December 9, 2025 • 18 mins
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.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_04 (00:10):
Unlock the magic of early childhood with Elevate.
This podcast is brought to youby Early Childhood Services, a
program within MontgomeryCounty, Maryland's Department of
Health and Human Services.
We are dedicated to empoweringparents and educators with the
knowledge and tools to nurturethe next generation.
I'm Inette Bolden.
SPEAKER_02 (00:32):
And I'm Jennifer Ferreira, and we're your hosts
of Elevate.
Today we are joined by MichelleOwens and Jessica Blasey from
the Judy Centers.
Michelle Owens is the Directorof Early Childhood Federal and
Special Programs with MontgomeryCounty Public Schools.
Part of Michelle's work involvesoverseeing early childhood
initiatives, including the JudyCenter Early Learning Hubs.
(00:55):
She has led the district'sefforts to expand access to
full-day pre-K opportunities aswell as access to comprehensive
services for children from birthto age five.
SPEAKER_04 (01:09):
And Jessica Blasik is an early childhood
instructional leader with morethan 20 years of professional
experience in teaching,training, and school
administration.
She currently works as thesupervisor of early childhood
programs in Montgomery CountyPublic Schools, serving over
3,000 young children and theirfamilies yearly.
(01:30):
Both Michelle and Jessica haveplayed key roles in aligning
Judy Center programming withMaryland's Blueprint for
Education, focusing on schoolreadiness, family engagement,
and community partnerships.
Welcome, Jessica and Michelle.
It is so great to have both ofyou on this episode.
So, Michelle, can you tell us abit about the Judy Center Hubs
(01:54):
and their mission?
SPEAKER_03 (01:55):
I sure will.
First, I thank you both for theopportunity to share information
about our Judy Center EarlyLearning Hubs.
They are state, grant, andlocally funded early childhood
programs and family learninghubs.
Collaboration and partnershipswith the community lie at the
heart of Maryland's Judy CenterEarly Learning Hubs.
(02:18):
Our mission is, of course, topromote school readiness for
children birth to age five byproviding comprehensive
full-year early education andsupport to families.
Judy Centers are not child carecenters.
Many people think that.
But instead, they are acomprehensive hub where families
(02:40):
can participate in familylearning experiences.
And families also receivesupport and services.
In Title I and High NeedsElementary Schools in every
Maryland jurisdiction, JudyCenters empower a child's first
teachers.
Who is that?
That's their families.
And we do that by supportingchild development and early
(03:03):
learning skills for our youngestlearners from birth through
kindergarten.
Just a little history.
The Judy Centers wereestablished to honor the memory
of Judith P.
Hoyer, an early childhoodeducator, advocate, and the late
wife of our congressman StennyHoyer.
SPEAKER_04 (03:21):
Wow.
So thank you for clarifying whatthe Judy Center Hubs are and
that they're not childcare andreally telling us about what the
mission is of the Judy Centerhubs.
That is a great mission.
So how did the Judy Center Hubsget started here in Montgomery
County?
SPEAKER_03 (03:38):
Oh, great question.
So in Montgomery County, ourJudy Centers are more than
programs, they are communityanchors.
So over 20 years ago, we startedwith the Judy Center at Rolling
Terrace.
And then a year later, the JudyCenter at Summit Hall was
opened.
For many years, MCPS had twoJudy Centers operating in our
(04:00):
school district.
Within the past year, we havedoubled the number of Judy
Centers in Montgomery County,going from two to now four.
So we have Judy Centers atRolling Terrace Elementary
School, Summit Hall Elementary,Weller Road Elementary, which
opened earlier this calendaryear, and a new Judy Center at
(04:25):
Galway, which will becomeoperational later this academic
year.
As I mentioned earlier, theseare grant and locally funded
early learning hubs for familiesand children, birth to age five,
within the catchment areas thatI listed.
SPEAKER_02 (04:44):
Wow, that's amazing.
Thank you for sharing that,Michelle.
So what types of services andprograms do you offer for
children ages zero to five?
And how do these servicessupport families, educators, and
community leaders?
SPEAKER_01 (04:57):
I'll take that one.
Good morning, Jennifer andInette.
This is Jessica.
Good morning.
So the Judy Center EarlyLearning Hubs recognize a need
for effective coordination amongthe providers of early childhood
education and support services.
The services and resources arein schools that operate Title I
(05:17):
programs.
This type of collaborationprovides a greater opportunity
for positive outcomes forchildren and greater school
readiness.
Judy centers offer play groupsat least two days per week
year-round for families andcaregivers to learn how to
support their child'sdevelopment in language and
(05:38):
literacy, cognitive, social,emotional, physical, and
approaches to learning, such ascuriosity and executive
functioning.
