Daffodil Creatives

Child-Centric Business Consulting Services

PLANNING

Evaluating or reviewing your product or service. Have your idea ranked in key areas related to a child-centric approach and receive a customized report with rationale and feedback on considerations for development. Have your existing product or service reviewed and receive feedback and recommendations.

DESIGN

Working with you as you design. A guiding framework can be created to ensure your work is evidence-based. Have core components and unique assets created, reviewed, or edited for your product or service.

REITERATION

Supporting you as you test. Get assistance to test your product or service with target users and potential customers in the initial stages all the way to outcome studies. Receive support in implementing the feedback to improve your offering.

PROMOTION

Assisting you with promotional assets. Have marketing assets developed or professionally edited that highlight the research, features, and benefits. This can include blogs, newsletters, e-books, whitepapers, courses, video scripts, presentations, and the like.

BUSINESS COACHING

Empowering you on your entrepreneurial journey. Receive tailored coaching services to gain actionable insights on business strategy, product development, marketing, and professional growth.

It can be tricky when designing for kids and their supporting adults.

Is it actually child-centric?

Child-centric means focusing on the needs, interests, and well-being of children. It refers to an approach, philosophy, or design that prioritizes what’s best for kids, whether in education, parenting, product development, or services.

A child-centric approach ensures that decisions, environments, and experiences are tailored to support a child’s development, learning, and ability to thrive.

Are you getting it right?

Is it developmentally appropriate? Is it built on evidence? Will kids enjoy it? Will it resonate with parents? Will teachers be eager to use it? Will it stand the test of time?

That’s where Daffodil Creatives comes in to support you. With deep content and business expertise in child development, education, technology, psychology, parenting, and wellness, many projects need what we offer. Yet, if you are a solo entrepreneur or a small team, it can be particularly challenging to efficiently and affordably fill that need on your project.

Each client project is also very unique, and this means carefully listening and learning about your needs. If you aren’t sure where to begin or you already have a specific need identified, Daffodil Creatives is ready to meet you where you are today.

Daffodil Creatives can provide you skills and insights that will pay dividends in child-centric products & services that are appropriate, evidence-based, and resonate with your target audience or customer.

Lilla Dale McManis, MEd, PhD

I help entrepreneurs and organizations bring child-centered ideas to life. Over the past decade, I’ve partnered with more than 100 clients worldwide to successfully launch products and services in education, parenting, health, and child development.

My background spans government, academia, and industry, with roles at the Massachusetts Departments of Education and Public Health, the University of Texas, Hatch Early Learning, Parent in the Know, and more. I hold a PhD in psychology, a master’s in education, and a bachelor’s in child development, along with certifications in parent coaching and entrepreneurship.

From teaching to leading research and development, running my own parent coaching business, and consulting in innovation, my career has always centered on supporting children and families. Today, I combine this expertise with entrepreneurial insight to guide clients in turning their ideas into impactful solutions.

I am committed to promoting positive outcomes for children and their supporting adults. I truly enjoy collaborating with others working toward this same goal.

How can we all best do that? I think this quote from Jess Lair, American educator and author, and yes, advertising consultant, eloquently provides the answer. “Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.”

I chose the name Daffodil Creatives because like children, daffodils represent new beginnings, creativity, energy, resilience, and promise…and this is also like the work my wonderful clients bring to life!

"Dr. Lilla has been absolutely incredible to work with and in building my startup. She reviewed all of our educational content with care, offering expert feedback in early childhood development, along with supportive research and thoughtful suggestions. What truly sets her apart is the way she shows up, she's generous with her time, always available, and fully invested in the success of the project. She not only helped refine our content but also provided insight on our pitch decks and larger business-building strategy. Her ability to blend developmental expertise with real-world startup guidance is rare and incredibly valuable. Every time we met one-on-one, I walked away with more clarity, direction, and confidence. I’d recommend her to anyone building something meaningful in the parenting or education space!" ~ Mona Hovaizi

"Dr. McManis was excellent! She demonstrated timeliness, professionalism, and exceptional knowledge in the psychology space. When we initially reached out with our detailed project needs, we were concerned they might be too ambitious given our tight timeline. However, Dr. McManis executed everything quickly and efficiently, surpassing our expectations. We definitely plan to engage her services for any future business needs where applicable. Thank you again, Dr. McManis. We truly appreciate your outstanding work and support!" ~ Staci Singleton

"I greatly appreciate Dr. Lilla's professionalism, responsiveness, and dedication throughout the process, which improved my work and made it a truly collaborative and enriching experience. My job was completed days before the deadline. I will hire Dr. Lilla again!" ` Teesha Adams

"Lilla has been a great collaborator on multiple projects. She is quick to respond, a thought partner in figuring out how to best represent information, and incredibly collaborative. I would love to work with her again." ~ Vaishnavi J

"A top-tier professional! It’s a real pleasure working with her — she’s professional, insightful, and highly experienced. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Lilla. Working together was both enjoyable and pleasant. She made a significant contribution to our platform, and we are truly grateful to her for that." ~ Ron Miller