Who We Are
Created by parents of a child whose airway disorder went undetected for 12 years, resulting in serious lifelong consequences, The Children’s Airway First Foundation (CAFF) is committed to preventing other children and their parents from enduring similar and unnecessary hardship. Unnecessary because airway disorders are typically correctable if diagnosed and treated by the age of six. CAFF is fully invested in spreading awareness to both parents and practitioners — sharing preventative information, diagnostic insights, the latest research, medical management strategies, parent support groups, and practitioner support.
Understanding the signs and symptoms and the roles of breathing, sleeping, and eating in their development is the first step toward safeguarding your child’s health. CAFF has developed a rich and growing resource library to help parents and medical professionals understand this widespread evolutionary pandemic and how each can contribute to the well-being of more than 400 million children worldwide.
Our History
When Candy and Bradley Sparks discovered that their mysteriously ill, 12-year-old daughter, Savvy, was suffering from the severe side effects of a complex airway disorder which could have been prevented if she’d been diagnosed at birth, they took action. The Sparks’ channeled their deep personal despair and frustration with their daughter’s regrettably late diagnosis into an abiding commitment to prevent other children from facing similar lifetime complications. In 2021 , they established the Children’s Airway First Foundation (CAFF) with the vision of ending the evolutionary pandemic of children’s airway disorders.
CAFF is more than a labor of love; it is a dedicated advocate for airway health and a leading voice for treatment and change worldwide. CAFF collaborates with global experts, researchers, and medical practitioners to ensure every child has access to screening, evaluation, and treatment prior to six years of age.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Becky Andrews is a naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, herbalist, and bodyworker. She is also certified in Permaculture Design. As a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and student of permaculture, she focuses on a “whole systems” approach to health challenges of the individual and the human condition as a whole.
Her practice specializes in complex, chronic, and "difficult" cases. She combines naturopathic, traditional western, and eastern paradigms with conventional medical approaches.
Dr. Andrews received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine and Masters of Acupuncture at Bastyr University in 2003. She is a graduate of the Boulder College of Massage therapy (1995) and also holds a BA in psychology from the University of Kentucky (1992). She did her permaculture certification at CommonWheal in 2012.
She has served on faculty at both Bastyr and AOMA School for Integrative Medicine and on the board of directors for both the Washington and Texas Associations of Naturopathic Doctors.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Kevin Boyd, a practicing Pediatric Dentist teaching in the Pediatric Dentistry residency at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, also serves as a dental consultant to Lurie’s Sleep Medicine service and Lutheran General Hospital. Dr. Boyd also holds an advanced degree (M.Sc.) in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Michigan State University where he participated in research projects related to unhealthy eating and how it contributes to tooth decay, obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes. His strong academic background in nutritional biochemistry has been instrumental in motivating the importance he places on nutrition as being a key component of each child's dental health plan.
He is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Anthropology conducting research in anthropology and orthodontics.
He is recognized as a leading clinician in the Chicago area for diagnosing and treating interferences to normal growth of the teeth, jaws and face.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Karen Parker Davidson, RN is a global expert in the fields of nasal function, data interpretation, AI methods, and the medical devices used to capture data. In this field, she has numerous copyrights and pending patents.
For more than three decades, she has held several positions in the medical device industry, various clinical nursing positions, and specialty certifications in the private sector, as well as time in the US Air Force Reserves as a Flight Nurse and Critical Care Nurse. As a respected educator, subject matter expert (SME), and adjunct Professor at Liberty University and Central Michigan University.
Currently, she is the Vice President at GM Instruments, Ltd., founder of FACT Healthcare Consulting Group, LLC, and the Co-founder of Reliant Biomedical Technologies. She is an Executive Board member and President at The Healthcare Navigation Project 501(c)(3), an editorial board member for Dental Sleep Practice (DSP) Magazine, a peer reviewer for medical journals, currently serves a 4-year term on the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Review Committee, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Her research discussing nasal function and breathing disorders can be found in various medical journals, magazines, books, and academic textbooks. She is the author of Breathe Through Your Nose, Don’t Pay Through It: The Impact the Healthcare Industry Has on Nasal Function and How We Breathe, the creator and author of the My Little Nose series of children’s books, a contributing author to Growing Into Breathing Problems: The Quest for Collaborative Lifetime Solutions (2024), Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis (2023), The Clinician's Handbook for Dental Sleep Medicine (2 ed.) (2024), and Healthcare Informatics Innovation Post-COVID-19 Pandemic (2025), and a coauthor of future the releases The Power of the Tongue In the Beginning, We Were All Tongue Tied and Sleep Apnea and Pregnancy: The Female Response to Sleep Breathing Disorders, and as. She is a member of speaker bureaus and guest lecturer at university residency programs and professional academy meetings at the national and international levels.
