by The Children's Guild | Oct 13, 2023 | News
The Children’s Guild senior team and staff don’t just take a backseat when it comes to implementing change. They get behind the wheel and become the change they wish to see. They not only advocate for the children
, families and communities served, but also for the teachers and staff that work with them.
An example of this was done earlier in the year by beloved TCG of Baltimore Principal Dr. Katina Webster. On January 27th, 2023, Dr. Webster testified before the Maryland Senate on Maryland Senate Bill 311. The bill pursues a pay increase for special education teachers.
By July 1, 2023, the act took full effect. This means that nonpublic schools in Maryland will now provide its teachers a salary that is equivalent to the local, public schools salaries, phased in over 3 years beginning in fiscal year 2024 with parity achieved in the third year and parity maintained thereafter. “Local school salaries” means the salaries and bonuses received by public school teachers of similar training and experience to teachers at a special education placement nonpublic school in the same county in which the school is located.
Read the bill>> http://ow.ly/Ojt450MOcbY
True transformation is a slow and steady process and takes time to unfold. Although there is always room for improvement, TCG continually takes steps to integrate the lessons we learn. We champion our communities and employees, so seeing what we work towards come to fruition is fulfilling. Being a small part of this big change was a win!
by The Children's Guild | Jun 23, 2023 | News
The Children’s Guild recognized and celebrated the achievements of 400 remarkable students who are a part of nine education programs. The graduations, promotions, and passages not only mark a milestone for the students but also serve as a testament to the power of inclusive education and the potential within every individual.
This year witnessed a couple of firsts in the 70-year history of The Children’s Guild:
- Transformation Academy held its first-ever graduation ceremony for the school, which opened in November 2021, with four students completing the program.
- Nearly 100 Monarch Global Academy Laurel’s 8th-graders were the first students t
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o have started as kindergarteners in 2008 when the school opened and attend all the way through 8th
“As we celebrate our 70th Anniversary, we are proud that The Children’s Guild has long been at the forefront of promoting inclusive education and embracing and supporting all learners that we serve including those that are extremely gifted, traditional learners, and those that have challenges,” said Jenny Livelli, President and CEO of The Children’s Guild. “Our senior leadership team, staff, and faculty are committed to providing a supportive and nurturing environment for neurodiverse students, and watching these students graduate is a culmination of years of dedicated efforts by all involved and most importantly, the students themselves.”
by The Children's Guild | Jan 30, 2023 | News
WASHINGTON, DC January 30, 2023 – The Children’s Guild (TCG), founded in 1953 and celebrating its 70th anniversary, is a leading Mid-Atlantic nonprofit organization serving children, families, and child serving organizations dedicated to transforming the way children are cared for and educated has announced the move of their headquarters from Baltimore, MD to the NoMa district in Washington, DC. The move will help to expand TCG’s educational programs, increase and leverage new partnerships with regional and national organizations with similar missions, grow opportunities with donors, be more centrally located to staff and families and bring vital, rewarding careers to the NoMa neighborhood.
The organization is focused on helping students and families find success socially, emotionally, educationally,
and developmentally through special education and charter schools, school-based mental health services, treatment foster care, autism services, family mental and behavioral health services, and workforce development programs.
The Children’s Guild entered the Washington, DC market in 2015 when they opened the TCG DC Public Charter School at 2146 24th Place NE, Washington, DC 20018. The school led by principal Bryan Daniels has 200+ students and 80 staff including 26 teachers and five social workers. This unique and free DC public charter school serving grades K-8 has provided The Children’s Guild the opportunity to get more involved with the DC community.
“We are proud of our school in DC and excited to move our headquarters to the District to give our senior leadership and staff the ability to further our mission with direct access to partners, similar organizations, and donors,” said Jenny Livelli, President and CEO of The Children’s Guild. “It’s an honor to further the vision set by the founders of the organization and 70 years later continue to expand our services to ensure more children have access to critical therapies and educational resources throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.”
The new headquarters will be located at 1200 1st Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 in the same space as Social Current, a network of more than 1,800 social service organizations. “Social Current is excited to share this new space with The Children’s Guild, a partner in our work to advance policy and practice that creates an equitable society where all people can thrive,” noted Jody Levison-Johnson, President and CEO of Social Current. “It is collaborations like these that bring the social sector together and enhance our ability to improve population health and well-being as well as our effectiveness as a sector.”
Presently the headquarters of The Children’s Guild is in Baltimore, MD and shares the same building as TCG- Transformation Academy. This 12-month, non-public day school for students ages 5-21, whose primary diagnosis is autism has been growing since it opened in November 2021. With the corporate headquarters moving, the Transformation Academy will now be able to expand to serve more children who have co-existing diagnoses of sensory processing disorder, a specific learning disability, health impairment, or multiple disabilities. The move will also provide available space for The Children’s Guild Outpatient Mental Health Clinic and the organization’s Treatment Foster Care program, to further expand into the administrative offices in Baltimore, MD.
“As our team prepares for our move to DC, we want to thank everyone in Baltimore for their incredible support throughout the decades. While our headquarters are moving, our commitment to our Maryland-based schools and programs remains unwavering despite our change in zip code,” added Livelli. “We’re not leaving Baltimore, in fact, we are actively negotiating with the City and working with Baltimore City Gov’t and Baltimore City Public Schools to expand our programming.”