Each center also administers theages and stages questionnaire,
sometimes called the ASQ, tohelp families and caregivers
understand how their child isdeveloping in relation to
(06:01):
typical developmental stages.
We also offer family engagementactivities that support
families' increased involvementin their child's active
development.
And caregivers can participatein workshops on a variety of
topics, including integratingthe arts into daily routines,
(06:21):
health and nutrition, prenatalcare and sleep safety, positive
parenting skills, bedtimeroutines, and even first aid CPR
certification.
SPEAKER_02 (06:33):
Wow, that's an abundant amount of workshops.
Thank you for sharing that,Jessica.
And can you share some successstories or examples of how the
Judy Center hubs have positivelyimpacted families in Montgomery
County?
SPEAKER_01 (06:46):
Yes, we are very interested in monitoring our
impact over time.
And historical kindergartenreadiness data for the rolling
terrace catchment area indicatethat children who participated
in the rolling terrace JudyCenter program for at least one
year prior to enteringkindergarten demonstrated
(07:07):
readiness on the state measureat a higher rate than those who
did not participate with theJudy Center.
And in FY25, we served 48families at that location with a
total of 55 children, ages birthto four years old.
SPEAKER_02 (07:24):
This is great information for the families
listening right now, and I hopethe families are taking that
into consideration when lookingat the Judy Centers.
So can you tell us what feedbackyou have received from parents
and educators about yourprograms?
SPEAKER_03 (07:39):
Of course.
I love this question simplybecause MSDE does require us to
gather feedback.
So our spring 2025 MSDE, andMSDE stands for the Maryland
State Department of Education,on our spring 2025 MSDE Juty
Center Family Survey, 95% of ourfamilies agreed that the Rolling
(08:04):
Terrace Juty Center increasedtheir child's school readiness.
Of the families who reported,53% reported visiting the Judy
Center five or more times amonth.
And what that means is that theykept coming back, that our
programs were desirable and theywanted to come back.
(08:25):
And while 79% of them werereported also that they
participated in the Judy Centerfor more than two years.
This data indicates that oncefamilies initially engage with
us, they are likely to remainconnected and active over time.
And we have seen this.
(08:45):
We've seen families experience ahigh satisfaction impact.
The Summit Hall Judy Center hashad measurable impact on our
families in our community.
And we know this through directfeedback from families who we
serve and through, again, thedata that we collected for MSDE.
For example, during our parentbreakfast, families consistently
(09:10):
share their personal storiesabout how the Judy Center has
helped them.
And our post-workshop surveydata completed after parent
workshops show that over 95% ofour families feel that our
workshops help them to betterunderstand their child's
development and how to preparethem for schools.
(09:30):
Additionally, in the annualfamily survey conducted by MSDE,
over 95% of our families that weserve reported a positive impact
on their family.
So I just can't say enoughpositives about what our duty
centers pour into ourcommunities.
I'd like to take thisopportunity to give an
(09:52):
acknowledgement to our JutyCenter leaders, Dr.
Rankin Weathers at RowlingTerrace and Miss Moy at Summit
Hall.
And then for our newest JudyCenters, they don't have any
data to report.
They're too new to report, butwe do have a leader in place at
Weller Road, Ms.
Falcone, and we are in theprocess of developing our team
(10:15):
at Galway.
So while their data is not readyyet because it's too new to
report, we look forward toproviding information to the
community in the future.
SPEAKER_04 (10:26):
Wow, that's some great data.
And it really shows a verypositive impact on our
community.
And we know when programs havepositive impacts on the
community, they're usually notdoing it alone.
So who are some key partners andcollaborators in the community
that you work with?
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
That's right, Einet.
Well, early childhood servicesis definitely a partner,
especially through the HeadStart grant that has now
expanded to include birththrough three-year-olds.
We share information about ECS'sfamily learning series, and your
team is also going to providesome training as well.
(11:03):
Montgomery College is also apartner in providing workforce
development information as wellas access to ESOL classes for
caregivers.
Montgomery County PublicLibraries recently shared
information about theirhatchling program for expectant
parents and parents with babiesup to four months old.
(11:24):
The Montgomery County Infantsand Toddlers program is another
partner for families in need forscreening or additional services
for their child who may have adevelopmental need.
Each Judy Center really has aunique set of community-based
partners, including localbusinesses and government
agencies.
(11:44):
Some others include Central NIA,Tacoma Park Child Development
Center, Maria Luz Family ChildCare, Montgomery County
Collaboration Council,University of Maryland Expanded
Food and Nutrition EducationProgram, and Greater Washington
Educational TelecommunicationsAssociation or WEDA.
