Kelley Birch

Kelley Birch, Specialized Learning Advisor at Invata, has an extensive background working in special education with struggling students. She has been with Invata since the beginning and currently provides expert student and parent support. Families, support systems, and primary caregivers of students benefit from her guidance and support on a strategic level while also addressing the specialized needs of their child. Kelley has worked in education since 1986 and has experience with elementary, middle and high school, as well as general education. She has also provided middle school resource support and developed curriculums during her 20 year tenure of working with the state of California in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation within the juvenile justice system. 21 years of her career have been focused on working as a homeschool teacher within the homeschool community.

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When Kelley was younger, teaching was not on her list of things to do, but as she finished high school and started community college, she realized she had a heart for people who were struggling. She experienced an early pivotal life moment upon the death of her father, so she always had this sense that you need to make the most of every day. She knew from that moment on that she wanted to lead a life full of purpose and meaning while impacting the lives of others in any way she could - this would provide her with the meaningful life she was seeking. That inner understanding and her faith in God led her to be driven to accomplish all that was in her heart and mind. 

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Kelley went on to attend National University and received her Master’s degree in Special Education. She was nominated “New Teacher of the Year” during her second year working in corrections as a result of the changes she was making in a special day class program she ran. In an effort to implement changes, which were unheard of at the time and extremely difficult to do within the institutional setting, she made breakthroughs in conditions that were not conducive to learning while maintaining safety within the correctional environment. She also provided teacher support by conducting observations for the Center for Teacher Induction in Riverside County, where she was the juvenile justice system representative.

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During Kelley’s long-standing career in both educational institutions and homeschool communities, her experience has been diverse. From leading special day classes, to working within one room model parole schools for youth exiting juvenile incarceration and reintegrating into society, and providing support to newly trained teachers who were clearing their credentials, she has been deeply involved in all aspects of the educational system. She also worked as a program coordinator within the juvenile justice system, and worked for the California Department of Education as a Title I reviewer for low income and impoverished schools. Aside from her diverse experience in education, Kelley also worked as a police chaplain for 7 years, which equipped her with specialized skills and knowledge of her niche field of working with troubled and misguided youth.

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Kelley loves her work and although she has worked with difficult youth, she has won many of their hearts over in attempting to help them find ways to better themselves. She acknowledges that racial tension exists within correctional institutions. Yet she has consistently found a way to truly connect with children who needed to be seen by an adult authority figure for who they were, and to be accepted just as they were in that moment. She can recount countless stories of the youth whose lives she impacted, some who sought her out years later after becoming successful adults leading healthy and happy lives, to share with her the impact she had on them. Kelley has provided many children with a safe space where they could be vulnerable and say, “I don’t know how to do this,” yet knew they would be accompanied by her on their own path to learning how to express themselves and identify their fundamental needs.

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It is without question that Kelley has done a great deal of groundbreaking work to bring normalcy to the lives of the youth within the correctional school environment, but she acknowledges that it all began with the little things, like bringing a cake to class to celebrate all of the birthdays that month. Some had never celebrated a birthday until they did in Kelley’s classroom. She needed to find a way to keep them moving forward and she was always motivated to do whatever she could to inspire them to pursue education. Understanding the value of personalized learning came from these many experiences. 

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Kelley currently homeschools her grandson and an important concept she has learned to apply is, in her own words, that “This education system we go through is a marathon, it’s not a sprint, and it’s about progress over time.” She finds herself saying this to parents frequently and she has cultivated this understanding after her many years of experience. She knows that progress over time is key - what we see today is not what it is going to look like in 6 months or even a year from now. She emphasizes, “It’s not a life sentence - these children need resources, input and support.” And that’s exactly what she provides in her role at Invata.

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