Meet our team

Learning Center & Reading Clinic

Permanently Solving Learning Difficulties

Solve Your Smart Student Struggles

| One-On-One Assistance | Year-Round Services |

Cognitive & Processing Interventions

| Cognitive & Academic Assessments |

Carol Hess

Founder

Carol Hess has working with learning struggles as a parent, a teacher, an administrator and a trainer. Her passion for helping those who "just can't learn" has led her to become an expert in fields such as dyslexia, processing disorders, executive function and more. When she is not helping kids overcome these struggles, she also loves dogs, travel, and time with family!

Cealey and Michael Hemsworth, Directors

Directors Michael and Cealey became co-owners with Carol in 2020, after being clients at the center with their son in 2015. His auditory processing disorder had been a mystery during his childhood and the understand and support Keeping Pace provided made a huge impact on their whole family. Therefore they are passionate about directing the center operations to help other families like their own.

Sarah Whitehead

Parent Liason

With a passion for assisting families and children, Sarah has dedicated her career to supporting families as they navigate the special education relm. Armed with over 15+ years of experience in advocacy & special education, she brings a unique blend of emotional understanding and practical expertise to the team at Keeping Pace. Sarah's commitment to her clients extends beyond the tutoring sessions, as she works behind the scenes with families to ensure the best programming and placement in the learning center.

Anna Burke

Staff Trainer

I’ve been working with Keeping Pace Learning Center for almost three years now, and each day grows my passion for these kids and what we can offer them. The methods and research that go into the development of their cognitive skills is nothing I have witnessed in a conventional classroom setting. It’s a privilege to be apart of this community, and learn so much from my students.

Ana Ochoa

I have been a trainer for more than two years and working in education for many years before that. I was assisting a student at Keeping Pace in their regular classroom and then began working with the center when I saw the impact that the program could have on struggling students. I love building relationships with each student and making the time we spend together special

Profile coming soon!

Katie Forbes

I am Katie Forbes and I am a Communication Science major at Sacramento State University, studying to become a Speech Pathologist. I have worked with kids my whole life and love getting to interact with all of my students! I am fluent in American Sign Language and love using it in practical ways when not only teaching but learning too! I am a Disney nerd who loves to talk about all things movies and characters with anyone, especially the kiddos! I love working at Keeping Pace and feel so fortunate to help kids grow and learn through our very special program.

Natalie Watkins

I have a passion for helping children reach their full potential. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into the classroom teaching role, where I can support all children with their needs in learning.

Veronica Quintanar

Hello! I’m Veronica a mom of 3 boys. I’ve lived in the Elk Grove area since 2017 and have been homeschooling since 2020. I also work part time as a children’s director at a local church. I’m very excited for this next chapter and to partner with families!

Academic and Studying Skills

Language including expressive and receptive language, articulation, and vocabulary development
Reading: decoding phonics, sight words, comprehension, and morphology
Writing: printing and cursive spelling, sentence structure, paragraph, and essay writing
Grammar, organization, and composition
Editing and proofing
Study skills

Processing and Cognitive Skills

Attention
Memory
Processing speed
Auditory processing
Phonemic awareness
Visual processing
Sensory-motor integration
Sequential processing
Simultaneous processing

Featured Testimonials

Taji S.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Carol Hess of Keeping Pace Learning Center and Reading Clinic to help my 12-year-old daughter with the Auditory Processing deficiencies she was experiencing. Not only did my daughter grow through the process and improve her Auditory Processing Skills, but Carol also helped her improve her study habits and gave her strategies and methods to approach all of her classes that she will be able to use throughout her academic career. My daughter explained that Carol was fun to work with and that she incorporated games and fun activities to move her through the process and keep her engaged. I would recommend any parent who knows that something is off with their child and their academics to utilize the expertise, experience, and knowledge of Carol Hess and her staff at Pace Learning Center.”

Christina L.

“The therapists at Keeping Pace have helped my ADHD/autistic son think. He has problems getting around all of the distractions around him and understanding what to do with the information given to him. They gave us a program of exercises to do that was highly effective for my son. When there was something wrong and he just wasn't able to learn and no one, including teachers and others, knew what to do about it, Carol and her people at Keeping Pace were able to offer me solutions that worked.”

Tina T.

“This has been the best resource for our family. The folks at Keeping Pace are kind, informative, structured, and very professional. This is quality at its best. Carol has an interactive approach to the process and is the very best at advocating for her students. She and her team are supportive, and my child loves coming to tutoring. This is a team that is accommodating and has children at the center of the business!”