About Us
Mission
Cherry Blossom Collective works collaboratively with children, families, schools, and providers to build meaningful skills and strengthen the systems and people that surround each child. Using evidence-based behavioral principles, we develop practical strategies and supports that promote communication, independence, regulation, and connection across environments.
Vision
We believe children and families thrive when environments are engineered to understand them, respond to their needs, and support participation in daily life. Success looks different for every child and is shaped by individual contexts, relationships, routines, and systems of support.
Values
Intentional Design
We thoughtfully design supports around environments, relationships, expectations, and daily routines so strategies are practical, sustainable, and meaningful in real life.
Behavior is Communication
We view all behavior as a form of communication shaped by environments, experiences, and needs.
Functional Growth
We prioritize skills that improve everyday participation, including communication, independence, relationships, and self-regulation.
Collaboration
We partner with families, schools, providers, and communities to build shared understanding, alignment, and lasting outcomes.
Connection and Belonging
We foster inclusive and collaborative experiences where children and families feel valued, connected, and actively involved.
Data-Informed Practice
We use evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming practices, ongoing assessments, and responsive decision-making to guide individualized support.
Co-Founder & Behavior Analyst
Elana Marber, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Elana Marber, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a behavior analyst and special educator with over a decade of experience providing home and community-based ABA services, classroom-based instruction, and behavior support to children from early childhood through adolescence. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Education from Cornell University and a Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University, in Early Childhood Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. Elana holds a certification to teach early childhood special education (pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade) in Washington, DC and spent 12 years as the lead teacher of a self-contained autism classroom. She has also been providing private direct ABA services in Northern Virginia since 2016.
Elana specializes in skill acquisition, behavior reduction, functional communication, and functional routines taught within the natural environments where children live and learn. She works closely with families, schools, and providers to build consistency across settings, recognizing that skills are most successful when the adults supporting a child feel confident, aligned, and supported.
Elana's work emphasizes practical, real-life skills that support independence and meaningful participation now and into the future. She believes ABA should be engaging, relationship-based, and something children look forward to participating in. She values steady progress and believes even small steps are worth celebrating as part of consistent growth over time.
Co-Founder & Behavior Analyst
Ashley DiCarlo, M.S.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Ashley DiCarlo, M.S.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a behavior analyst with over 15 years of experience across public school systems, therapeutic settings, and home and community-based ABA. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from West Virginia University, a Master of Science in Education in Child Psychology from Duquesne University, and a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Penn State University.
Ashley spent a decade supporting early childhood through 5th grade programs at the district level in Washington, DC, where she focused on classroom systems, staff training, and behavioral consultation within specialized programs. Most recently, she provided behavior management services as part of IEP teams in Falls Church, Virginia, supporting students in specialized and inclusion settings, including twice-exceptional learners.
Ashley approaches behavior support as environmental architecture, specializing in classroom and systems design that helps children access and participate in everyday environments. She identifies underlying skill deficits and environmental patterns contributing to behavior, then designs functionally equivalent interventions that support regulation, independence, and meaningful generalization across settings. Her work emphasizes coaching, collaboration, and efficient systems built around reinforcing, manageable strategies that support both the child and the people around them.
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