Valerie Frost
Valerie Frost is a national consultant and lived-experience leader dedicated to transforming family-serving systems through lived experience, policy expertise, and collaborative strategy. With an M.Ed. and more than a decade of experience in early childhood education, Valerie combines deep knowledge of child development with systems-level leadership informed by her experience navigating the child welfare system as a parent.
Valerie spent more than a decade teaching preschool and kindergarten across several states. She founded and led Kentucky’s first statewide Parent Advisory Council, developing a cohort of parent leaders who went on to influence practice and policy statewide.
Today, she partners with agencies, courts, nonprofits, and coalitions nationwide to rethink how family-serving systems engage with, and remain accountable to, parents and youth. Her work focuses on family well-being, shared authority, and authentic partnership with community.
Valerie hosts the Community In-Site podcast and has been invited to speak at the White House. Her proudest role is being a mama to her three energetic children.
“Valerie Frost is an incredibly talented, brilliant advocate who is unafraid of speaking truth to power. She articulates a vision for child and family well-being more naturally than anyone I’ve ever encountered.”
— Rebecca M. Robuck, Partner, ChildFocus
I Am a Lived Expert
My work is rooted in navigating complex public systems as a parent. That lived experience is not just part of my story; it’s the foundation of my approach. Parents and impacted individuals are experts in their own lives, yet systems too often overlook that expertise, treating families as problems rather than decision-makers. I challenge that status quo by centering lived experience as legitimate knowledge and leadership. I bring firsthand understanding of how systems operate, and where they fail, and use that insight to help redefine how authority, accountability, and partnership are structured. I do not simply advocate for families. I work to ensure their experience shapes decisions and governance.
I Speak Both Community and Corporate
I bridge lived experience and professional expertise to help institutions move toward equity with clarity and accountability. I understand both how systems operate and how families experience their impact. This dual perspective allows me to translate across power, surface blind spots, and support change that is practical, credible, and grounded in respect.
Valerie Frost 