This week, we chatted with Jaime Casey! She shares a bit about her behavioral support business for children and families, her favorite restaurants downtown (for date night or dinner with the family!), a hidden gem for the best soups, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Jaime S. Casey. I am married to my best friend and husband Sean Casey, and we have two amazing children together, Jonny and Mary. I am also lucky enough to have a bonus daughter, McKenzie, a son in law, Dakota and their two beautiful boys, Westin and Ryder in my life as well as my wonderful and supportive parents, Jon and Justine Sutherland and my talented and funny brother, Justin.
I am the owner of BehaveYour Family Support, LLC, a behavioral support business in which I contract with schools, organizations and families to help support them and their children with varying needs and abilities. I created this business about 10 years ago. Actually, it will be 10 years in 2024 which is hard to believe but it's true what they say: "Time flies when you're having fun" and I could not feel more lucky to do what I love for a living. When I first started this business, the intention was to help people in our community navigate varying abilities and provide support and advocacy for children, families and schools. Since 2020, I have expanded to more areas within the state as well as across the country and one international client. Offering virtual services allows me to be able to support more people and that has been such a cool and rewarding experience. My goal is to ensure more families know about these types of services that are available to them so that they know and feel that sense of community and support, which is something that we all need.
On Moving to Glens Falls
I grew up in a small town in Parksville, NY and my parents took us to Lake George almost every summer growing up. I have always loved this area. I went to the College of St Rose and received my Bachelor's Degree in Childhood Education. When I graduated and began working on my masters, I worked for NYSARC, Inc. in Albany. I was able to experience, from an administrative point of view, the support and services they provided to people of varying abilities all over the state. I knew then that I wanted to get my Masters in Psychology and be a part of this in some way, in the future. A local agency in Queensbury was developing a behavior department and I began working there. While working there, I fell in love with the work itself. I worked mostly with adults and realized I wanted to put both of my degrees to use. This is when I realized I wanted to start my own company and work with children, as well as adults. I met my husband here and even though neither of us are originally from this area, we both always loved how Glens Falls truly feels like Hometown USA while also having so much to do and experience close by. We love raising our children here and the strong sense of community we felt immediately and continue to feel.
On Life in Glens Falls
We own a home near downtown Glens Falls. We love the location and how easily we can walk to the shops and restaurants in town as a family. We talk about how lucky we are to live here, often. We love our home and the charm and history that it has, the location and also the neighborhood itself. Our neighbors are kind, welcoming and we look out for one another. It is such a comfort to have that type of "village" especially in a time where that can be harder and harder to find.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
My favorite thing about Glens Falls used to be the charm and the Hometown feel. During the holidays, especially, it feels like a Hallmark movie town. That is still true of course, but since having children and sending them to school here, my favorite part of living here without a doubt are the people and the community itself. We are extremely lucky to be raising children in a town who celebrates and is accepting of diversity, people who genuinely look out for our children and one another and who are kind and are consciously raising kind children. The friendships and connections we have all made here are some of the most important of my life. I feel very lucky to live and raise a family here. I have had many people look out for me both personally and professionally and I am forever grateful. I will always pay it forward when I can because I know, first hand, how important that is and how welcomed and accepted it made me feel.
One business that I would say is a hidden gem (it was to me at least until recently) is Dickinson's Delights. Their homemade soups and baked goods are delicious and they emulate exactly what I love about this little city; their kindness and the warmth you feel from the moment you walk in. They genuinely want you to have a good experience and are so nice and helpful. Their garlic potato soup is perfect for a cold winter day!
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
A perfect day would include some kind of nap! lol All joking aside, this is tough because I really love so many places here. I love to go for walks or bike rides in our neighborhood and take it all in. I always feel better and even more grateful after a stroll around my neighborhood. I love shopping at the local stores downtown like Minky Mink, Grow and Hallwear. One of my favorite spots for coffee and breakfast is at Kelly's Roots, a place for my friends and I to meet after school drop off or to meet for lunch. I also love Juicin' Jar for a smoothie or baked good. A really great spot for unique gifts, as well. Their whole vibe is just so lovely and inviting. For cocktails or a date night, my husband and I love Flight, Morgan and Co and Radici. The food, the vibes and the drinks are all delicious and we always have a great time. When we are out and about with our children, we love Flour Child Bakery, Downtown City Tavern, New Way Lunch and Pizza Jerks. It's so great to have all of these options right here within walking distance from our home. I also love walking into these places and them recognizing our children and their sweet interaction with them! Their faces light up, and really, nothing beats that feeling as a parent.
On the Past
One of my favorite Glens Falls memories is the engagement shoot my husband and I did years ago. We started in Crandall Park and ended the shoot downtown. Seeing the city from that perspective, all of the businesses, the lights, the charm — the general feel was really romantic and so much fun.
One of my favorite things to do then and now is to walk through the city during the holiday season, now with our children. It truly feels so magical, especially at night.
On the Future
This is another tough one for me because I feel like we are lucky to have so much and so many options close by. If I had to pick one, I'd love a really big health food store with a lot of different healthy food options that are affordable, locally sourced and accessible. So many people have specific dietary needs and it would be nice to have something like that close by. My business model is "when we feel better, we can do better" and nutrition and feeling healthy is a great stepping stone for feeling our best. This can allow us to be able to feel well and therefore generate more positivity to give back to our community. This ripple effect of positivity that can make an impact on all of us, locally and globally. That's really my goal, overall. As a woman, a mother, wife and as a business owner, my goal is to generate as much positivity, support, and kindness as possible for as many people as possible. That's when we effectuate real, positive change and I want my contribution to this community and to the world, to be exactly that.
