Converlation, Inc.

We want to grow the whole child, so they can have strong relationships throughout their lives.  It starts with them being able to manage their emotions and behaviors, empathize with others, make responsible decisions, and have positive social relationships. At Converlation, we provide the tools that allow children to have rich conversations with those around them which enhances every area of their lives.

Co-Creator,  President of Converlation

Wall Township Board Education

Research materials and create engaging lesson plans, differentiate lessons, implement lesson plans, guide instruction, establish a functional system of classroom management, conduct formal and informal assessments, administer standardized testing, record grades, document student progress, analyze student data to guide instruction, part of I & RS team as classroom teacher, adhere to I & RS and 504 plans, collaborate and assist colleagues, manage technology, engage in parent teacher conferences, attend staff and committee meetings, attend continuing education workshops, inspire students and make a difference in their lives
Conducted district workshops on math and reading instruction
Teacher of the Year, 2012

Teacher

I Coach Kids Before Their First Phone or Social Media … Zero Work for Parents | 30-Year Teacher | 20-Year Mom | Author | 2 Sport D1 Athlete

Do you know anyone who wishes their kids spent more time on social media, gaming, or endless scrolling? Neither do I.

But here’s what I see every day:
Kids asking for phones long before they’re ready ... because “everyone else has one.”
Parents feeling guilty, outnumbered, or just plain exhausted.
And families losing real connection to a screen that never stops demanding attention.

Hi!! I’m Kathy Van Benthuysen, a retired educator with nearly 30 years in the classroom and the founder of 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲.

Here’s what I know:
A smartphone isn’t just a piece of tech — it’s a power tool.
And before we hand it over, we owe kids something more than, “Be careful.”

They need:
✅ To understand that social media is a highlight reel, not real life.
✅ To spot the dopamine traps and attention engineers waiting behind every ping.
✅ To build everyday responsibility, emotional strength, and habits that stick, long before the phone shows up.

That’s exactly what we do inside 
𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲.
It’s not about taking tech away forever.
It’s about helping kids earn trust and build skills so they can handle it well.

Our roadmap for families:
1️⃣ Start with the free 
𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
You take it. Your child takes it. You both get a clear score and your child sees for themselves if they’re ready … or not yet.
2️⃣ If they’re not ready (and most aren’t),
the 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 steps in with step-by-step, self-paced coaching for kids:

✅ Real conversations about tech & dopamine
✅ Emotional maturity & handling “no”
✅ Character, trust, and daily habits that prove they’re ready
✅ Less stress for you

📈 The results?
Kids who:
✅ Communicate better
✅ Spend less time glued to screens
✅ Earn trust instead of testing it
✅ Are just more fun to be around

Parents who:
✅ Feel confident holding the line
✅ Have clear steps instead of second-guessing
✅ Get back connection and calm 

I stepped away from my teaching career early to tackle this head-on because I’ve seen what happens when we just “hope for the best.”
Kids deserve better.
So do you.

📌 Want to see where your child stands?
Start with the free 
𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 
→ It’s in my Featured Section.

Let’s raise kids who are ready for tech ... 
and for life.

“She was confident.
She was grounded.
And now I see her second-guessing everything.”

This parent gave their daughter 
a smartphone at 12.

Everyone else was doing it.
And at the time, it felt like the right move.

We told ourselves, 
“We’ll monitor it. 
We’ll talk to her about it.
But the truth is, we didn’t realize what we were handing her.”

Now?
→ She’s glued to Instagram.
→ Her body image is tanking.
→ She filters every photo 
before showing her face.
→ And she questions herself in ways 
she never used to.

“We didn’t connect the dots at first.
But now we see it.
This phone didn’t just change her habits.
It chipped away at her confidence.”

And now, they wish they could undo it.
No parent gives their child a phone hoping it’ll hurt them.
But many give it without realizing it can.

That’s why I coach kids 
before the phone.
At Digital Prep Academy, 
we help kids build real self-worth 
before social media teaches them to seek it from strangers.

📌 If you could get a “do over” in anything, what would it be?

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 30 years and 67,000 hours working with kids. 
I help kids get ready for the digital world before phones and social media 
show up.
 
