Ellyn Satter Institute

What Ellyn Satter Institute does

Ellyn Satter Institute (ESI), founded by Ellyn Satter in 2009 and headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin, is a nonprofit educational organization that disseminates the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding (sDOR), the Satter Eating Competence Model (ecSatter), and the Satter Feeding Dynamics Model (fdSatter) through training, certification, and resources for professionals and parents. Its core "technology" is a body of evidence-based nutritional psychology methodology backed by two validated psychometric instruments — ecSI 2.0 for measuring eating competence and sDOR.2-6y for testing adherence in young children — together with decades of clinical publications and books authored by the founder. ESI markets a tiered course ladder (introductory at $59, intermediate at $399, and master-level at $1,175 individual / $975 group), age-specific booklets, on-demand webinars priced at $15-$30 per CEU, speaking engagements, coaching/consultation, and a Seal of Approval endorsement program for aligned external resources.

ESI's revenue model is hybrid: transactional e-commerce for books and courses, recurring subscription-style revenue from an annual membership program, professional-services fees for speaking and coaching, charitable donations (the organization explicitly states it relies on donor support alongside program sales), and licensing/royalty-style income from the Seal of Approval. Distribution is primarily direct via the organization's own website and Teachable-powered learning platform, with channel extension through Seal of Approval partners (BC Dairy, Teach Nutrition) and institutional bookings with WIC, Head Start, AAP-affiliated programs, and eating-disorder treatment facilities. ESI operates with 1-10 employees supported by a volunteer core, and reaches "tens of thousands" of parents, professionals, and caregivers annually. The sDOR framework is recognized as a gold-standard approach by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatrics, Head Start, and WIC, and is codified into Head Start Program Performance Standards. Note: firmographic records list a founding year of 2007 while the company history and legal incorporation reference 2009; the 2009 date aligns with the formal establishment of Ellyn Satter Institute, Inc. as a nonprofit.

Name

Ellyn Satter Institute

Legal name

Ellyn Satter Institute, Inc.

Website

https://ellynsatterinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ellyn Satter Institute is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that trains healthcare professionals and educates parents on evidence-based child feeding and adult eating using the proprietary Satter Division of Responsibility, Eating Competence, and Feeding Dynamics models, via courses, books, webinars, and speaking engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nutrition Education and Professional Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Exam Prep Course Marketplaces (EDAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Nutrition education resources
• Feeding dynamics training
• Eating competence programs
• Professional CEU courses
• Child feeding books

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Educational Programs and Courses: Self-paced online courses with CEUs from the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Courses range from introductory ($59) to intermediate ($399) to master-level ($1,175 individual). Revenue from professional development training for dietitians, healthcare providers, and educators.
2. Books and Booklets: Sale of books written by Ellyn Satter including Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family ($19.95), Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine ($21.60), and Feeding with Love and Good Sense series. Quantity discounts available for bulk purchases.
3. Webinars (CEUs): On-demand professional webinars with continuing education units for healthcare professionals. Topics cover child feeding, adult eating, and specialized areas like ARFID, autism, and diabetes.
4. Speaking Engagements: Fee-based keynote presentations, workshops, and training sessions for conferences, healthcare organizations, and educational institutions. Topics tailored to audience (WIC, eating disorder facilities, school personnel, etc.).
5. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from donors supporting the nonprofit mission. One-time and recurring donation options available.
6. Membership Program: Annual paid memberships providing benefits and features including discounts on products and services and exclusive access to content. Members receive discount on products and services.
7. Coaching and Consultations: Child feeding coaching for parents, adult eating coaching, and mentorship programs for professionals seeking certification.
8. Seal of Approval: Endorsement program for external programs and resources that align with Satter models. Provides credibility and trust endorsement to approved partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Ellyn Satter Institute delivers evidence-based educational content and professional training built on three proprietary models — the Satter Division of Responsibility (sDOR), the Satter Eating Competence Model (ecSatter), and the Satter Feeding Dynamics Model (fdSatter). It sells tiered online courses (Introductory for parents, Intermediate and Master for clinicians), CEU-bearing on-demand webinars, authored books and booklets, paid speaking engagements, and a Seal of Approval endorsement program, supported by an annual membership and donation-funded nonprofit structure.