Her work has been awarded and recognized by Women We Admire as one of the top 50 women leaders in the Washington, DC area for 2022, recognized as a 2023 Carolina Nursing Alumni Award nominee for outstanding contributions to the field of nursing and research, and recipient of a National Science Foundation award as a team member in the development of a medical device for improved manual ventilation in airway emergencies, also recognized by the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, in a congratulatory letter of recognition.
She holds a Doctor of Health Administration degree with a focus on Health Policy, three Masters degrees in Administration, Nursing, and Education, a Bachelors degree in Nursing, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Davidson calls the Annapolis, Maryland area home where she resides with her son, Zach, and two dogs.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Cris Duval is a health and wellness expert who has an extraordinary ability to establish long-term relationships with her dental patients as a vital partner in their quest for achieving vastly improved overall health. She is constantly learning and studying the latest critical information. And, there is no one better at delivering exceptional, collaborative service.
After many years as a luminary among dental hygienists, she has retired and established her own successful consulting business, The LifeGuard Approach.
As the former Northwest Regional Coordinator for the Oral Cancer Foundation, and a founding board member of the International Association of Ozone in Healthcare and Dentistry, Cris stands out with the best. Her dedication and desire to be of service to humanity are unparalleled.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
John R Finnegan Jr., Ph.D. is Professor and Dean of the School of Public Health on the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota. He joined the school in 1980, eventually directing a professional health communication staff for the Minnesota Heart Health Program, one of the USA’s major community-level initiatives in heart health promotion funded by the National Institutes of Health.
In 1986, he joined the school faculty with a focus on community health and the roles and outcomes of interventions through communication strategies and campaigns. He was named Dean in 2005, following a national search.
He has also served as Chair of the Board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the US-based network of accredited schools and programs.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Lauren Gueits, BS, RDH, is a distinguished dental professional with over 30 years of experience in clinical and corporate dentistry. She is a leading advocate for dental professionals in healthcare, focusing on disease prevention and airway health. Recognized as a top 1% hygienist in North America, she received the prestigious Sunstar/RDH Award for her outstanding commitment to making a difference.
Graduating from the State University of New York at Farmingdale in 1991, Lauren furthered her education with post-graduate training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in 2013.
As a published author and National Speaker for renowned dental companies like Colgate, Sunstar, Align Technology, and Zila, Lauren's extensive knowledge and passion for oral health have led her to deliver impactful presentations and raise awareness about crucial oral and overall health topics.
Transitioning to the corporate sector, Lauren joined Align Technology in 2013 and exceeded expectations, receiving the peer-voted Leadership Award in her second year. She created the position of Align Hygiene Education Manager, leading an international team of hygienists, and was later promoted to Senior Education Manager of Professional Relations, managing the General Dentist Channel.
In 2018, Lauren founded Airway Health Solutions (AHS), becoming a leader in the field and training over 400 dental practitioners to improve breathing, sleep, and overall well-being in thousands of children, spearheading the #airwayhealthmovement.
An Adjunct Guest Faculty at New York University and a member of the Colgate Dental Hygiene Advisory Board, Lauren Gueits is dedicated to advancing dental education and patient care.
Her passionate advocacy for children's airway health stands as one of her most significant achievements, making a substantial impact on their long-term health outcomes, ensuring a healthier adulthood.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Steven M. Hall, MD is an integrative physician, teacher, speaker, and author of The Seven Tools of Healing: Unlock Your Inner Wisdom and Live the Life Your Soul Desires. His message is about finding and changing the patterns that are creating your painful feelings, harmful behaviors, dysfunctional relationships, and physical diseases. And how to make those changes last.
He began his medical career in 1985 as a residency trained and board-certified Family Practitioner. His practice has been shaped by his journey to answer two questions: “What is ‘healing’?” and “How can I best help you with yours?”
Dr. Hall practices Integral Medicine methodologies, derived from an integral worldview of medicine and healing, which look at all aspects of a patient's life from how they eat and sleep to their beliefs, in order to better diagnose and treat underlying causes of illness and establish preventative, long-lasting solutions.
He is passionate about sharing what he has learned with the world and in helping to foster a more encompassing approach to medical education and patient health management.
He is in private practice in Issaquah, Washington.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Bill Hang is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and the University of Minnesota Orthodontic program where he briefly taught orthodontics. He then established a very traditional orthodontic practice in rural Vermont. After about seven years he became dissatisfied with the faces the traditional orthodontic approach produced and embarked on a continuing education journey that is ongoing.