Affiliates of The Children’s Guild include The Children’s Guild School of Baltimore, The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, The Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, Monarch Global Academy Laurel, Monarch Academy Annapolis, Monarch Preschool College Park, The Children’s Guild- Transformation Academy, The Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Treatment Foster Care, TranZed Academy for Working Students (TAWS), and TranZed Apprenticeships. For more information, visit https://childrensguild.org/.
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by The Children's Guild | Nov 16, 2022 | Employee's Stories, News, Success Stories
Instead of focusing on how apprenticeships change lives and help people find themselves, how about what they can do for those companies and organizations that take them on? Today, many employers in tech, healthcare, and other industries are building their workforce with the help of apprenticeship programs.
APPRENTICESHIPS ARE NOT JUST FOR THE TRADES, ANYMORE
Proven in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and other trades historically, apprenticeships are now working for hospitals, cyber companies, IT and networking firms, manufacturing, finance, and more. All have complex workforce challenges and must keep up with the demands of rapid advancements, and apprenticeship is a best practice for recruiting, training, and retaining skills and talent.
Transportation, health care, hospitality, and food sectors have had the highest numbers of job openings in 2022. Every state feels the impacts of worker shortages. Hiring apprentices have become a practical solution for many organizations’ needs.
BEYOND THE WIN-WIN – THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Apprenticeships are a proven recruitment strategy for home-grown talent in a tight labor market and are usually good news stories for companies.
But apprentices also attract others with their success, paying success forward by hiring other apprentices as they climb the ladder. In September, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, formalizing this ripple effect through a national network of more than 200 employers and industry organizations, labor organizations, educators, workforce intermediaries, and community-based organizations committed to strengthening and diversifying apprenticeship.
SHAYNA ESTRELLA IS PAYING IT FORWARD
With a Master’s in Forensic Science and High Technology Crime, Shayna wanted a career in tech. But she found
that the IT industry looks for industry-recognized certifications, most of which are expensive and time-consuming. Shayna had a family to support. By working and learning through pre-apprenticeship training and two other apprenticeship programs, Shayna now runs the IT and computer labs and works with students at St. Francis Neighborhood Center, a nonprofit group in Baltimore. Her community feels the ripple, as Shayna identifies other talents, reaches back, and helps bring others along on their own career journeys.
“Shayna’s like a one-woman recruitment ad for us,” says Torbin Green, Executive Director of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center. “Finding and retaining people in the local community is the best road for us to grow.”
THANKS TO ORGANIZATIONS LIKE TRANZED APPRENTICESHIPS
The Children’s Guild’s TranZed Apprenticeships is a nonprofit registered provider that sponsors and manages apprenticeship programs in several occupations across the country, such as IT, cyber security, healthcare, and education. Registered with the US Department of Labor, programs are all approved for curriculum, rigor, and quality.
Working with other current and former apprentices has fostered a real sense of community among the St. Francis team. Upper management and more tenured team members are eager to help and support new apprentices because they have been in their shoes themselves.
EMPLOYER AND APPRENTICE SUPPORT
Through TranZed, The Children’s Guild works with employers to understand their hiring needs and recruit candidates who meet their skills and company culture. Apprentice candidates are driven, eager to learn, and ready to work. TranZed experts are always available to help employers, associations, and employees when needed, and help employers build, register, and sponsor programs. TranZed also manages record-keeping, progress tracking, and compliance management, taking that load off employers.
The program helped Shayna big time. In partnership with Baltimore Cyber Range, TranZed Apprenticeships prepped and covered the expenses of both the CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications for her, opening industry doors and many new opportunities.
AN IMPORTANT NEW ADDITION TO THE MODERN WORKFORCE
“Apprenticeships are a crucial component to closing the skills gap and are rapidly becoming key additions to the modern workforce,” says Erin Finnegan-Smith, Managing Director of Workforce Development for The Children’s Guild.
Since its launch in 2016, TranZed has expanded its offerings from IT and Cyber to Education and Healthcare. TranZed has placed and supported the placement of an increasing number of apprentices across the country by managing and consulting with other employers, associations and organizations looking to sponsor programs.
“Tried and tested for decades, the apprenticeship model works, and non-traditional companies are opening their eyes to upscaling and building their workforce today rather than buying it,” says Finnegan-Smith.
NOVEMBER 14 BEGINS NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK
The Children’s Guild and TranZed Apprenticeships are celebrating the Eighth Annual National Apprenticeship Week from November 14-20, 2022. During this nationwide celebration, industry, labor, equity, workforce, education, and government leaders host events to showcase the successes and value of apprenticeship in rebuilding the economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities.
Apprenticeship is a proven, industry-driven training model, providing a vital pipeline of talent that can help to address some of America’s pressing workforce challenges such as rebuilding our country’s infrastructure, addressing critical supply chain demands, supporting a clean energy workforce, modernizing our cybersecurity response, and responding to care economy issues.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS AND HOW THEY WORK
An official website of the US Government, ApprenticeshipUSA is an industry-driven career pathway where employers develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a nationally-recognized credential. Another is American Job Centers, where people can search for jobs, find training, and answer other employment-related questions.
Employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 15% through 2029, faster than all other occupations. Find out how TranZed can help with CNA pre-apprenticeship and Patient Care Technician programs >
Want to learn more? [email protected]