(12:08):
Our partners at MontgomeryCounty Child Care Services
support us with parent workshopsand professional development
opportunities for our childcarepartners.
Montgomery College leadsCafecitos to share information
with families about Englishclasses, training opportunities,
and entrepreneurship.
Sky Point Federal Credit Unionis leading a series of workshops
(12:32):
too on credit building, homeownership, investing,
entrepreneurship, andretirement.
These partnerships afford acomprehensive service delivery,
access to high-quality communitychildcare, access to on-site
adult education and trainingopportunities, health and
(12:53):
nutrition planning, and overallearly learning experiences that
Judy Centers might not otherwisehave the opportunity to
participate in.
SPEAKER_04 (13:02):
Wow, with such a wide variety of services and for
such a diverse community, how doyou ensure that your services
are accessible to all families,including those with diverse
backgrounds and different needs?
SPEAKER_03 (13:14):
Well, this answer is quite simple.
We are open to all families withchildren in the catchment areas
or the community who are underfive years old.
Very simple.
Just come on in to one of ourduty centers if you live in the
community, and we will be ableto support you.
SPEAKER_02 (13:31):
Thank you for sharing that, Nishan.
That's wonderful.
What steps do you take to createan inclusive environment for all
children and families?
SPEAKER_03 (13:40):
Well, our staff is quite diverse and they are
trained to work with allfamilies.
As you know, in the educationspace, in particular in public
education, we are a welcomingand inclusive environment.
So those values transition intoour duty centers.
SPEAKER_02 (14:00):
Thank you.
And that certainly speaks to thepopulation of Montgomery County
as we have a diverse populationwith families and needs.
And so what are some of thefuture goals and plans that you
have for the Judy Center hubs?
SPEAKER_01 (14:15):
Well, Michelle said it briefly earlier, but I do
want to echo that Maryland'sBlueprint for the Future is
encouraging continued expansionof Judy Centers.
And so in the coming months, weare very excited to be opening
Montgomery County's fourth JudyCenter Early Learning Hub at
Galway Elementary School,located near the intersection of
(14:38):
Fairland and Briggs Cheney Roadsin Silver Spring.
SPEAKER_02 (14:43):
Thank you, Jessica, for sharing that.
That's very exciting news andcongrats.
We're all very excited to seethe new opening for the Judy
Center.
And my last question is (14:51):
how can families and educators learn
more about your services andeven get involved if they would
like to?
SPEAKER_03 (14:58):
Sure, I'll take that question.
So, first, everyone can navigateto Montgomery County Public
Schools website, which can beaccessed by going to
MontgomerySchoolsmd.org andsearch for Judy Centers, and our
Judy Centers will pop up.
Families who live in the RowingTerrace catchment area may visit
(15:21):
our website to view monthlynewsletters and the schedule of
activities.
And families who are in theSummit Hall community can do the
same as well as in the WellerRoad community.
You will find our newslettersand schedule of activities at
each of the three sites.
(15:41):
Families can also findinformation on the school's
websites.
So again, just in the threecenters that are operational and
on the district's website bysearching for early childhood
education.
And we do have an Instagramhandle for the Judy Center at
Summit Hall.
It's at Summit Hall Judy Center.
(16:04):
So information can be found onInstagram.
And just in general, I want toshare that our monthly activity
calendars, our newsletters, ourprogram flyers, they're
typically posted on the web.
But we also have steeringcommittees.
And Jessica mentioned a numberof our partners who are on those
(16:26):
steering committees.
So those steering committeesoccur six times a year and they
support the collaboration withour community partners in
addition to community outreachevents hosted by the Early
Childhood Office in the springand in the fall.
So for some of our communities,they host events like community
(16:48):
baby showers.
So we're looking forward tothat.
I believe that's going to be atone of our centers.
I'll have to get back to you onwhere.
And then there will becontinuing parent workshop
series.
So while we have information onour websites now, you may see
some new information pop upthroughout the year.
(17:08):
So we ask for our families inour Judy Center communities just
to stay tuned for all of thegreat activities that we have
planned for this academic year.
SPEAKER_04 (17:20):
Wow, thank you so much, Jessica and Michelle, for
sharing such wonderfulinformation about these
impactful programs you have forthe different catchment areas in
our community.
So we are very glad you are onour show today.
SPEAKER_03 (17:34):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you all again for theopportunity to ask us about the
Judy Centers.
SPEAKER_04 (17:40):
So, listeners, be sure to tune in next time as we
explore more supports andcommunity resources available to
those who nurture youngchildren.
Stay informed, inspired, andconnected to the vibrant
community of early childhoodenthusiasts.
Together, let's build a strongfoundation for the future, one
child at a time.