In the process he moved to Southern California and developed a truly unique orthodontic practice with strong emphasis on facial esthetics achieved with innovative early treatment and adult treatment, but also became aware of the significant positive affect some of his treatments were having on the airway. This opened up a whole new aspect of orthodontics - maximizing the airway for ALL orthodontic patients and specifically treating patients with sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea.
Dr. Hang has been a pioneer working in the airway/sleep arena for over 25 years. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry for his work on optimizing airways in all patients. Patients travel from at least 28 states and a number of foreign countries seeking reversal of their previous orthodontics, elimination of their TMJ/pain, and relief from OSA/sleep/breathing symptoms. Dr. Hang, a local, national, and international speaker, is an innovative, forward thinking visionary who has dedicated his career to improving how dentistry and orthodontics are practiced around the world.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Dayna Johnson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Johnson’s research has uncovered much about the social contributors to racial and gender disparities in sleep by assessing the effects of social, household-level and neighborhood-level factors in correlation with insufficient sleep.
Dr. Johnson began her education with a drive to understand why certain groups of people were more likely to have certain conditions than other groups and how it may relate to their neighborhoods and environments. After hearing a talk by Gary Gibbons, M.D., where he mentioned sleep as a risk factor for stroke, Dr. Johnson saw the potential link between neighborhood conditions and cardiovascular disease via sleep. Dr. Johnson had found her niche within sleep health disparities.
From there, Dr. Johnson went on to earn her Ph.D. in Epidemiologic Science from the University of Michigan where she studied psychosocial stressors and neighborhood characteristics in relation to different sleep outcomes among Hispanic and Black populations. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School where she cites having learned how to measure sleep and analyze sleep variables from different objective sleep studies.
Dr. Johnson has an extensive list of publications and received both NIH grant funding and the NIH Loan Repayment Health Disparities Award in 2018, and the Chair’s Research Award from the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School in 2017.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Umakanth Khatwa is an Attending Physician; Director of Sleep Laboratories, Director of Aero-digestive Center, and Director of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Program. He specializes in Pulmonary Medicine, Sleep Disorders, Chronic Lung Disease, Sleep Disordered Breathing, Apnea, Cough, Respiratory Diseases, Aerodigestive Disorders, and Cystic Fibrosis at Boston Children's Hospital.
He is also an Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Khatwa received his medical education from Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences and completed his training at Lincoln Medical Center, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Weil Cornell Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children's Hospital.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Suresh Kotagal is a consultant in the Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and the Center for Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is a Professor in the Department of Neurology at the same institution.
He received his M.B.; B.S. degrees from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India in 1972. This was followed by an internship at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, residency training in Pediatrics at Wayne State University in Detroit, a Child Neurology residency at St. Louis University, and a Sleep Medicine fellowship at Stanford University. In 1982, he was one of the first pediatric neurology-sleep specialists in the United States.
Dr. Kotagal served as chair of the Division of Child Neurology at Mayo Clinic. In 2000, he started the pediatric component of its sleep medicine practice. His clinical interests have been in the areas of sleep in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, narcolepsy, parasomnias, and restless legs syndrome. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and an elected member of the American Neurological Association. He was awarded the Distinguished Educator award by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Lifetime Achievement award by the Child Neurology Society.
Dr. Kotagal has served on the editorial boards of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Medicine Reviews, and as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Child Neurology. Peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters number around 130, with an additional four, authored / co-authored textbooks. He chaired the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the pediatric sodium oxybate clinical trial for narcolepsy and presently heads the DSMB on another narcolepsy clinical trial. He has served as a consultant for the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Kotagal has made substantial contributions in the area of pediatric sleep disorders. His work has advanced the understanding of childhood-onset daytime sleepiness, obstructive sleep apnea, parasomnias, and restless legs syndrome. His studies on childhood narcolepsy have characterized the clinical features, the relationship to obesity, long-term comorbidities, and its treatment with sodium oxybate. He currently serves on a task force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine pertaining to the treatment of hypersomnia disorders.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Susan Maples leads a successful, insurance-independent Total Health Dental practice in Holt, Michigan.
She brings preventive and restorative dental expertise, a passion for mouth-body total health, a master’s degree in business/marketing, and 30+ years of experience in private practice.
In 2012 Susan was named one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry and one of the Top 8 Innovators (otherwise known as “disruptors”) in Dentistry.
Susan is the immediate past President of the American Academy for Oral & Systemic Health.
She is the author of BlabberMouth! 77 Secrets Only Your Mouth Can Tell You To Live a Healthier, Happier, Sexier Life. And recently finished a new book titled, Brave Parent! Raising Healthy, Happy Kids (against all odds) in Today’s World.
