Turning Teen starts the conversation about puberty and sexual health with pediatrician-developed educational programs in classrooms, community settings, or at home.

We are medical and mental health professionals and parents. We guide comfortable, fact-based, personal conversations between parents or trusted adults and children about changing bodies. Our decades of combined experience in child growth and development help families and communities make difficult topics and challenging phases of life easier, more comfortable, and even fun to talk about.

Our Founders

Dr. Lisa Klein and Dr. Carrie Leff became friends during their pediatric residency. They shared a passion for adolescent health and open, honest, puberty talk. They formed Turning Teen to help tweens make smoother transitions into adolescence by supporting the puberty education efforts of parents, schools, and communities.

More About the Turning Teen Mission

We understand the physiological side of puberty. As parents, we worry about the emotional side of puberty. Getting children to understand their changing bodies and minds can be a confusing journey, and we all need a map. Talking about puberty and answering kids’ questions is hard to do for most adults. They might have difficulty using correct names for body parts, or explaining how babies are made. Fear, embarrassment, or even shame, can make amazing moms, dads, and other trusted adults retreat and say nothing at all. We can help you navigate this exciting (and awkward) transition.

Developed by medical and mental health professionals, Turning Teen makes it easier to talk about bodies, puberty, and sex. We help trusted adults start conversations with their children, whether at home, in school, or other safe community settings. Conversations about sexual health are vital to a child’s healthy growth and development. Direct, comprehensive and honest information about puberty, sexuality, social pressures, and mental health empowers tweens to become more self-assured teens.