Establish and validate your neonatal therapy knowledge, practices, and programs.

Specialized Online Training and Mentoring Program for Neonatal Therapists

The Ignite Program is for OTs, PTs or SLPs in need of education and mentoring in the specialized field of neonatal therapy. Mentors also report that enrolling their mentees in the Ignite Program has proven incredibly valuable and efficient. Here, you’ll learn from nationally-recognized neonatal therapy mentors Jenene Woods Craig PhD, MBA, OTR/L, CNT and Jenny Reynolds MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT, BCS-S, throughout this 10-month mentoring program.

This 10-month program is led by nationally recognized certified neonatal therapists.

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 Program will open in March 2025

What IGNITE Offers

On-Demand Trainings

On-Demand Trainings
16 contact hours/1.6 CEUs

Virtual Mentorship

Live Group Guidance Calls

Community

Private Facebook Group

Resources

Practical Tools & Activities

Additional Details

What an amazing program these incredible therapists have put together! This program targets all experience levels and is very comprehensive. I loved the monthly calls as well to interact with other therapists and get live feedback. THANK YOU!

Brittany J. Bullock, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT

In my 28 years of practice, this is by far one of the most valuable training programs/resources that I have experienced.  The knowledge and passion the creators/mentors/therapists have invested in this is phenomenal.  I am grateful for having had the opportunity to participate!

Celena Kanazir, MS, CCC-SLP

I hope to continue connecting with others through NANT and feel empowered to use its resources and support to advocate for myself and my nursery team, as I often feel we are overlooked among the care team. 

Bridgid Farrell, MOT, OTR/L

IGNITE TEAM

MEET YOUR IGNITE TEAM

Jenene Craig, PhD, MBA, OTR/L, CNT

Ignite Co-Leader, Instructor, Mentor

Jenene is the Program Director for the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Development PhD and MA programs in the School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University. She has enjoyed a distinguished 40+ year career in leadership, management, clinical experience, and non-profit higher education.

Dr. Craig brings a unique context as a seasoned certified neonatal occupational therapist. Her professional work includes decades of emphasis in Trauma-Informed Care, infant and early childhood mental health, diversity and social justice, and parent-infant attachment. Dr. Craig’s focus is to translate interprofessional advances in the understanding of early life adversity, epigenetics and parental mental health into actionable improvements in the care of critically ill infants and families. Dr. Craig’s passion for infant mental health and the life-span impact from infancy through adulthood is revealed in her active professional organization work. Dr. Craig currently serves in leadership with the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT), previous Board of Directors for the National Perinatal Association (NPA), and was the inaugural Co-Chair of the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board (NTCB). Dr. Craig’s work revolves around her own personal journey in neonatal trauma, her work as an OT, and her first passion as mother of six.

Jenny Reynolds, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT, BCS-S

Ignite Co-Leader, Instructor, Mentor

Jenny is a speech-language pathologist practicing as an advanced clinical specialist in a level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Jenny is a board-certified swallowing specialist with a focus in pediatric dysphagia. She is a certified lactation counselor and a certified neonatal therapist. Jenny  is currently pursuing her small baby certification.

Jenny’s research interest is infant dysphagia and FEES. She is a co-investigator in multiple studies in the NICU. She has disseminated this research at conferences and published in peer reviewed journals. Jenny is the course creator and director of the Neonatal and Infant FEES course which has been shared internationally. Jenny is an adjunct lecturer at several speech therapy graduate programs. Jenny is a member on the NANT Professional collaborative and serves as a mentor for the NANT Ignite program.  Jenny is currently pursuing her PhD in health studies at Texas Woman’s University.

Jennie Jacob, MSPT, CNT, NTMTC, CNBE-H

Ignite Instructor, Mentor

Jennie graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 2000. She entered the workforce in early intervention and has worked in all areas of pediatrics across her career including home health, outpatient, and inpatient areas. She began her NICU specialization in 2007 and continues to work in the NICU and follow-up clinic at Banner University Medical Center-Tucson. Additionally, Jennie was on the inaugural board for the Neonatal Therapist National Certification progress and has been clinical faculty for ArizonaLEND since 2015. She is active professionally within NANT as both the PT

Clinical Advisor and an Ignite Mentor and Instructor specializing in neuromotor topics. Jennie is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, is also certified in Neonatal Touch and Massage and Babywearing Education, and enjoys lecturing on a variety of neonatal topics. Jennie still finds passion in her daily work and continuously looks forward to learning and expanding her knowledge base.