A free 3-minute tool that shows what age is right for your child 
and what they still need to learn first.
Link here: https://lnkd.in/evfmDwrT

Kathy Van Benthuysen

Would you allow your child 
to go camping 
with no map, no flashlight, 
no way to call for help?

Of course not.

You’d most definitely make sure 
they had a plan and gear 
before stepping into the woods. 
Because we all know nature is dangerous because it’s unpredictable.

Now think about the digital world.
It’s full of connection and creativity.
But it’s also unpredictable, 
kind of like nature,
and sometimes unsafe 
when kids wander in unprepared.

Online, your child can run into:
→ Strangers pretending to be friends
→ Conversations that spiral out of control
→ Pressure to fit in or post what’s “cool”
→ And choices that leave marks 
they can’t erase

And yet, most parents do 
what feels normal:
hand over a smartphone and say,
“Just be careful.”

But that’s like dropping them 
in the woods 
and hoping they find their way home.

After more than 30 years of teaching, coaching, and working directly with kids, I’ve seen how easily they can get lost online, not because they’re careless, 
but because no one ever showed them the path first.

That’s why I created 
Digital Prep Academy,
to guide kids before the phone 
or social media show up.
We teach them to recognize danger, manage pressure, and stay grounded
so when they step into the digital world, they do it with confidence, 
not confusion.

📌 Have you ever gone camping and forgot something important? 
My answer in comments;)

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 67,000 hours working with kids. 

Every parent asks this: 
‘What age is right for a phone?’
This quick 3-minute tool gives 
you the answer. 
Link in comments or in Featured section.

“I thought waiting would make it easier.
Turns out, it just made me confident about the wrong thing.”

A dad said this recently 
after giving his 15-year-old son a phone.

“We waited. 
We did what everyone said to do. 
We thought he’d be old enough to handle it.”

→ He was responsible.
→ His grades were solid.
→ He seemed mature.

But getting the phone changed things.
Late-night scrolling replaced sleep.
Homework turned into “I’ll do it later.”
Mood swings showed up out of nowhere.

And one day, the dad realized:
“We waited for the right age, 
but not the right skills.”

That’s the mistake parents can make.
They assume time will do the teaching.

But age doesn’t equal awareness.
It doesn’t build boundaries, 
discipline, or confidence.
Because phones don’t care 
how old your child is.

After more than 30 years 
working with kids, 
I’ve seen this same story unfold 
again and again, 
because no one ever showed them there’s another way to prepare.

That’s exactly why I created 
Digital Prep Academy,
to coach kids before the phone 
or social media show up,
so they develop the emotional maturity, self-control, 
and confidence they need to handle technology 
instead of being shaped by it.

📌 Be honest - do you think “older” automatically means “ready”?

=
Every parent asks this: 
‘What age is right for a phone?’ 
This quick 3-minute tool gives 
you the answer. 
Link in comments or Featured section.

You’re not afraid your child 
will be left behind.

You’re afraid they’ll be left out.

I hear this from parents all the time:
“I just don’t want my child to be 
the only one without a phone.”

And that makes sense.

You don’t want them to be the outsider.
You don’t want them to feel embarrassed 
or left out of conversations, 
group chats, or plans.

But here’s something I’ve seen 
again and again 
after 30 years of teaching, coaching, 
and mentoring kids:

Most kids with phones still feel left out.

They’re in group chats 
that exclude them.

They see hangouts 
they weren’t invited to.

They scroll through highlight reels 
that make them feel like 
they’re never enough.

Phones don’t fix FOMO, they feed it.
They don’t guarantee belonging, 
they create comparison.

So no, you’re not being mean or outdated for waiting.
You’re being intentional.
And that’s rare and brave in a world 
that tells kids they need a screen 
to be seen.

That’s exactly why I created 
Digital Prep Academy -
a coaching program that helps kids build confidence, boundaries, and awareness before they ever get a phone 
or social media.

It’s built from decades of real-world experience with kids - what truly helps them handle pressure, manage comparison, and stay grounded in who they are.

📌 What’s harder for you - 
saying no to your child, 
or watching them feel left out?