She is the developer of the Hands-On Learning Lab™ kit, an interactional science-based learning program for dental patients, and SelfScreen.net, an educational screening tool for patients and clinicians to uncover signs of illness such as Pre-Diabetes/Diabetes, Obstructive Sleep Airway Disorders, Acid Reflux, and Chronic Systemic Inflammation.
Susan was a co-investigator in an award-winning diabetes research study entitled Diabetes Detection in the Dental Office.
She is also the creator of Total Health Academy, a robust online learning curriculum for dental teams to develop a complete oral systemic dental practice.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Maxwell is a Board Certified Pediatric Cardiologist and Pediatrician. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins Medical School and a Residency in Pediatrics at The University of California at San Francisco followed by clinical and research fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology at Lucile Salter Packard and Stanford Hospitals and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
His research interests include study of endothelial control of vasomotor tone, nitric oxide, sports cardiology, dysautonomia, hypermobility syndromes, & mast cell activation syndrome and their relationships to environmental toxins. For his research he received an American Heart Association Bugher Award for Research in Molecular Biology and was an American College of Cardiology Young Investigator Award finalist.
He has published many articles and book chapters on these subjects. For his clinical work, he has been voted by his peers as a Top Doctor in Northern California annually since 2017.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Francine Misch-Dietsh earned her first dental degree in Nice, France, and then obtained certificates in Prosthodontics, Oral Implantology, and a Master’s in Dental Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990. She was the co-director of the Misch Implant Institute from 1993 till 2008 and an Associate Professor in the Department of Prosthodontics, Oral Implantology, the University of Pittsburgh until 2005.
From 2005 to the present, she serves as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology at the Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry in Philadelphia where she teaches Oral Implantology to the periodontology residents.
She served editorial positions at the International Journal of Oral Implantologists from the early 1990s and is a past Associate Editor of Implant Dentistry; the official publication of the International College of Oral Implantologists.
She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral Implantology, Diplomate of the International College of Oral Implantologists, a Fellow of the International College of Dentists, and an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.
She has been in private practice restricted to Implant Dentistry for the last 30 years, and presently maintains a practice in Miami, Florida while still maintaining a practice in Rome Italy where she lived for several years. She has lectured nationally and internationally and co-authored several scientific articles and chapters in the field of Oral Implantology.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Sharon Moore is a speech pathologist and myofunctional practitioner with four decades of clinical experience across a range of communication and swallowing disorders. She has worked in diverse clinical settings in Australia and London.
Currently, Sharon runs a private practice in Canberra for patients of all ages and is part of the transdisciplinary team for the Canberra Sleep Clinic. The integration of orofacial myofunctional principles into traditional speech pathology work allows a unique approach to managing disorders of the upper airway, including breathing, swallowing, chewing, phonation, resonance, speech, and sleep issues related to upper airway obstruction.
Sharon has a special interest in the early identification of craniofacial growth anomalies in syndromic and non-syndromic children, concomitant orofacial dysfunctions, and airway obstruction in sleep disorders. Sharon believes that there has never been a more important time for medical, dental, and allied health colleagues to work as a team, with the significant consequences of sleep disorders in all ages now widely known.
Growing global medical acknowledgment of the role of myofunctional therapy in the management of sleep disorders has hailed a new era of relevance for work in the upper airway, affirming Sharon's chosen clinical direction. She believes we have a window of opportunity to help parents get it right before kids start school.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Licia is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience in myofunctional and cognitive disorders and therapy. She is an Advisor for the Academy of Orofacial MyofunctionalTherapy (AOMT) and for the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences (AAMS). She is past-President and former Board Member of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM).
She worked as an independent speech-language pathologist for several non profit organizations and for UCLA. She is qualified in Dental Sleep Disorders and completed a residency in Orofacial Pain. She authored and co-authored many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and co-authored a book on myofunctional therapy and one on food, eating and nutrition.
She has presented at conferences and taught courses over 50 times, on many subjects, nationally and internationally.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Kimberly Santiago was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She spent a year skiing the slopes of Colorado and then moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Dr. Santiago was the top-ranked female dental student, graduated third in her class, was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon dental honors society and received just about every possible award University of Washington School of Dentistry gives out annually. Her free time is spent as Supermom to Simona, Alessandro, and Eliana. Dr. Santiago enjoys family time, lazy weekends, culinary arts, traveling, the Seahawks, skiing, and binge-watching awesome shows.
Dr. Santiago is earnestly committed to helping enrich and improve the lives of her patients. She firmly believes in healing the patient by treating the root cause of disease/health problems, rather than treating symptoms. This integrative wellness model is a departure from conventional medicine and dentistry; it looks for and treats the smoke before the fire. Every individual deserves to have the option to heal themself. Dr. Kimberly has developed one of the first all-encompassing airway-centric dental practices in which a patient receives a global diagnosis and comprehensive treatment options to help restore them to health, functionally and structurally, and for the long-term. She believes every individual deserves to make the choice to be the best version of themself.