Sandra Carroll, OTR, CLC, CNT, C-ELBW

Ignite Instructor, Co-creator

Sandra is a neonatal occupational therapist who has had the great opportunity to have her hands on NICU babies and their families since 1993. Currently, she is an Advanced Clinical Specialist who works in a Level IV NICU. In addition, Sandra holds certifications as a Neonatal Therapist, Lactation Counselor and as a caregiver for the extremely low birth weight infant. Her most recent passion and accomplishment is becoming a Trauma Informed Professional. Her role as a neonatal therapist has also allowed Sandra and her colleagues to be the some of the first to participate in and publish research in relation to the novel use of Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) in the neonatal population. Sandra lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and two teenaged daughters. She spends her free time reading and being creative with flowers.

Christy Gliniak, PhD, OTR/L, CNT, CPXP

Ignite Instructor, Mentor

Christy is a neonatal occupational therapist from the Pacific Northwest who is deeply committed to advancing trauma-informed, neuroprotective, developmental care practices in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She works at Fielding Graduate University as an Associate Professor in the Infant and Early Childhood Development Program and a visiting researcher at Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis, UMC Utrecht, in the Netherlands. Christy is the Communications Manager and Conference Co-chair for the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) and is PRN at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital in their level III NICU. Christy is a Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT), a Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP), and a Certified Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapist (NTMTC). She is a National Perinatal Association Board Member and a new Executive Council Healthcare Partner for the Family Centered Care Task Force. Currently, Christy’s research and advocacy efforts target neonatal sleep initiatives and infant mental health interventions for underserved and vulnerable infant-parent dyads. Christy has a strong desire to elevate culturally responsive therapeutic interventions for Indigenous communities, families experiencing homelessness, and newborns and parents affected by substance use disorder. Dr. Gliniak uses her research, innovation, and advocacy efforts to elevate the human experience in neonatal healthcare and to optimize long-term developmental outcomes for medically fragile infants and their families. Christy is a clinical consultant, international speaker, military spouse, and mother of two.

Emily Hills, OT, MSc, CNT, NTMTC

Ignite Instructor

Emily is a Clinical Specialist Neonatal Occupational Therapist at Starlight Neonatal Unit, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London, NHS Foundation Trust, where she leads on developmental care, neurobehavoural, neurodevelopmental and sensory assessment and interventions, including follow-up after discharge. Emily is a certified neonatal therapist (CNT). She has completed her MSc in Advanced Neonatal Studies at Southampton University. Emily is NIDCAP certified and lectures on The Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education (FINE) programme in the UK. She is a senior Brazelton trainer and is certified to teach the Newborn behavioural Observation (NBO) and Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS). Emily is co-author and co-founder of Sensory Beginnings Ltd and is an Advanced Practitioner in Sensory Integration (SI) Emily has completed Neonatal Touch and massage certification (NTMC) and has completed the advanced course in The Prechtl General Movement Assessment.

Anjanette Lee, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, NTMTC

Ignite Instructor, Mentor

Anjanette received her undergraduate degree from Baylor University and her graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Dallas, Callier Center for Communication Disorders. She has been practicing in the NICU for over 25 years, receiving NIDCAP certification in 1999 and then helping her NICU’s quality improvement team incorporate family centered and neuroprotective care practices as standards of care. Anjanette is certified in Neonatal Touch & Massage and in 2017 became one of the first Certified Neonatal Therapists in the nation. Anjanette provides mentorship for other Neonatal Therapists and NICU staff both within the Memorial Hermann System and across the nation. She has co-authored chapters in Kenner & McGrath’s 1st edition of Developmental Care of Newborns & Infants, and also in Case-Smith and O’Brien’s 7th edition of Occupational Therapy for Children. Anjanette serves as co-leader of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists Professional Collaborative, serves on the NANT national conference planning committee and is an educator for both the NANT Ignite program and Educational Resources Inc.

Chrysty Sturdivant, OTR, CNT

Ignite Instructor, Co-creator

Chrysty is a certified neonatal occupational therapist and practiced in NICUs in the Dallas area since the early 1990’s. Chrysty is the Vice President of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) and serves on the NANT Professional Collaborative. She is a Member of NANT and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Chrysty is a wife, mother and grandmother of eight.

NANT reserves the right to cancel this program due to unforeseen circumstances, in which case a full refund will be given to participants.  In case of cancellation, NANT will notify participant via email and refund will be generated within 48 hours (M-F) of cancellation. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

For ADA accommodations, please call NANT Customer Service for more information at (866) 999-5524.