The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations, promoted Elizabeth Warmington Garcia to chief clinical officer. Previously, Garcia served as interim chief of children’s and community services for The Children’s Guild Alliance.

As chief clinical officer, Garcia will work with the clinical leadership throughout the organization, including the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Expanded School-Based Mental Health program, Treatment Foster Care program, residential treatment and the schools. Garcia will implement program models and best practice interventions to ensure the continued success of treatment outcomes for children and families. As a licensed clinical social worker, Garcia brings more than 25 years of experience providing clinical services as well as managing behavioral health and out-of-home care for children and families.

“Elizabeth has a wealth of expertise and experience to lead The Children’s Guild Alliance’s clinical services,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance. “Elizabeth’s proven success in understanding the needs of children and families, training clinicians and developing quality clinical programs is exceptional. We are thrilled that she will now integrate our clinical services throughout the organization.” 

“Elizabeth has a wealth of expertise and experience to lead The Children’s Guild Alliance’s clinical services,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild Alliance. “Elizabeth’s proven success in understanding the needs of children and families, training clinicians and developing quality clinical programs is exceptional. We are thrilled that she will now integrate our clinical services throughout the organization.”

Garcia joined The Children’s Guild Alliance in 2011 as director of behavioral health services. She has spearheaded the growth of school-based mental health services into six counties and 90 schools.

Additionally, she serves on the board of the Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland and chairs the Clinical Learning Community. Before joining The Children’s Guild Alliance, Garcia was division director for Bellefaire Jewish Children’s Bureau in Cleveland, Ohio.

Garcia holds two master’s degrees in social work and nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College.

We are excited to celebrate ​The Children’s Guild Alliance’s first “Family Appreciation Week,” June 8-12, 2020 to thank our families for your role in providing distance learning to your child/ren during the sudden closure of schools due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Family Appreciation Week is designed to show our deepest appreciation for your continued partnership in your child/ren’s education.

Our families are our heroes in so many ways, and we value all of you. We have always known families play a vital role in the education of our students, as you love, nurture, protect, teach, provide for, and serve as role models for our students. Strong families, such as yours, provide much needed support and guidance to ensure our students succeed as leaners and members of a global community.

The Children’s Guild Alliance and our schools have always celebrated and honored our families as a key partner in your child/ren’s education. Now, more than ever, families have stepped up, during a time when your child/ren need you most. We want to recognize the incredible job our families have done, and the many sacrifices you have made, to ensure your child/ren’s education continued in as meaningful a way as possible, during these truly unprecedented times.

Additionally, follow us on our social media channels with hashtag #FamilyAppreciationWeek2020, as we celebrate our families throughout the week through. You can share too on your social media using #FamilyAppreciationWeek2020.

We thank you for choosing one of our Children’s Guild Alliance schools as the school of choice which allows your child/ren to excel and achieve.

We celebrate you for your vision to see, the courage to try, and the will to succeed. Together, we will create a brighter tomorrow for each our students, transforming the way America cares for and educates its youth.

With gratitude,
Kathy Lane
Chief of Educational Services

Dear Colleagues and Families,

The tragic and senseless death of George Floyd shouts that in America not everyone is free to walk the streets without being harassed or fearing for their lives. We abhor the hate-inspired speech and actions that treat some lives as disposable and regards acts of violence against the defenseless as routine and normal.

Today, the leadership of The Children’s Guild Alliance stands with our African American colleagues, students, families, and community in America to fight for the rights endowed to all Americans and to affirm their struggle for dignity and respect. We also stand against oppression and intolerance in any form.

The role of The Children’s Guild in fighting this injustice must be what it has always been, providing safe space for all children, their families, modeling zero-tolerance for hatred and bigotry in any form and to confronting it head-on within both our organization and the communities in which we serve. We will seek to live in such a way as to inspire our children to rise above the hatred and intolerance that is far too prevalent among us. We will continue to remove barriers to learning and provide resources for our children to succeed.

The Children’s Guild is more than an agency that provides education and behavioral health services to children and families and training to adults serving children; it has a responsibility to advocate for social justice and challenge the status quo when government bureaucracies establish systems, policies, and regulations that undermine the well-being and best interest of children.

Built into our mission is a process of adult and organizational transformation that teaches children the values and life skills necessary for a successful life. The values throughout our schools and programs emphasize living responsibly, serving causes larger than one’s self, contributing to one’s family and community and to stand up for what is right and just.

Our staff are caring and thoughtful people who live these values and understand that their first responsibility is to assure that The Children’s Guild and the schools and programs it operates is a welcoming place that emanates caring and respect for every child and their family. Visitors and families report that this caring radiates from the staff members, our physical environment, and our foster homes.

Let us renew our commitment to work for justice and racial reconciliation in our society so that what radiates from our employees will one day be experienced by all throughout our country.

Sincerely,

Andrew L. Ross
President & CEO
The Children’s Guild Alliance