Not only does Dr. Kimberly Santiago take 200-300 hours of continuing education each year, but she also is passionate about educating the community at large about the ubiquitous nature of dysfunctional breathing, dysfunctional sleep, tongue-tie, and underdeveloped jaws. She spends many hours monthly instructing speech language therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, lactation consultants, pediatricians, sleep physicians (and more) on how to identify children and adults who are showing the smoke signals for impaired breathing and sleep. She believes that we can make an impact on humanity and significantly reduce the rates of chronic disease.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
He is Triple Board-Certified in Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Medicine. A graduate of Ohio State University, he trained in Neurology at Washington University, Sleep Medicine at Stanford University and Epilepsy at University of California.
He began his professional career as Assistant Professor of Neurology at UCLA while co-directing the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center and directing the Clinical Neuro-physiology lab at Olive View UCLA.
In 1999 he moved to Houston establishing his sleep disorders practices. He continues to conduct research studies relating to sleep disorders and developing methods to enhance the assessment and treatment of patients with sleep disturbances.
His most recent research involves the relationship between Clenching / Sleep Bruxism / TMJ Disorder with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, as well as the relationship between ADHD and disturbances of sleep.
Education is an important aspect of his career, having trained medical students, residents and fellows in sleep medicine and then establishing the SEC as an outreach to educate the healthcare community.
He has been instrumental in providing guidance to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners that led to the new rules requiring dentists to obtain some degree of education in sleep medicine in order to provide appliance therapy to patients with OSA.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Larry M. Wolford is a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, and in full-time private practice at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
He has been involved in resident training and education for 48 years. He sponsored and directed a Fellowship program for TMJ and Orthognathic surgery for 28 years. He has co-authored two textbooks, co-edited 2 other textbooks, written over 50 book chapters for other books, has over 225 other publications, and over 150 published scientific abstracts.
He has received the William J. Gies Award and the W. Harry Archer Award (two of the highest awards in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) for major contributions to the specialty. He is internationally known for his expertise in orthognathic surgery, TMJ surgery, and sleep apnea surgery. He has developed many of the surgical techniques, philosophies, and evidence-based treatment protocols that are used in these surgical areas.
Advisory Board
The Children's Airway First Foundation’s Advisory Board comprises distinguished experts from the medical field, research community, insurance, public health, and non-profit sector. This talented team underscores our commitment to combating treatable childhood airway and sleep illnesses on a global scale.
The board focuses on pioneering diagnostic advancements, fostering innovative interdisciplinary training and collaborations, and leading a widespread public health initiative involving celebrities. Their primary goal is early intervention in young children under six years of age to prevent hypoxic brain injuries and long-term health impacts.
OUR MISSION
To ensure every child has access to screening, evaluation, and treatment of all children's airway disorders prior to six years of age.
Our vision is to end the evolutionary pandemic of children's airway disorders.
Our guiding principles:
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This is an evolutionary pandemic.
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There is very little awareness of children’s airway disorders among parents and medical/dental providers.
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Pediatric dentists, pediatricians, general dentists, feeding specialists, and general practitioners must be taught to diagnose children’s airway disorders.
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Behavioral, i.e., ADD, ADHD, and sleep-related issues, can be ameliorated through appropriate airway treatment.
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Prevention saves lives, pain, and suffering and dramatically improves the quality of life.
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Innovation will require multi-disciplinary teams.
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Resources are limited, and most of the current available treatments are inaccessible to many.
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Treatments, such as retractive braces that shrink the oral cavity, must be avoided. Treatments must be airway-centric.
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Insurance does not understand and often pushes back on airway disorder treatments.
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Multi-media/internet/compelling documentary for public health campaign required to increase awareness and appropriate action.
Our strategies:
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Provide documentation for an understanding of this evolutionary pandemic.
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Articulate economic and quality of life cases for early prevention and treatment of children’s airway and sleep health disorders.
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Develop inexpensive and effective screening tools.
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Convince insurers to cover identification, evaluation, and treatment of airway disorders.
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Teach all dental and medical students the importance of diagnosing airway disorders early.
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Work with psychologists on potential diagnostic overshadowing for airway disorder mood and behavioral concerns.
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Establish Centers of Excellence for complex cases around the globe.
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Establish a standard of care for diagnosed airway disorders.
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Convince medical/dental schools to develop and teach an integrated curriculum to address children’s airway disorders.
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Establish regional education centers for current providers with tele-med reinforcement.
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Create multi-media/internet compelling documentary public health campaign.