Product overview

The Ellyn Satter Institute provides educational products and services centered on two evidence-based models: the Satter Feeding Dynamics Model (fdSatter) and the Satter Eating Competence Model (ecSatter). The product portfolio includes professional training courses at three levels (Introductory, Intermediate, and Mastery) such as Feeding Children: An Introduction to the Trust Approach and the Feeding with Love and Good Sense Master Course. Books include foundational titles like Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine and Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, along with the Feeding with Love and Good Sense age-specific booklet series. Additional offerings include webinars on-demand for professionals and general audiences, speaking engagements, a Seal of Approval certification program for aligned external resources, and coaching/consultation services. The organization operates as a nonprofit educational institution rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Feeding Children: An Introduction to the Trust Approach (online course) Self-paced introductory online course that teaches parents and caregivers how to apply the Satter Division of Responsibility (sDOR) trust approach to feeding infants, children, and adolescents. Designed for non-clinical consumers seeking practical mealtime guidance.
• Feeding Children: Success Is In The Details (online course) Online course that extends the introductory feeding content into more detailed, situational guidance for parents and caregivers who want deeper implementation of the Satter trust approach.
• Feeding with Love and Good Sense Master Course Advanced, professional-level online course that trains clinicians in the full Satter Division of Responsibility framework, supporting application in pediatric, dietetic, and family therapy practice.
• Treating the Dieting Casualty Master Course Advanced professional course for clinicians treating clients with a history of dieting and disordered eating, applying the Satter Eating Competence (ecSatter) and Feeding Dynamics (fdSatter) frameworks.
• Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine (book) Bestselling book by founder Ellyn Satter offering parents practical, weight-neutral guidance on feeding children from infancy through the early years.
• Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family (book) Book by founder Ellyn Satter that extends her feeding philosophy to the whole family, covering mealtime structure, eating competence, and food neutrality for parents of older children.
• Feeding with Love and Good Sense Booklet Series Short printed booklets covering age- and stage-specific feeding guidance based on the Satter Division of Responsibility, sold individually and in bulk cartons of 16 for clinical and program distribution.
• Webinars On-Demand (CEU webinars) Library of pre-recorded webinars eligible for continuing education credit, covering topics across the Satter feeding and eating competence models for healthcare professionals.
• Speaking Engagements Live and recorded keynote and training sessions delivered by Institute leadership for conferences, hospitals, public health agencies, and professional associations.
• Seal of Approval Program Endorsement and licensing program that confers the Institute's Seal of Approval on third-party products, curricula, and programs aligned with the Satter feeding and eating models.
• Annual Membership Paid annual membership that supports the Institute's nonprofit mission and provides members with community access, updates, and benefits tied to the Satter models.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of children have established feeding problems requiring intervention
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Teach NutritioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian early learning and child care (ELCC) educators and K-12 teachers resource program providing free food and nutrition education resources aligned with Satter models. Resources include Mealtime Roles poster series, Let's Talk About Food conversation guides, and Nourishing Beginnings e-learning program carrying the ESI Seal of Approval.
• BC Dairy (Food for Us Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree eight-lesson program for Grade 2-3 students developed by registered dietitians. Based on Eating Competence Model and Division of Responsibility in Feeding. Professional development workshop introduces Satter approach to educators. Received ESI Seal of Approval.
• BC Dairy (Passport to Healthy Living)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree nine-lesson program for Grades 4-7 students supporting food literacy, physical literacy, planning, and teamwork. Grounded in Eating Competence Model with Seal of Approval recognition.
• What's for Dinner CockroachminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChildren's book illustrating supportive meal environments based on Division of Responsibility in Feeding. Published by Kelly Picard with ESI Seal of Approval.
• WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal nutrition assistance program recognizing sDOR as best practice. ESI provides training recommended for WIC clinicians and educators working directly with families in nutrition appointments.
• Head StartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly childhood development program recognizing Division of Responsibility in Feeding as best practice. Satter models incorporated into Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Academy of Nutrition and DieteticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association recognizing sDOR as best practice in child feeding guidance. Framework aligns with position statements on child nutrition.
• American Academy of PediatricscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional medical association recognizing sDOR as evidence-based approach. Endorsed in Bright Futures Nutrition guidelines for health supervision.
• Commission on Dietetic RegistrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional credentialing body approving CEUs for ESI courses and webinars. Provides continuing education credits for dietitians and nutrition professionals.
• Community Action of SE IowaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity organization hosting or promoting ESI training and resources for local families and professionals.
• United Way of Southeastern MichiganminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity organization supporting ESI programming and resources for families in southeastern Michigan region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Solid Starts: Solid Starts is a digital child-feeding education company offering free first-food guides, online courses, and content for parents and professionals. It is a direct peer because it competes for the same parent and healthcare-professional audience with online feeding education, including infant and toddler feeding content overlapping with ESI's Division of Responsibility framing.
• The Nourished Child (Jill Castle): The Nourished Child is a child nutrition practice offering parent courses, professional training, and resources on feeding children from infancy through adolescence. It is a direct peer because it sells online courses and CEU content to the same dietitian/parent audience ESI serves, often addressing the same picky eating and weight-neutral topics.
• Kids Eat in Color: Kids Eat in Color provides child feeding education for parents and professionals through courses, content, and dietitian-led programs targeting picky eating and feeding challenges. It is a direct peer because it competes head-to-head with ESI on the same parent/professional feeding-education buyer, using similar weight-inclusive, food-neutral messaging.

