Early Childhood Services' ELEVATE
Unlock the magic of early childhood with ELEVATE—a podcast dedicated to empowering parents and educators with the knowledge and tools to nurture the next generation. Join DHHS as we dive deep into the County’s world of early childhood, exploring topics like developmental milestones, the power of play, effective parenting strategies, and the latest in early education.
Each episode features local expert insights, real-life stories, and actionable advice, all aimed at helping you create a supportive and enriching environment for young children. Whether you’re a parent seeking guidance, a teacher looking for new ideas, or an advocate passionate about early childhood, ELEVATE offers something for everyone in Montgomery County.
Tune in ELEVATE to stay informed, inspired, and connected to the vibrant community of early childhood enthusiasts. Together, let’s build a strong foundation for the future—one child at a time.
Early Childhood Services' ELEVATE
Inside the Judy Centers: Building Strong Foundations for Early Learning
In this episode of the ELEVATE Podcast, hosts Inette Bolden and Jennifer Ferreira sit down with Nichelle Owens and Jessica Blasic from Montgomery County’s Judy Center Early Learning Hubs to explore how these family-centered programs support children from birth to age five. They discuss the Judy Centers’ mission, their rapid expansion in Montgomery County, and how playgroups, developmental screenings, and family engagement activities help build school readiness.
Nichelle and Jessica also highlight the power of community partnerships and share how families, educators, and early childhood leaders can get involved.
Unlock the magic of early childhood with Elevate. This podcast is brought to you by Early Childhood Services, a program within Montgomery County, Maryland's Department of Health and Human Services. We are dedicated to empowering parents and educators with the knowledge and tools to nurture the next generation. I'm Inette Bolden.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm Jennifer Ferreira, and we're your hosts of Elevate. Today we are joined by Michelle Owens and Jessica Blasey from the Judy Centers. Michelle Owens is the Director of Early Childhood Federal and Special Programs with Montgomery County Public Schools. Part of Michelle's work involves overseeing early childhood initiatives, including the Judy Center Early Learning Hubs. She has led the district's efforts to expand access to full-day pre-K opportunities as well as access to comprehensive services for children from birth to age five.
SPEAKER_04:And Jessica Blasik is an early childhood instructional leader with more than 20 years of professional experience in teaching, training, and school administration. She currently works as the supervisor of early childhood programs in Montgomery County Public Schools, serving over 3,000 young children and their families yearly. Both Michelle and Jessica have played key roles in aligning Judy Center programming with Maryland's Blueprint for Education, focusing on school readiness, family engagement, and community partnerships. Welcome, Jessica and Michelle. It is so great to have both of you on this episode. So, Michelle, can you tell us a bit about the Judy Center Hubs and their mission?
SPEAKER_03:I sure will. First, I thank you both for the opportunity to share information about our Judy Center Early Learning Hubs. They are state, grant, and locally funded early childhood programs and family learning hubs. Collaboration and partnerships with the community lie at the heart of Maryland's Judy Center Early Learning Hubs. Our mission is, of course, to promote school readiness for children birth to age five by providing comprehensive full-year early education and support to families. Judy Centers are not child care centers. Many people think that. But instead, they are a comprehensive hub where families can participate in family learning experiences. And families also receive support and services. In Title I and High Needs Elementary Schools in every Maryland jurisdiction, Judy Centers empower a child's first teachers. Who is that? That's their families. And we do that by supporting child development and early learning skills for our youngest learners from birth through kindergarten. Just a little history. The Judy Centers were established to honor the memory of Judith P. Hoyer, an early childhood educator, advocate, and the late wife of our congressman Stenny Hoyer.
SPEAKER_04:Wow. So thank you for clarifying what the Judy Center Hubs are and that they're not childcare and really telling us about what the mission is of the Judy Center hubs. That is a great mission. So how did the Judy Center Hubs get started here in Montgomery County?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, great question. So in Montgomery County, our Judy Centers are more than programs, they are community anchors. So over 20 years ago, we started with the Judy Center at Rolling Terrace. And then a year later, the Judy Center at Summit Hall was opened. For many years, MCPS had two Judy Centers operating in our school district. Within the past year, we have doubled the number of Judy Centers in Montgomery County, going from two to now four. So we have Judy Centers at Rolling Terrace Elementary School, Summit Hall Elementary, Weller Road Elementary, which opened earlier this calendar year, and a new Judy Center at Galway, which will become operational later this academic year. As I mentioned earlier, these are grant and locally funded early learning hubs for families and children, birth to age five, within the catchment areas that I listed.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, that's amazing. Thank you for sharing that, Michelle. So what types of services and programs do you offer for children ages zero to five? And how do these services support families, educators, and community leaders?
