Judy Centers connect the broader community to early education by bringing families into the school building before compulsory school attendance. The goal is to coordinate services to children and families through collaboration with community partners and educational services for children from birth to five for the purpose of promoting school readiness. Children with access to a Judy Center prior to Kindergarten have been shown to score significantly higher on the KRA taken during their Kindergarten year than those children who do not have access to one.
The role of the Mental Health Consultant at a Judy Center is as follows:
Offer recommendations for classroom wide activities to increase pro-social behaviors
Provide child specific observations and recommendations to prevent challenging behavior
Facilitate weekly parenting groups for children birth to five in the community.
Facilitate Early Childhood Mental Health training series for teachers about:
Trauma
Social-Emotional Foundations for Learning (SEFEL)
DECA (Devereux Early Childhood Assessment)
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary
Clare Donofrio, MPH, LMSW
Clare.Donofrio@ssw.umaryland.edu
410-387-1404
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant At Furman L. Templeton preparatory Academy
Linda Callahan, LMSW
Linda.Callahan@ssw.umaryland.edu
410-207-3664