Broad incumbents

• International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp): iaedp provides certification, training, and continuing education for professionals treating eating disorders. It is a broad incumbent because ESI's new Treating the Dieting Casualty master course directly enters iaedp's core certification and continuing-education category.
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the largest professional nutrition association in the U.S., providing CEU-accredited continuing education, publications, and member resources for registered dietitians. It is a broad incumbent because it is the parent body that accredits ESI's CEUs and offers overlapping professional-development content at scale.
• National Dairy Council (Dairy MAX): National Dairy Council and regional dairy councils fund school- and community-based nutrition education programs, often with curriculum delivered to K-12 audiences. It is a broad incumbent because organizations like BC Dairy already partner with ESI on Seal-of-Approval programs, signaling overlap in school-feeding curriculum distribution.
• Nestlé Nutrition Institute: Nestlé Nutrition Institute provides professional education, scientific resources, and CEU content for healthcare professionals in pediatric and clinical nutrition. It is a broad incumbent because it competes for the same dietitian/healthcare-professional audience with free, well-funded nutrition education programming.

Regional players

• Teach Nutrition: Teach Nutrition is a Canadian initiative providing free food and nutrition education resources for K-12 and early childhood educators. It is a regional peer because it is an existing ESI Seal-of-Approval partner, competing in the same evidence-based classroom-feeding curriculum space but primarily serving Canadian schools and educators.

Emerging players

• Feeding Matters: Feeding Matters is a nonprofit focused on pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) awareness, family support, and professional education. It is an emerging peer because its professional training and family resources partially overlap with ESI's clinical-feeding offerings, especially in ARFID and special-needs feeding contexts.

Others

• Today's Dietitian: Today's Dietitian is a continuing-education publication and conference organizer for registered dietitians, offering webinars, magazine CEUs, and live events. It is an adjacent peer because it competes for dietitian CEU wallet share through a content-plus-events model that overlaps with ESI's webinar and conference revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ellyn Satter Institute