, families, and professionals supporting children with developmental differences.
In 2018, I founded Autism Learners, a private practice focused on providing individualized, compassionate services to children with autism and related developmental disabilities. We work on skills such as communication, social engagement, adaptive functioning, and behavior management, with the goal of helping children make meaningful progress that carries over into their homes, schools, and communities. I remain actively involved in the day-to-day work and continue to work directly with clients.
Then, in 2019, I created My Skills Books after recognizing a need for accessible books that teach children essential daily living and adaptive skills. What began as a book series has grown into a broader collection of resources, including skill trackers, progress-monitoring tools, and assessment resources for families and professionals.
Although these organizations serve different purposes, they are all connected by the same mission: creating practical solutions that help children become more independent and give families and professionals better tools to support them. Each step in my journey has grown from identifying a need and asking, “How can I help?”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely been a journey, and it has not always been a smooth road. Building organizations while working directly with children and families has taught me that entrepreneurship requires much more than having a good idea. It requires patience, flexibility, resilience, and the ability to keep moving forward when circumstances change.
One of the biggest challenges came less than two years after I opened Autism Learners, when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and families operated. Because our work involves direct services and meaningful relationships with our clients, navigating a situation that required so much uncertainty and change was especially challenging. Fortunately, I had a wonderful team that was willing to be flexible, communicate, and work together to continue supporting our clients.
The years since the pandemic have brought a different set of challenges. Business has changed, expectations have changed, and many of the things that once felt normal now require a different approach. I’ve had to learn how to adapt without losing sight of the values that originally led me to start these organizations.
I’ve also learned that you cannot build something meaningful without experiencing setbacks. There have been moments when things didn’t work as planned, but those experiences have often taught me something that became valuable later. I try not to view challenges as failures. Instead, I see them as part of the process of learning how to do something better.
Having a strong support system has also made a tremendous difference. My family, team members, and the people I trust have helped me maintain perspective during difficult seasons. Ultimately, the challenges have strengthened me. They have taught me to be more adaptable, to trust my judgment, and to keep focusing on the people I’m trying to serve.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work is centered around helping children with special needs develop the skills they need to become more independent, while also giving families, educators, and professionals practical tools to support that growth.
Through Autism Learners, I provide individualized services for children with autism and related developmental disabilities. We specialize in communication, social skills, adaptive functioning, behavior management, and helping children apply the skills they learn across their homes, schools, and communities. I am especially proud that I have remained directly involved in the work and continue to work with clients rather than stepping completely away from the day-to-day experience of providing care.
Through Educate Learners, my nonprofit organization, I create educational resources designed to make life easier for educators, parents, and professionals. The goal is to provide practical materials that can be used in real-world settings rather than simply creating resources for the sake of having more materials available.
My Skills Books grew from the same philosophy. The series focuses on essential adaptive and daily living skills—things like personal hygiene, toileting, asking for help, safety, and self-care. What makes My Skills Books particularly meaningful to me is that the books are designed with children with special needs and emerging reading skills in mind. The accompanying online tools also allow families and professionals to track progress and identify areas where additional support may be helpful.
I think what sets my work apart is that it is experience-driven. The resources and services I create come from working directly with children and seeing the challenges families and professionals encounter firsthand. I am constantly asking, “What is missing?” and “How can I make this easier or more effective?”
I’m most proud of the fact that these organizations have grown from that philosophy. Autism Learners, Educate Learners, and My Skills Books may look like different ventures, but they are really different expressions of the same mission: to create meaningful, practical solutions that help children build skills, increase independence, and have greater opportunities to succeed.
For me, success isn’t simply about building a business or creating a product. It is about knowing that something I created can make a child’s life a little easier, give a parent more confidence, or give a professional a tool that helps them better support a child. That is what continues to motivate me.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to not hold on to regret. Life will inevitably bring experiences that don’t turn out the way we hoped, but I’ve learned that every experience can teach you something that prepares you for the next stage of your life.
I’ve learned to appreciate the life I’m living while continuing to work toward the life I want. It’s important to invest your energy in the things that are meaningful to you—your work, your relationships, your goals, and the people you love and trust. At the same time, I’ve learned that not everything deserves your attention. Sometimes protecting your peace means knowing what to focus on and what to let go.
I’ve also learned to trust myself. There will always be moments when you question whether you’re making the right decision, especially when you’re building something of your own. But experience has taught me that I often know more than I give myself credit for. Every challenge, success, and setback has added to my ability to make decisions and navigate whatever comes next.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned how much the people around you matter. Having people in your life who genuinely want to see you succeed and who care about the overall direction of your life is incredibly valuable. Your support system can help you maintain perspective when things become difficult and remind you of who you are when circumstances make you question yourself.
Ultimately, I believe every chapter of life is preparing you for another one. Some lessons may not make sense when you’re experiencing them, but later you may realize that something you learned years ago gave you exactly what you needed for the next stage. That perspective has helped me move forward with more gratitude, less regret, and greater trust in my own journey.
Pricing:
- $1.99 – Educate Learners Basic Plan
- $9.99 – Educate Learners Plus Plan
- $19.99 – Educate Learners Premium Plan
- $12.99 – Average cost for each My Skills Book
- $0.00 – No cost for ABA Services if using Medical Insurance
Contact Info:
- Website: https://educatelearners.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/educatelearners
- Other: https://myskillsbooks.com
