The Children’s Guild Alliance is off to an exciting start in 2020, and we look forward to sharing some of our news in this issue of Transformation. We are excited to announce the inaugural Kids First Celebration and introduce Baltimore philanthropists and civic leaders, Guy Flynn and Nupur Parekh Flynn, who will be honored with Sadie Awards at the event. We invite you to join our Kids First movement and help us transform the way America cares for and educates its children.

In this issue, we celebrate the opening of new outdoor play spaces at Monarch Academy Annapolis, the ten-year anniversary of Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, and the five-year renewal of The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School’s charter contract. We are proud of third grade authors at Monarch Academy Glen Burnie and students at Monarch Global Academy Laurel for raising awareness about bullying. We congratulate winning sports teams at The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School and The Children’s Guild School of Baltimore.

You will learn about the new partnerships TranZed Apprenticeships is developing to promote apprenticeships and help veterans learn online, and you will read about the success of the 17th annual NAREN-TranZed Conference.

This issue highlights some of the ways The Children’s Guild Alliance makes a positive difference in children’s lives with stories about the wellness initiative for young women from Staffa House and students with special needs playing baseball at Camden Yards. We introduce a new swim program for students with autism from The Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County and share a recent adoption story from our Family Life Education Treatment Foster Care program.

We could not accomplish what we do without our dedicated staff. Check out our list of Monarch Award winners, and read about Tamiko Gomez of Monarch Global Academy Laurel, a finalist for the 2020 Anne Arundel County Public School Teacher of the Year. Meet Kristin Taylor, the newly named director of Monarch Preschool College Park opening later this year. We also welcome new leadership within our schools and on our schools’ board of directors.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of Transformation and thank you for taking the time to learn more about The Children’s Guild Alliance.

The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations, promoted Jenny Livelli to chief operating officer. In her new position, Livelli will join the executive management team, work to improve the organization’s operating effectiveness and build organizational capacity.

“Jenny’s expertise in special education and continuous quality improvement combined with her familiarity with behavior health, strong problem-solving skills and systems orientation made her an ideal candidate for this position. We look forward to her continued leadership,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance.

Livelli previously served as director of continuous quality improvement for The Children’s Guild Alliance. She brings more than 20 years of experience in administration and education focused on students with special needs.

Before joining The Children’s Guild Alliance, Livelli consulted for Kids First Educational and Behavioral Consultants and provided educational and behavioral consultation services to families and private schools working with children with special needs. Previously, she was a senior school administrator for a large behavioral health system in Towson and focused on compliance and risk management, program development and school leadership. Livelli also held positions including vice president and director of administration and program development for a child-serving organization in Silver Spring.

Livelli remains involved with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the National Association of Private Special Education Centers. She holds an advanced professional certificate from the Maryland State Department of Education as well as certificates in perfecting patient care lean methodology and implementing effective human-centered design.

She holds a Master of Education in school administration and supervision from Loyola University. Livelli earned her bachelor’s degree in English and a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Licensure B-12 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She lives in Baltimore.

The Children’s Guild Alliance is a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations and is dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of The Children’s Guild Alliance include The Children’s Guild, Monarch Academy public charter and contract schools, The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, The Academy for Working Students (TAWS), TranZed Apprenticeships, The Transformation Education Institute, National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN), and The National Children’s Guild Fund. (www.childrensguild.org)