=
Every parent asks this: 
“What age is right for a phone?”
We have a quick 3-minute tool 
that gives you the answer. 
Link in comments or my Featured section.

Would you let your child mow the lawn … without showing them how?

Of course NOT!

You wouldn’t hand them the mower 
and say,
“Just keep it straight.”

You wouldn’t assume they’re ready because they’ve seen you do it.

Because a mower
looks simple.
But one wrong move … could leave real damage.

A phone is no different.
→ It’s powerful.
→ It can be useful.
→ It can be fun.

But it also comes with risks kids don’t see:
→ Social pressure
→ Group chat drama
→ Unsafe content
→ Emotional overload

And yet
We hand it over with no training.
No coaching.
No plan.
Just, “Be careful.”

You wouldn’t do that with a mower.
Don’t do it with a phone.

At Digital Prep Academy, 
we coach kids before they step into digital responsibility so they can handle it without getting hurt.

📌 Would you let your child handle something powerful … just because they asked?

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 30 years and 67,000 hours working with kids. 
I help kids get ready for the digital world before phones and social media show up.

Every parent asks this: 
‘What age is right for a phone?’
This quick 3-minute tool gives you 
the answer. 

Link here: Link here: https://lnkd.in/evfmDwrT
or in Featured section.

IPhones didn’t just teach our kids 
to scroll.
Phones taught them to FILL 
every silence.

Somewhere along the way,
“being reachable” started to feel like “being responsible.”
We told ourselves,
“They need a phone for safety.”
“I just want to know they’re okay.”

And now ...
we’ve raised a generation 
that’s always connected, 
but rarely present.

We didn’t mean to.
It started from love, 
from protection,
from wanting to stay close.

But connection turned into dependency.

They feel anxious when they’re unreachable (and we do too).

Not because something’s wrong,
but because they’ve never learned 
how to be still, quiet, or alone.

Maybe because stillness 
can be uncomfortable.
But uncomfortable isn’t something 
we should shy away from.
It’s something we should teach them 
to sit with
because that’s where peace and confidence grow.

📌 Do you think kids today even get 
the chance to be bored anymore 
or do we rush to fill every silence 
for them?

1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child already understands 
and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments or Featured section

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program 
where your child learns the exact skills 
that keep them safe, focused, and confident online.
👉 Link in comments or Featured section

Still have questions?
Join me:
📅 Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET
Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone 
and What to Do if They’re Not.”
I’ll walk you through the skills kids need before a phone shows up 
and what to do next if they’re not quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments or Featured section

Whether you realize it or not, 
your child already has a coach.
It’s called ...
their phone.

Every swipe trains their brain.

Every ping rewards them.

Every scroll tells them what to value.

But here’s the problem:
Phones don’t coach for confidence.
They coach for comparison.
 
They don’t build resilience.
They build reliance.

Parents often say:
“I thought I was the one guiding 
my child, but the phone was teaching them more than I was.”

At Digital Prep Academy, 
we flip the script.
We coach kids before the phone does,
so they’re prepared to handle it instead of being trained by it.

📌 Who’s coaching your child more right now - you, or their phone?

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 30 years and 67,000 hours working with kids. 
I help kids get ready for the digital world before phones and social media show up.

Before you say yes to a phone, 
take 3 minutes and see if your child 
is really ready.
Link in comments or my Featured section.

“My child’s a good kid. I trust them.”

I hear this from parents all the time 
and I get it.
Because good kids are the reason 
I do this work.

Good kids tell the truth.
They follow rules.
They try to do the right thing.

But even good kids get caught 
in situations they’re not ready for
not because they’re bad, 
but because the digital world 
doesn’t play by the same rules.

One curious click.
One message from a “friend of a friend.”
One mistake that spreads faster 
than they ever imagined.

And suddenly, that same “good kid” 
feels shame, pressure, and confusion 
because they never thought 
they’d be the one.

If you’ve ever told yourself, 
“My child’s responsible. They’ll be fine,” you’re not wrong for hoping that.
You’re a good parent trying to believe the best in your kid.

But even the best kids need coaching when they step into a world designed 
to test their limits.

