Losing Baltimore's Premiere Early Childhood Trauma-Based Caregiver
Ms. Crystal Hardy-Flowers
June 6, 1965 – December 31, 2020
“She was so skilled in recognizing barriers—breaking them down and partnering with others—to work towards the healing and support of children and families in Baltimore City. Yes, she was a true advocate, partner, and friend.”
Dr. Kyla Liggett-Creel, PhD, MSW
On January 1, we were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Ms. Crystal Hardy-Flowers who lost her life on the final day of 2020 due to complications associated with COVID-19.
Throughout this past week, we have been celebrating her significant legacy, and how fitting that on January 7, 2021, Mayor Brandon Scott announced that Baltimore had begun the process to implement The Elijah Cummings Healing City Act. Countless social workers and trauma-based caregivers cheered this news to bring important legislation to Baltimore, making ours the first major American city to comprehensively legislate trauma-informed care. This echoes the proactive approach that Ms. Hardy-Flowers practiced throughout her long career to help heal children in our community, and we imagine her lively spirit welcoming this citywide legislation.
As shared in her Baltimore Sun Obituary on January 4, 2021, “Ms. Hardy-Flowers was among the first providers in the state to apply to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic to offer care for children of essential workers, said Laura Weeldreyer, Executive Director of the Maryland Family Network. Ms. Hardy-Flowers also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease that can make breathing difficult….[she] feared contracting the disease because of her underlying condition, Ms. Weeldreyer said, but continued working and serving the families until she was hospitalized around Christmastime.”
For more than a decade as the Executive Director of the Little Flowers Early Childhood and Development Center (Little Flowers ECDC) Ms. Hardy-Flowers applied trauma-informed early-childhood education and care to countless young children and her staff, and by so doing, she and her team helped more than a generation of children, their families, and communities to develop resilience and to thrive.
She incorporated cutting edge mental health care and offered social/emotional intervention for the children in her charge. Simply put, Ms. Hardy-Flowers lived her life in service to others, and as a front-line worker during the pandemic, her dedication eventually became our immense loss.
As a valued Promise Heights partner, Ms. Hardy-Flowers understood that when left untreated, trauma changes everything in a person’s present and future, and also represents a major issue in public health.
Hallie Atwater, Promise Heights Community School Director at Renaissance Academy High School recalled that Ms. Hardy-Flowers “was incredibly supportive of our parenting Renaissance [Academy High School] students and worked with me to connect families with the invaluable resource of high-quality day care. She and her staff worked tirelessly to maintain positive and accepting relationships with Renaissance students, irrespective of their challenges. We successfully placed one child of a former Renaissance Academy student with the Little Flowers Center. And today, during an Attendance Meeting, the Little Flowers slots came up again for the first time in a while.* So maybe we will have more students utilizing that resource soon! My heart goes out to all who loved her.”
On January 5, immediately before releasing helium balloons outside the Little Flowers ECDC building, a vast number of children and adults hugged, shared stories, and celebrated their hero. Kimberly Lambert, Little Flowers CFO/Acting Treasurer addressed the mourners, saying, “I want to especially thank our staff who put themselves out there daily on the front-line to help these kids, our community partners, the community of neighbors, and all of our parents. Little Flowers will continue the mission of enriching and enhancing [the lives] of every child they touch.” And with that, the liftoff began, and when someone cried out, “I love you!” everyone began clapping while the colorful ‘bouquet” rose and floated off into the distance.
Although the Little Flowers ECDC was closed from January 4 to 9 to take in the immense loss the staff, family, and children experienced, it reopened on Monday, January 11. Tracy Curry, a family member and board president for Little Flowers ECDC reiterated that, “at his point we are wanting to ensure the community that Little Flowers will remain present and active.”
* Footnote: During the Baltimore City Public Schools school year 2019/2020, Promise Heights funded five childcare slots for Renaissance Academy teen parents.
Friends, students, family, colleagues, and admirers joined the January 5 balloon liftoff to honor the life and legacy of Ms. Hardy-Flowers.
Each day since her passing, we have heard from so many of our partners who wanted to share their own memories and experiences about Ms. Hardy-Flowers
Everyone began clapping while the colorful ‘bouquet” rose and floated off into the distance
“When worked together between 2017 and 2019, I was struck by how welcoming she was of us as research collaborators, given all of the other priorities on her plate. In our study of childcare providers, it was very clear what a supportive supervisor she was. She was not only receptive but responsive, facilitating, super supportive, and a pleasure to work with in every possible way.”
Lisa Berlin, Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work
I was moved by her sense of vision for the children at her center as well as their families and community and the workers. She saw the children as full of potential and wanted to foster their aspirations. The word “vocation” in the sense of calling comes to mind when I think of her. But she also seemed grounded–especially in the sense that she was thoughtful about how to access and leverage resources for the children, the center, and childcare workers, including through collaborative and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Corey Shdaimah, UMB Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice