For Dr. Sarah Slater, DNP, pediatric health care should work within the realities of family life. In August 2025, she launched Balanced Kids, an in-home pediatric health care practice that delivers primary care services directly to families through a concierge, direct primary care model. The approach is designed to give families more time with their child’s provider, easier access to care, and greater continuity, without the need for traditional clinic visits.
Balanced Kids provides many of the same services families expect from a pediatric office, including well-child visits, sick care, immunizations, and support for common concerns such as ADHD, eczema, and asthma. As a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with board certification as a Pediatric Certified Nurse Practitioner, Sarah focuses on preventative and acute care while building long-term relationships with families. By working in the home, she can spend more time with parents and children and tailor care to each family’s needs.
The idea for Balanced Kids grew out of Sarah’s experience in healthcare and the barriers she saw families encounter. Time constraints, rigid appointment structures, and other system barriersoften limited opportunities for education or open discussion.
Her experience as amother of two reinforced the model. Scheduling appointments, transporting children, and waiting in busy offices can disrupt an entire day. Bringing care into the home offers a more convenient, family-centered alternative that allows healthcare to fit more naturally into daily routines.
That philosophy carries through each Balanced Kids visit. Families complete paperwork ahead of time, and for sick visits, Sarah often calls beforehand to gather information and make the visit more efficient. When she arrives, the experience is intentionally different from a typical doctor’s appointment. Children remain in a familiar environment, which helps them feel relaxed and engaged.
“Usually when I show up, kids are pretty excited to see me, which is very different from regular doctor visits,” says Sarah.
Visits are designed to be child-friendly and unhurried. Sarah often incorporates play into the exam, allowing children to participate in simple activities. She may bring drawing materials, coloring pages, or stickers to help kids feel comfortable. After the physical exam, she spends focused time with parents discussing concerns, observations, and next steps.
For parents, one of the biggest benefits of in-home care is how time is spent. Traditional pediatric visits often involve driving, waiting, and navigating multiple steps before seeing a provider. With Balanced Kids, that time is replaced by direct interaction with Sarah. Children are also more at ease at home, which can reduce stress during sick visits.
From a medical standpoint, being in the home allows Sarah to observe children in a more natural setting. Kids tend to behave more like themselves, which can support more accurate assessments of behavior, speech, and development. The home environment also provides context that may not be visible during a clinic visit.
Balanced Kids offers multiple pathways to care, allowing families to choose the level of support that best fits their needs. Families may book à la carte visits as needed or enroll in a Balanced Kids Membership for ongoing access to direct primary care services.
For families primarily seeking reliable care when their child is sick, the Sick Kids Membership guarantees same-day access for acute illness. This option addresses a common challenge many parents face when timely appointments with their preferred pediatric provider are unavailable and urgent care becomes the default. During Sick Kids visits, Sarah can perform on-the-spot testing for conditions such as strep, flu, and COVID, and prescribe medications when appropriate.
The comprehensive Balanced Kids Membership is designed for families seeking full-spectrum primary care. In this model, Sarah serves as the child’s primary care provider through age 21, offering preventive, chronic, and sick care.
Across all membership options, the greatest benefit is continued, direct access to Sarah. New members are contacted within 48 hours to establish care through an initial in-home visit, during which Sarah gets to know the child and family and provides a telehealth enhancement kit. This early relationship-building helps ensure families are prepared to access care quickly and confidently whenever a concern arises. Families can reach out anytime with questions, allowing Sarah to integrate as a consistent and trusted member of their child’s healthcare team. When an immediate in-person visit is not possible, the telehealth kit, which includes an ear, nose, and throat camera along with strep, flu, and COVID tests, allows Sarah to guide care remotely, the same day.
Not sure if your child needs to be seen? Ask her. Have a new concern the day after a visit? Ask her. There are no phone trees or long wait times, just direct communication with the provider who knows your child.
Families’ feedback after their first visit is consistently positive. While some parents initially assume house-call care may be limited, Balanced Kids delivers the same comprehensive care children receive in a traditional clinic setting. Through education and transparency, Sarah builds trust and helps families understand that Balanced Kids provides full-scope pediatric care in a way that is more convenient, more personal, and designed to meet families where they are.
Looking ahead, Sarah’s vision for Balanced Kids includes expanding awareness of In-home Pediatric Direct Primary Care Services and launching a kid-themed clinic van, fully equipped and thoughtfully designed to feel welcoming and fun for children. This mobile extension of Balanced Kids would further its mission to deliver accessible, relationship-driven pediatric care directly to families, wherever they are.
Usually when I show up, kids are pretty excited to see me, which is very different from regular doctor visits. Visits are designed to be child-friendly and unhurried.