After more than 30 years working with kids, teaching, coaching, and parenting, I’ve seen this pattern over and over:
Character matters.
But readiness is what protects them.

That’s why I built Digital Prep Academy - to help good kids stay good 
in a world that doesn’t make it easy.

📌 Do you think being a “good kid” is enough to handle today’s digital world 
or do they need more than that?

1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child already understands and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program where your child learns the exact skills that keep them safe, focused, and confident online.
👉 Link in comments

Still have questions?
Join me:
📅 Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET
Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone and What to Do if They’re Not.”
I’ll walk you through the skills kids need before a phone shows up and what to do next if they’re not quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments

Would you let your child ride their bike without a helmet?
Of course not.

Because even if they know how to ride, you know there are bumps, potholes, 
and unexpected turns.

You wouldn’t say,
“Just be careful,”
and send them off down the hill.

You’d make sure they were protected.
Helmets prevent the damage.

It’s the same with phones.
Even if your child seems “ready,” 
the online world comes with blind spots and hard falls.

A helmet in this world looks like:
→ Emotional control.
→ Healthy boundaries.
→ Knowing when to stop, pause, and protect themselves.

At Digital Prep Academy, 
we help kids build those skills 
before the phone shows up
so when they start riding through the digital world, they can handle the bumps without crashing.
1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child already understands and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section 

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program where your child learns the exact skills that keep them safe, focused, and confident online.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section

Still have questions?
Join me:
📅 Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET
Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone and What to Do if They’re Not.”
I’ll walk you through the skills kids need before a phone shows up and what to do next if they’re not quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section

“I gave in with my oldest…
and now I don’t know how to do it differently.”

I hear this from parents all the time:

You’ve been through it before.
You gave the phone.
You said yes to social media.
You thought, “We’ll figure it out together.”

And then?
→ The grades slipped.
→ The conversations stopped.
→ The arguments started.
→ And slowly… things changed.

“It didn’t go the way I hoped.
But now I’ve got another child asking.
And I don’t want to make the same mistake…
I just don’t know how to do it differently.”

You don’t have to parent from guilt.
You get to parent with growth.

Doing it differently the second (or third) time around isn’t hypocrisy —
It’s wisdom.

That’s exactly why I created 
Digital Prep Academy - to help parents make that shift with confidence.

We coach kids before the phone or social media shows up. 
So the experience is totally different 
the next time around.

It’s not about punishing your younger kids for what didn’t work before.
It’s about finally doing it with a plan.

Before you say yes to a phone, take 3 minutes and see if your child is really ready.
Link here: https://lnkd.in/evfmDwrT

📌 What’s one thing you wish you’d done differently with your oldest when it came to phones or tech?

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 30 years and 67,000 hours working with kids. 
I help kids get ready for the digital world before phones and social media 
show up.
 
 
Every parent asks this:
 ‘What age is right for a phone?’
Take this quick 3-minute tool gives you the answer. Link in Featured section.

It’s getting harder and harder 
to tell what’s real online.

Can I get an amen?

→ AI-generated videos.
→ Photoshop filters.
→ Fake DMs.
→ Deepfake voices.
→ AI “friends” that say exactly what your child wants to hear.

And kids aren’t just scrolling past it.
They’re believing it.
They’re trusting it.
They’re being influenced by it.

“It looked real.”
“She said it was true.”
“Everyone was posting it, 
so I thought it had to be.”

If your child can’t question 
what they’re seeing, 
they’re not ready to scroll alone.

At Digital Prep Academy, we don’t just coach kids on how to use tech.
We teach them how to think critically when they’re using it.
Because awareness doesn’t just protect their privacy.
It protects their judgment.

📌 If your child saw a believable but fake video, would they know how to spot the red flags?

=
I’m Kathy, a mom, teacher, and coach with over 30 years and 67,000 hours working with kids. 
I help kids get ready for the digital world before phones and social media show up.

Thinking about giving your child a phone?
This 3-minute tool helps you decide with confidence.

Link in comments or in my Featured section.

What is Real vs.What is AI?

“I’m a scammer” said no scammer ever! 

That would make it too easy to spot.
They are a little more subtle. 

They start with urgency, 
maybe some friendship and flattery, 
and even some freebies.