SPEAKER_01:I'll take that one. Good morning, Jennifer and Inette. This is Jessica. Good morning. So the Judy Center Early Learning Hubs recognize a need for effective coordination among the providers of early childhood education and support services. The services and resources are in schools that operate Title I programs. This type of collaboration provides a greater opportunity for positive outcomes for children and greater school readiness. Judy centers offer play groups at least two days per week year-round for families and caregivers to learn how to support their child's development in language and literacy, cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and approaches to learning, such as curiosity and executive functioning. Each center also administers the ages and stages questionnaire, sometimes called the ASQ, to help families and caregivers understand how their child is developing in relation to typical developmental stages. We also offer family engagement activities that support families' increased involvement in their child's active development. And caregivers can participate in workshops on a variety of topics, including integrating the arts into daily routines, health and nutrition, prenatal care and sleep safety, positive parenting skills, bedtime routines, and even first aid CPR certification.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, that's an abundant amount of workshops. Thank you for sharing that, Jessica. And can you share some success stories or examples of how the Judy Center hubs have positively impacted families in Montgomery County?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, we are very interested in monitoring our impact over time. And historical kindergarten readiness data for the rolling terrace catchment area indicate that children who participated in the rolling terrace Judy Center program for at least one year prior to entering kindergarten demonstrated readiness on the state measure at a higher rate than those who did not participate with the Judy Center. And in FY25, we served 48 families at that location with a total of 55 children, ages birth to four years old.
SPEAKER_02:This is great information for the families listening right now, and I hope the families are taking that into consideration when looking at the Judy Centers. So can you tell us what feedback you have received from parents and educators about your programs?
SPEAKER_03:Of course. I love this question simply because MSDE does require us to gather feedback. So our spring 2025 MSDE, and MSDE stands for the Maryland State Department of Education, on our spring 2025 MSDE Juty Center Family Survey, 95% of our families agreed that the Rolling Terrace Juty Center increased their child's school readiness. Of the families who reported, 53% reported visiting the Judy Center five or more times a month. And what that means is that they kept coming back, that our programs were desirable and they wanted to come back. And while 79% of them were reported also that they participated in the Judy Center for more than two years. This data indicates that once families initially engage with us, they are likely to remain connected and active over time. And we have seen this. We've seen families experience a high satisfaction impact. The Summit Hall Judy Center has had measurable impact on our families in our community. And we know this through direct feedback from families who we serve and through, again, the data that we collected for MSDE. For example, during our parent breakfast, families consistently share their personal stories about how the Judy Center has helped them. And our post-workshop survey data completed after parent workshops show that over 95% of our families feel that our workshops help them to better understand their child's development and how to prepare them for schools. Additionally, in the annual family survey conducted by MSDE, over 95% of our families that we serve reported a positive impact on their family. So I just can't say enough positives about what our duty centers pour into our communities. I'd like to take this opportunity to give an acknowledgement to our Juty Center leaders, Dr. Rankin Weathers at Rowling Terrace and Miss Moy at Summit Hall. And then for our newest Judy Centers, they don't have any data to report. They're too new to report, but we do have a leader in place at Weller Road, Ms. Falcone, and we are in the process of developing our team at Galway. So while their data is not ready yet because it's too new to report, we look forward to providing information to the community in the future.
SPEAKER_04:Wow, that's some great data. And it really shows a very positive impact on our community. And we know when programs have positive impacts on the community, they're usually not doing it alone. So who are some key partners and collaborators in the community that you work with?
