Who Are We?
Roma Khetarpal
I have always been passionate about kids. By age 10, I was organizing birthday parties and play dates for my four-year-old sister... I never passed up an opportunity to watch my younger cousins... I organized events at my sister's elementary and middle school... The list goes on and on.
Born and raised in Kuwait, I graduated from the University of New Delhi at age 19. I also earned the honor of being the youngest IATA/UFTAA agent (Travel Industry) from Switzerland. I have traveled all over the world and speak four and a half languages; I am fluent in English, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic, but my French could use some brushing up!
At age 20, I got married and then had my own children, and they have been the proudest achievement in my life so far. My daughter Nitasha is 21 and a very focused, driven senior at Santa Clara University. She is analytical, detailed, ambitious, and wise beyond her years. My son Navin, 19, is a freshman at Chapman University and a born leader. He is a visionary, an entrepreneur, and a social magnet. He flows through life because he knows what works for him. My children are my teachers. Because I got an early start at motherhood, I grew with them, and they have defined the person I am today. It is because of what I have learned about myself, through them, that I uncovered my Life's Purpose: TOGs! My husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to start and grow a successful medical supply business that has taught us many life lessons about the business world and managing a large group of associates we call "our family." We have had our fair share of ups and downs, but these challenging life experiences became platforms for tremendous growth and we are very grateful for them.
So here I am, at age 45 and with kids in college, at a new beginning. It is one that I am very excited about, one that completes me, a purpose that I am here to fulfill... TOOLS OF GROWTH.
Thank you all for your love and support. We would not be here without you. I promise, we will serve you well, by helping you RAISE CARING AND HAPPY KIDS.
Infinite Love and Gratitude,
Julie Watson, Ph.D.
Roma and I met through a mutual friend and starting talking about her mission for Tools of Growth. It was very exciting to me, and fit in with my own background. Once I met her family, I knew that she was on the right track; her children truly are amazing and the relationships that they have with each other and with their parents are inspiring.
My own interest in child development began while I was an undergraduate at Stanford University. I majored in psychology, taking child development classes and working at Bing Nursery School, the on-campus laboratory preschool.
After graduating from Stanford, I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to get my Ph.D. in child development. I studied how children think, and particularly how preschoolers think about other people and their relationships. My dissertation dealt with children's pretend play and sibling relationships and how these interact to help children understand other people.
After getting my Ph.D., I joined the research department at Disney Channel, helping to develop and grow the Playhouse Disney preschool brand. I worked on testing individual television programs and contributed to the generation of the channel's Whole Child Curriculum.
I discovered that I could do more hands-on work with kids as an independent consultant, so I left Disney Channel and have since worked on a variety of children's products for Disney, PBS, Scholastic, HIT Entertainment, and others. I have conducted focus groups and in-home ethnographies with children and adults, served as an independent educational consultant, helped with the production of a number of preschool television programs (such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh), and given presentations on child development to a wide variety of audiences. I have conducted research both in the U.S. and internationally in a variety of research areas involving children, particularly preschoolers, including television, web sites, electronic games and retail consumer products.
I have also been lucky enough to be able to fit all of this around my mostly-full-time-stay-at-home mom status. I have two boys - Harris is 7 years old and Peter is 4 years old. I am active in their schools and in my local community, having founded a chapter of the MOMS Club and serving on PTA committees and as room mom and class volunteer.
One of my great passions has been sharing resources that I have found -- books, activities, articles, etc. -- with friends. I am a consummate researcher, and I'm always coming across great products or ideas that don't seem to be widely known. I am so excited to join Roma in this journey to share our passions with a wider audience!
Thank you for visiting us,
Julie Watson
julie@toolsofgrowth.com
Roma and I met through a mutual friend and starting talking about her mission for Tools of Growth. It was very exciting to me, and fit in with my own background. Once I met her family, I knew that she was on the right track; her children truly are amazing and the relationships that they have with each other and with their parents are inspiring.
My own interest in child development began while I was an undergraduate at Stanford University. I majored in psychology, taking child development classes and working at Bing Nursery School, the on-campus laboratory preschool.
After graduating from Stanford, I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to get my Ph.D. in child development. I studied how children think, and particularly how preschoolers think about other people and their relationships. My dissertation dealt with children's pretend play and sibling relationships and how these interact to help children understand other people.
After getting my Ph.D., I joined the research department at Disney Channel, helping to develop and grow the Playhouse Disney preschool brand. I worked on testing individual television programs and contributed to the generation of the channel's Whole Child Curriculum.
I discovered that I could do more hands-on work with kids as an independent consultant, so I left Disney Channel and have since worked on a variety of children's products for Disney, PBS, Scholastic, HIT Entertainment, and others. I have conducted focus groups and in-home ethnographies with children and adults, served as an independent educational consultant, helped with the production of a number of preschool television programs (such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh), and given presentations on child development to a wide variety of audiences. I have conducted research both in the U.S. and internationally in a variety of research areas involving children, particularly preschoolers, including television, web sites, electronic games and retail consumer products.
I have also been lucky enough to be able to fit all of this around my mostly-full-time-stay-at-home mom status. I have two boys - Harris is 7 years old and Peter is 4 years old. I am active in their schools and in my local community, having founded a chapter of the MOMS Club and serving on PTA committees and as room mom and class volunteer.One of my great passions has been sharing resources that I have found -- books, activities, articles, etc. -- with friends. I am a consummate researcher, and I'm always coming across great products or ideas that don't seem to be widely known. I am so excited to join Roma in this journey to share our passions with a wider audience!
Thank you for visiting us,
Julie Watson
julie@toolsofgrowth.com