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Gain the support and involvement of the ADA, AMA, AAP, ANMA, CDC, WHO, International organizations and luminaries, etc.
The Children's Airway First Foundation team consists of passionate individuals dedicated to addressing airway and sleep health issues affecting over 400 million children worldwide. We are committed to providing comprehensive materials, resources, and education to empower parents, support medical professionals, and revolutionize sleep and airway health management for children.
Together, we strive to combat avoidable and treatable childhood sleep and airway disorders, making a significant impact on children's health globally.
Candy Sparks is an executive with decades of experience in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. She served as Executive Director for the non-profit A Smoke-Free Generation, which substantially reduced the start-up of smoking in children nine to fourteen. The program was endorsed by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. and funded by the Mayo Clinic, 3M, Med Centers Health Plan… with celebrity role models including the late musician, Prince, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Lisa Bonet from the Cosby Show.
As Director of Project Development for Tor Dahl and Associates, Candy was the project leader for Ontario Hydro, DynCorp International at Fort Irwin and Fort Rucker, AT&T GM&E- USA and Asia, AT&T 800 Service, ICI Films, SAS Airlines, Regence Blue Shield, Seattle School District, EDS, and the Marshfield Clinic. Under her guidance, her projects achieved dramatic improvements in quality, processes and systems, financial performance, and customer, stakeholder, and employee satisfaction.
She also served as the Executive Director of the non-profit World Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS) from 1988 to 1993 creating World Congress and World Forum events in Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, and Sweden.
Now, inspired by her daughter’s long battle with a compromised airway and its devastating systemic effects on her health, Candy is using her broad experience to help end this silent epidemic of 400-million children worldwide who suffer from compromised airways.
As President and Co-Founder of the Children’s Airway First Foundation, Candy is fostering the development of new and breakthrough diagnostic techniques, greater innovative interdisciplinary clinician/stakeholder training and collaboration, and a massive celebrity public health education campaign. All will be focused on early childhood intervention (before the age of six) in order to prevent hypoxic brain injuries and long-term systemic damage to the body and mind.
Mrs. Sparks is a graduate of the University of Minnesota in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism, and a former guest lecturer from 1986 to 2000 at the U of MN graduate program in the School of Public Health. She and her husband, Bradley E. Sparks, live in Austin, Texas. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
Bradley E. Sparks has over 30-years of senior executive experience in publicly-held, multi-billion dollar, mid-cap, and development stage companies. As the VP-Treasurer and VP-Controller at a Fortune 500 Company, he led two successful IPOs.
A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Sparks formerly served as the Chairman of the NASDAQ Insurers Affairs Committee and served on the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Review Panel for 10-years. He has been a Board Member for software and oil companies as well. Additionally, he served three years on the Financial Reporting Executive Committee ("FineREC") for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA") and served as chairman of two AICPA national conferences for CFOs.
Mr. Sparks graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1969 and is a former Army Captain in the Signal Corps. He received a Master of Science in Management degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975.
As the father of Savvy Sparks, Mr. Sparks is personally committed to the mission of CAFF. His goal is to help drive success through CAFF educational programs and informational campaigns, ensuring every child has access to screening, evaluation, and treatment of all children's airway disorders prior to six years of age.
Cam Strong is an experienced Healthcare executive and consultant with an expansive background in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Strong served as the Vice President of Member Services for Regence Blue Shield and served as the Principle Contracting Officer and Chief of Procurement at OCHAMPUS (now known as TRICARE).
Mr. Strong has served on numerous “for-profit” and “not-for-profit” boards including corporations developing and providing EDI, PPO, and HMO services, information technology staffing, maritime education services, and the Children’s Trust Foundation.
Mr. Strong’s educational credentials include a Bachelor of Business Administration from Minot State University, a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and the ISP Graduate Program for Health Care Administration at the University of Minnesota.
SAVVY SPARKS
Brief bio
Rebecca joined the Children’s Airway First Foundation in April 2021, bringing with her over 17 years of online product, content, design, and marketing experience. Over the course of her career with such companies as Match.com, IMC2 and the Dallas Morning News, she has become a specialist in the areas of project management, online and mobile usability and digital marketing with large-scale B2B and B2C websites.
Rebekah is the host of two podcasts, including Airway First for CAFF, owner and principal consultant of digital agency, a published author, and digital course creator. She has a BS in Biology and a Diploma in Professional Pastry Arts.
As an adult with a sever airway disorder, Rebekah is passionate about putting an end to the global pandemic impacting children. When not focused on supporting CAFF, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and two black cats, crafting, writing, playing music, and testing out techniques and recipes for making healthy, low-sugar pastries and deserts.