SPEAKER_01:That's right, Einet. Well, early childhood services is definitely a partner, especially through the Head Start grant that has now expanded to include birth through three-year-olds. We share information about ECS's family learning series, and your team is also going to provide some training as well. Montgomery College is also a partner in providing workforce development information as well as access to ESOL classes for caregivers. Montgomery County Public Libraries recently shared information about their hatchling program for expectant parents and parents with babies up to four months old. The Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers program is another partner for families in need for screening or additional services for their child who may have a developmental need. Each Judy Center really has a unique set of community-based partners, including local businesses and government agencies. Some others include Central NIA, Tacoma Park Child Development Center, Maria Luz Family Child Care, Montgomery County Collaboration Council, University of Maryland Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, and Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association or WEDA. Our partners at Montgomery County Child Care Services support us with parent workshops and professional development opportunities for our childcare partners. Montgomery College leads Cafecitos to share information with families about English classes, training opportunities, and entrepreneurship. Sky Point Federal Credit Union is leading a series of workshops too on credit building, home ownership, investing, entrepreneurship, and retirement. These partnerships afford a comprehensive service delivery, access to high-quality community childcare, access to on-site adult education and training opportunities, health and nutrition planning, and overall early learning experiences that Judy Centers might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in.
SPEAKER_04:Wow, with such a wide variety of services and for such a diverse community, how do you ensure that your services are accessible to all families, including those with diverse backgrounds and different needs?
SPEAKER_03:Well, this answer is quite simple. We are open to all families with children in the catchment areas or the community who are under five years old. Very simple. Just come on in to one of our duty centers if you live in the community, and we will be able to support you.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for sharing that, Nishan. That's wonderful. What steps do you take to create an inclusive environment for all children and families?
SPEAKER_03:Well, our staff is quite diverse and they are trained to work with all families. As you know, in the education space, in particular in public education, we are a welcoming and inclusive environment. So those values transition into our duty centers.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. And that certainly speaks to the population of Montgomery County as we have a diverse population with families and needs. And so what are some of the future goals and plans that you have for the Judy Center hubs?
SPEAKER_01:Well, Michelle said it briefly earlier, but I do want to echo that Maryland's Blueprint for the Future is encouraging continued expansion of Judy Centers. And so in the coming months, we are very excited to be opening Montgomery County's fourth Judy Center Early Learning Hub at Galway Elementary School, located near the intersection of Fairland and Briggs Cheney Roads in Silver Spring.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you, Jessica, for sharing that. That's very exciting news and congrats. We're all very excited to see the new opening for the Judy Center. And my last question is: how can families and educators learn more about your services and even get involved if they would like to?
SPEAKER_03:Sure, I'll take that question. So, first, everyone can navigate to Montgomery County Public Schools website, which can be accessed by going to MontgomerySchoolsmd.org and search for Judy Centers, and our Judy Centers will pop up. Families who live in the Rowing Terrace catchment area may visit our website to view monthly newsletters and the schedule of activities. And families who are in the Summit Hall community can do the same as well as in the Weller Road community. You will find our newsletters and schedule of activities at each of the three sites. Families can also find information on the school's websites. So again, just in the three centers that are operational and on the district's website by searching for early childhood education. And we do have an Instagram handle for the Judy Center at Summit Hall. It's at Summit Hall Judy Center. So information can be found on Instagram. And just in general, I want to share that our monthly activity calendars, our newsletters, our program flyers, they're typically posted on the web. But we also have steering committees. And Jessica mentioned a number of our partners who are on those steering committees. So those steering committees occur six times a year and they support the collaboration with our community partners in addition to community outreach events hosted by the Early Childhood Office in the spring and in the fall. So for some of our communities, they host events like community baby showers. So we're looking forward to that. I believe that's going to be at one of our centers. I'll have to get back to you on where. And then there will be continuing parent workshop series. So while we have information on our websites now, you may see some new information pop up throughout the year. So we ask for our families in our Judy Center communities just to stay tuned for all of the great activities that we have planned for this academic year.
SPEAKER_04:Wow, thank you so much, Jessica and Michelle, for sharing such wonderful information about these impactful programs you have for the different catchment areas in our community. So we are very glad you are on our show today.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all again for the opportunity to ask us about the Judy Centers.
SPEAKER_04:So, listeners, be sure to tune in next time as we explore more supports and community resources available to those who nurture young children. Stay informed, inspired, and connected to the vibrant community of early childhood enthusiasts. Together, let's build a strong foundation for the future, one child at a time.
SPEAKER_02:And thanks for tuning in into the Elevate Podcast. Stay connected and join the conversation by following us on social media at DHHFCC. And we'll see you next time.
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