News Archives - The Children's Guild

Monarch Academy Annapolis Holds Virtual EdCamp Conference for Families on Feb. 6

Monarch Academy Annapolis, a public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, is hosting a free, virtual family EdCamp conference on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. for school families and the community to help them support their children’s education.

The conference will provide opportunity for families to collaborate with Monarch Academy Annapolis educators and other families as well as attend virtual workshops covering topics including academics, social-emotional needs, technology, and general school topics.

Families can register for the Family EdCamp conference online .

The Children’s Guild Alliance promotes Jillian Szczepaniak-Gillece to Director of Behavioral Health Services

The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations, promoted Jillian Szczepaniak-Gillece to director of behavioral health services. Previously, Szczepaniak-Gillece served as clinical social work supervisor.

As director of behavioral health services, Szczepaniak-Gillece will manage The Children’s Guild Alliance’s Outpatient Mental Health Center and the delivery of mental health services and support to children and families. Szczepaniak-Gillece is a licensed clinical social worker and brings more than 13 years of experience providing clinical services as well as supervising clinicians, conducting individual and group supervisions, and working with interdisciplinary teams to improve outreach to schools.

Szczepaniak-Gillece has managed the medical billing for The Children’s Guild Alliance’s Outpatient Mental Health Center for the past eight years and implemented electronic health records and the use of communication and collaboration software. She joined The Children’s Guild Alliance in 2010 as a clinician. Previously, she worked at Sheppard Pratt and before that, at Martin De Porres School in New York.

 Szczepaniak-Gillece is also a volunteer health provider with Give an Hour. She holds a master’s degree in social work with a focus on children and families from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree from La Salle University.

Monarch Academy Annapolis Event Honored Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monarch Academy Annapolis hosted “I am… A Tribute Honoring the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” a virtual event celebrating King’s life, contributions and legacy. At the event, three creative presentations showcased King’s youth, activism, and dream for the nation.

At the event, Monarch Academy Annapolis student Life presented “I am Young Martin,” community member William Rowell  presented “I am MLK, Civil Rights Activist,” and The Children’s Guild Alliance’s Director of Admissions Brandon Turner presented “I am MLK, The Dreamer.”

Monarch Academy Annapolis is open to students who reside in Anne Arundel County from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

Located at 2000 Capital Drive in Annapolis, Monarch Academy Annapolis is a primary performing visual arts school and follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, which challenges students to think critically, and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local, and global issues.

Let your child soar at Monarch, learn about admissions and apply now.

The Children’s Guild Alliance Apprentices Support Productivity During Pandemic

Jacob Luskin—Assistant Director, I.T. Dept

The Children’s Guild Alliance hired two new apprentices to meet increased demand for information technology support during the pandemic. The apprentices are enrolled in TranZed Apprenticeships, a nonprofit registered apprenticeship provider and an affiliate member of The Children’s Guild Alliance. The new apprentices join a department with two active apprentices and four graduates of TranZed Apprenticeships.

“We previously followed a traditional hiring model, but when The Guild launched TranZed Apprenticeships, my interest was piqued to say the least. I had a current employee in mind, that I thought would benefit from the hands-on training of an apprenticeship. That employee’s transformation truly opened my eyes to the potential of apprenticeships,” said Kevin “Chip” Kruba, Director of Information Technology for The Children’s Guild Alliance. “It was a pivotal point in the developmental structure and expansion of our IT department.”

Responding to the pandemic has substantially increased information technology needs at The Children’s Guild Alliance, but Kruba sees no reason to stray from the apprenticeship model. “Apprentices bring a certain tenacity and an invaluable desire to learn and contribute as fast as they can. They have played an integral role in transitioning all of The Guild’s employees to remote work and prepped almost 2,000 Chromebooks for distribution to students,” Kruba said.

Jacob Luskin, Assistant Director of Information Technology at The Children’s Guild Alliance, said, “Taking ownership is a major difference between an apprenticeship versus a traditional job. An apprentice is committed to learning the craft of the job, and the employer has a vested interest in that process.”

Luskin began his career with The Children’s Guild Alliance as an IT apprentice with TranZed Apprenticeships. He said, “After a 14-year career with the military, I had aged out of most entry-level positions but lacked on-the-job experience. Apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to acquire the experience and skillset I needed to make a career transition.”

Luskin quickly moved up the ranks and now supervises new hires. He said, “We almost exclusively hire apprentices at The Guild because it allows us to train them to fill specific needs within our department and grow them through our system.”

“Apprenticeships are fast becoming key in the skills-led recovery planning of many employers across America,” said Paul Champion, President of TranZed Apprenticeships. “The Children’s Guild Alliance joined the apprenticeship revolution early, ensuring it had the right skills, at the right time, in the right roles to successfully navigate through the challenges of the pandemic in 2020 and have a great foundation to build on this success in 2021.”

WorkingNation Features Success of TranZed Academy for Working Students

WorkingNation showcased TranZed Academy for Working Students (TAWS) in a recent articleReal-world job experience for high schoolers, noting: 

Innovative thinking in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland recognizes the value of high school students getting real-world work experience to help them prepare for the future. The two-year-old program gives high school seniors the opportunity to continue their studies while giving them a taste of the job market.

When Duane Arbogast, Ed.D., chief of strategy and innovation with The Children’s Guild, approached Jack Smith, Ph.D., the MCPS superintendent, about TranZed Academy for Working Students (TAWS), Smith did not require a lot of convincing.

“I thought it’s a tremendous opportunity for us to reach students who I don’t think are reached very well by the public education, traditional high school experience,” says Smith.

Launched in 2018, TAWS allows high school seniors to take academic classes for part of the school day, allowing them the remainder of the day to go to a job.”

Read the full article on WorkingNation.