RYAN DRAUGHON
With a passion for social media and airway health, Ryan joined the CAFF Team in 2023 as our Social and Digital Media Manager. She has a background in nursing and science and is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Additionally, Ryan brings her experience in social media engagement, event promotion, and online growth and marketing for the CAFF Team to spread the message about children’s sleep and airway disorders to parents around the globe.
Ryan is driven by her personal history with airway dysfunction and is focused on doing her part towards making a change in children’s healthcare. Outside of work, Ryan is an avid concert going, celloist, aspiring chef, and mom to her adorable and ever curious tabby cat, Miso.
Christi joined the Children’s Airway First Foundation team in 2023. After having her second child, Christi experienced severe postpartum depression attempting to navigate the obstacles of having a child with oral dysfunction & significant tension. Eventually that led Christi to encounter the Airway First podcast in her quest to devour and disseminate airway focused information to those around her. As a member of CAFF, Christi hopes to help in a small way to continue to connect parents with resources, so no one has to endure such significant struggles.
Christi has a background in Marketing with a BS from Arizona State University (Go Devils!). She has experience in a variety of different settings from nonprofit to hospitality.
When not consuming airway focused media, Christi can be found adventuring with her husband & two children. She loves learning about holistic health, sharing her Armenian heritage and catching an MLB fall league or Cactus league game when the Arizona weather is perfect.
Our Team
“Many things can wait. Children cannot. Today, their bones are being formed, their blood is being made,
and their senses are being developed. To them, we cannot say tomorrow.”
~ Gabriela Mistral
OUR PARTNERS
You’re not alone. Neither are we.
We are connected to organizations dedicated to eradicating children’s airway and sleep disorders. By fostering a holistic, collaborative approach to pediatric medicine — bringing together dentists, hygienists, speech therapists, myofunctional and occupational therapists, feed specialists, nurses, ENTs, sleep specialists, and pediatricians working together — we strive to eradicate childhood airway and sleep disorders.
Our primary partners are Airway Health Solutions, Empowered Sleep Apnea, the Sleep Education Consortium, Well Spoken, The Airway Circle, and The LifeGuard Approach. By pooling our resources, expertise, and knowledge, we strengthen campaigns and educational efforts to create long-term, positive change in children's health.
While we are united in our goal, each organization operates independently, contributing unique strengths to our shared mission.
The Airway Circle offers a safe and supportive space for like-minded professionals to connect, collaborate, and share information regarding airway-related issues and whole-body health. They are on a mission to transform airway health through education and empowerment.
Airway Health Solutions specializes in providing dental solutions for sleep-breathing disorders through interceptive and expansive orthodontics. Together with CAFF, they raise awareness and provide training and resources to support children’s craniofacial and respiratory development.
Empowered Sleep Apnea focuses on patient-centered care, helping patients navigate their healthcare journeys using evidence-based medicine. Together, we educate and empower parents on their children’s sleep and airway health.
The LifeGuard Approach encourages dental professionals to take proactive and preventative measures in patient care. They advocate for dental professionals to act as LifeGuards, creating lifelines that protect and improve patient health through advanced science, screening, protocols, and technologies.
The Importance of Dental Health:
Today's dental professionals are in a unique position to take life-saving initiatives and be LifeGuards for their patients. This approach encourages moving beyond the traditional role of simply chatting, polishing, and reminding patients to floss. Instead, dental hygienists should leverage evidence-based science to identify at-risk patients or those in early stages of disease, thus building meaningful relationships and providing comprehensive care.
STOP: THINKING THAT YOU'RE JUST THERE TO CHAT AND POLISH...
START: CREATING MULTIFARIOUS LIFELINES FOR YOUR PATIENTS!
The LifeGuard Approach creates predictable higher levels of health and wellness in today's dental patients and practices through:
-
Educating and empowering the dental team
-
Basing protocols on current science-based information
-
Teaching a new model of communication
-
Utilizing leading-edge technology
Through a groundbreaking model for professional transformation, dental providers can master practices that enhance daily interactions with patients and create predictably higher levels of long-term health through state-of-the-art LifeGuard techniques.
-
The Sleep Education Consortium offers continuing medical education (CME) courses to help physicians identify and treat common sleep disturbances. They also educate the public on good sleep hygiene, aiming to create a more informed population that seeks appropriate care from primary physicians.
The Importance of Sleep:
Sleep disorders affect at least one-third of society, causing issues from occasional insomnia to severe daytime sleepiness. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research reported to Congress that over $30 billion is lost annually in the U.S. due to sleep-related issues. Despite advancements in Sleep Disorders Medicine, there remains a significant lack of education and awareness among healthcare professionals. A 1993 study found that American medical students receive only 4.75 hours of education on sleep during their four years of training.