If kids can’t recognize the tactics, 
they’re more likely to fall for them. 

Hey, even us adults can get tricked.

At Digital Prep Academy, 
we teach kids to pause and verify 
before the pressure hits.
Confidence online doesn’t come from knowing the apps.
It comes from knowing the traps.

📌 What’s one suspicious message 
your child (or you!) has gotten lately?

1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child 
already understands 
and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments 

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program 
where your child learns the exact skills 
that keep them safe, focused, 
and confident online.
👉 Link in comments

Still have questions?
Join me:
Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET
Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone 
and What to Do if They’re Not.”
I’ll walk you through the skills 
kids need before a phone shows up 
and what to do next if they’re not 
quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments

Can they spot a scam?

Your child can Google anything,
but are they ready for everything 
they find?

Kids don't go looking for trouble 
online … for the most part;)
It often finds them.

One wrong search,
one accidental click,
one curious question,
and they are in way over their heads.

They can see things they’re not emotionally ready for.

They can believe things that aren’t true, but look real.

That’s why I prepare kids before the phone or social media shows up.
It’s not about access,
it’s about readiness.

I’ve seen this more times than I can count - a curious click turns into an image, a video, or an idea that kids can’t unsee or don’t know how to process.
They’re not bad kids.

They’re curious kids in a world that gives instant answers without context.
That’s not safety. That’s exposure.

At Digital Prep Academy, I teach kids how to pause before they search, think before they click, and question what they find.
Because curiosity is good, it just needs guidance.

📌 Has your child ever searched something innocent and ended up somewhere unexpected?

1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child already understands and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section 

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program where your child learns the exact skills that keep them safe, focused, and confident online.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section

Still have questions?
Join me:
📅 Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET
Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone and What to Do if They’re Not.”
I’ll walk you through the skills kids need before a phone shows up and what to do next if they’re not quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments or my Featured section

Ever noticed how your child says,
“I lost track of time,”
“I didn’t even mean to open it,”
 or “Just one more video”?

That’s not lack of discipline.
That’s design.

Every tap, 
ping, 
and streak 
is engineered to grab attention 
and make it hard to look away.

And it’s not just kids. 
Even adults struggle to pull away.

At Digital Prep Academy, 
we help kids spot those patterns 
before they take over
because awareness isn’t just a skill.
It’s protection.
And the earlier they learn it, 
the stronger they stay.

📌 What’s one app that seems to 
“pull your child back in” no matter what?

1️⃣ Start here:
Take our free 3-minute readiness tool.
It shows you what your child already understands and what they still need to learn.
👉 Link in comments

2️⃣ Then go deeper:
Step inside the Digital Prep Academy coaching program where your child learns the exact skills that keep them safe, focused, and confident online.
👉 Link in comments

Still have questions?
Join me:

Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 12 PM ET

Free online workshop for parents:
“How to Know if Your Child Is Ready for a Phone and What to Do if They’re Not.”

I’ll walk you through the skills kids need before a phone shows up and what to do next if they’re not quite ready yet.
👉 Link in comments

Controlling Their Attention ...

Live Workshop for Parents:

“How to Know if Your Child is Ready for a Phone and What to Do if They’re Not.”

Wednesday, November 5 • 12:00 PM

This isn’t about guilt or guessing, 
it’s about giving you clarity and a plan.

We’ll cover:
→ What “readiness” actually looks like
→ What your child does, not you;) to get prepared

It’s free, live, and practical 
because every parent deserves 
a clear next step.

Save your spot through the link in comments or my Featured section.

“Your phone lights up… with pictures so bright.”

This poem says what every parent has seen but not put into words.

Take a listen.

Let me know your thoughts 
in the comments.

They canceled homecoming!

Not because of trouble. 
Because not enough kids wanted to go.

It’s not about phones.
It’s about connection 
and how showing up in person 
feels harder than ever.

That’s why I created 
Digital Prep Academy -
to help kids rediscover confidence, connection, 
and courage in the real world.

Watch this. 
Then tell me:
Do you think kids are losing interest … 
or losing connection?

→ Watch & share
→ Would you still go to your homecoming?

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