Obstructive breathing during sleep, which causes snoring, is often linked to jaw and tongue positioning. Grinding and clenching teeth can be an attempt to keep the airway open. Dental appliances that maintain the mandible in a forward position can help manage obstructive sleep apnea. The Sleep Education Consortium aims to enhance the education of both medical professionals and the general public, fostering better identification and treatment of sleep disorders.
Well Spoken works with medical and dental specialists to solve problems in the upper airway that impact the way a child breathes, sleeps, eats, and speaks. They are dedicated to providing resources and courses for medical, dental and allied health professionals and parent communities.
Financials
The Children's Airway First Foundation is a non-profit organization, granted tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions and purchases are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. The tax-deductible amount permitted for any contribution is limited to the excess of the contribution above the value of any goods or services received.
A copy of the IRS letter of determination declaring the tax-exempt status of the Children's Airway First Foundation is available upon request. If you have questions, please contact us at info@childrensairwayfirst.org.
The Children's Airway First Foundation Determination Letter is available via the IRS website. Copies of the most recent IRS Form 990s are available as PDF documents via the links below.
GuideStar is a public charity providing comprehensive information on over 1.8 million IRS-registered nonprofits in the U.S., making it the largest source of such data.
Why GuideStar Ratings Matter:
-
Transparency: The Seal of Transparency shows a nonprofit is open about its operations, finances, and impact, assuring donors their contributions are well-used.
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Trust: Higher transparency levels, marked by Gold and Platinum seals, correlate with increased donations. Platinum-sealed nonprofits see a 53% rise in contributions.
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Benchmark: These seals help donors gauge nonprofit transparency, enabling more confident giving decisions.
The Airway Circle offers a safe and supportive space for like-minded professionals to connect, collaborate, and share information regarding airway-related issues and whole-body health. They are on a mission to transform airway health through education and empowerment.
Airway Health Solutions specializes in providing dental solutions for sleep-breathing disorders through interceptive and expansive orthodontics. Together with CAFF, they raise awareness and provide training and resources to support children’s craniofacial and respiratory development.
Empowered Sleep Apnea focuses on patient-centered care, helping patients navigate their healthcare journeys using evidence-based medicine. Together, we educate and empower parents on their children’s sleep and airway health.
The LifeGuard Approach encourages dental professionals to take proactive and preventative measures in patient care. They advocate for dental professionals to act as LifeGuards, creating lifelines that protect and improve patient health through advanced science, screening, protocols, and technologies.
The Importance of Dental Health:
Today's dental professionals are in a unique position to take life-saving initiatives and be LifeGuards for their patients. This approach encourages moving beyond the traditional role of simply chatting, polishing, and reminding patients to floss. Instead, dental hygienists should leverage evidence-based science to identify at-risk patients or those in early stages of disease, thus building meaningful relationships and providing comprehensive care.
STOP: THINKING THAT YOU'RE JUST THERE TO CHAT AND POLISH...
START: CREATING MULTIFARIOUS LIFELINES FOR YOUR PATIENTS!
The LifeGuard Approach creates predictable higher levels of health and wellness in today's dental patients and practices through:
-
Educating and empowering the dental team
-
Basing protocols on current science-based information
-
Teaching a new model of communication
-
Utilizing leading-edge technology
Through a groundbreaking model for professional transformation, dental providers can master practices that enhance daily interactions with patients and create predictably higher levels of long-term health through state-of-the-art LifeGuard techniques.
-
The Sleep Education Consortium offers continuing medical education (CME) courses to help physicians identify and treat common sleep disturbances. They also educate the public on good sleep hygiene, aiming to create a more informed population that seeks appropriate care from primary physicians.
The Importance of Sleep:
Sleep disorders affect at least one-third of society, causing issues from occasional insomnia to severe daytime sleepiness. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research reported to Congress that over $30 billion is lost annually in the U.S. due to sleep-related issues. Despite advancements in Sleep Disorders Medicine, there remains a significant lack of education and awareness among healthcare professionals. A 1993 study found that American medical students receive only 4.75 hours of education on sleep during their four years of training.
Obstructive breathing during sleep, which causes snoring, is often linked to jaw and tongue positioning. Grinding and clenching teeth can be an attempt to keep the airway open. Dental appliances that maintain the mandible in a forward position can help manage obstructive sleep apnea. The Sleep Education Consortium aims to enhance the education of both medical professionals and the general public, fostering better identification and treatment of sleep disorders.
Well Spoken works with medical and dental specialists to solve problems in the upper airway that impact the way a child breathes, sleeps, eats, and speaks. They are dedicated to providing resources and courses for medical, dental and allied health professionals and parent communities.