SPEAKER_02 (18:02):
And thanks for tuning in into the Elevate
Podcast.
Stay connected and join theconversation by following us on
social media at DHHFCC.
And we'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_00 (18:17):
This podcast is brought to you by County Cable
Montgomery, your source for newsand information from the
Montgomery County government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
Unlock the magic of early childhood with Elevate.
This podcast is brought to youby Early Childhood Services, a
program within MontgomeryCounty, Maryland's Department of
Health and Human Services.
We are dedicated to empoweringparents and educators with the
knowledge and tools to nurturethe next generation.
I'm Inette Bolden.
SPEAKER_02 (00:32):
And I'm Jennifer Ferreira, and we're your hosts
of Elevate.
Today we are joined by MichelleOwens and Jessica Blasey from
the Judy Centers.
Michelle Owens is the Directorof Early Childhood Federal and
Special Programs with MontgomeryCounty Public Schools.
Part of Michelle's work involvesoverseeing early childhood
initiatives, including the JudyCenter Early Learning Hubs.
(00:55):
She has led the district'sefforts to expand access to
full-day pre-K opportunities aswell as access to comprehensive
services for children from birthto age five.
SPEAKER_04 (01:09):
And Jessica Blasik is an early childhood
instructional leader with morethan 20 years of professional
experience in teaching,training, and school
administration.
She currently works as thesupervisor of early childhood
programs in Montgomery CountyPublic Schools, serving over
3,000 young children and theirfamilies yearly.
(01:30):
Both Michelle and Jessica haveplayed key roles in aligning
Judy Center programming withMaryland's Blueprint for
Education, focusing on schoolreadiness, family engagement,
and community partnerships.
Welcome, Jessica and Michelle.
It is so great to have both ofyou on this episode.
So, Michelle, can you tell us abit about the Judy Center Hubs
(01:54):
and their mission?
SPEAKER_03 (01:55):
I sure will.
First, I thank you both for theopportunity to share information
about our Judy Center EarlyLearning Hubs.
They are state, grant, andlocally funded early childhood
programs and family learninghubs.
Collaboration and partnershipswith the community lie at the
heart of Maryland's Judy CenterEarly Learning Hubs.
(02:18):
Our mission is, of course, topromote school readiness for
children birth to age five byproviding comprehensive
full-year early education andsupport to families.
Judy Centers are not child carecenters.
Many people think that.
But instead, they are acomprehensive hub where families
(02:40):
can participate in familylearning experiences.
And families also receivesupport and services.
In Title I and High NeedsElementary Schools in every
Maryland jurisdiction, JudyCenters empower a child's first
teachers.
Who is that?
That's their families.
And we do that by supportingchild development and early
(03:03):
learning skills for our youngestlearners from birth through
kindergarten.
Just a little history.
The Judy Centers wereestablished to honor the memory
of Judith P.
Hoyer, an early childhoodeducator, advocate, and the late
wife of our congressman StennyHoyer.
SPEAKER_04 (03:21):
Wow.
So thank you for clarifying whatthe Judy Center Hubs are and
that they're not childcare andreally telling us about what the
mission is of the Judy Centerhubs.
That is a great mission.
So how did the Judy Center Hubsget started here in Montgomery
County?
SPEAKER_03 (03:38):
Oh, great question.
So in Montgomery County, ourJudy Centers are more than
programs, they are communityanchors.
So over 20 years ago, we startedwith the Judy Center at Rolling
Terrace.
And then a year later, the JudyCenter at Summit Hall was
opened.
For many years, MCPS had twoJudy Centers operating in our
(04:00):
school district.
Within the past year, we havedoubled the number of Judy
Centers in Montgomery County,going from two to now four.
So we have Judy Centers atRolling Terrace Elementary
School, Summit Hall Elementary,Weller Road Elementary, which
opened earlier this calendaryear, and a new Judy Center at
(04:25):
Galway, which will becomeoperational later this academic
year.
As I mentioned earlier, theseare grant and locally funded
early learning hubs for familiesand children, birth to age five,
within the catchment areas thatI listed.
SPEAKER_02 (04:44):
Wow, that's amazing.
Thank you for sharing that,Michelle.
So what types of services andprograms do you offer for
children ages zero to five?
And how do these servicessupport families, educators, and
community leaders?
SPEAKER_01 (04:57):
I'll take that one.
Good morning, Jennifer andInette.
This is Jessica.
Good morning.
So the Judy Center EarlyLearning Hubs recognize a need
for effective coordination amongthe providers of early childhood
education and support services.
The services and resources arein schools that operate Title I
(05:17):
programs.
This type of collaborationprovides a greater opportunity
for positive outcomes forchildren and greater school
readiness.
Judy centers offer play groupsat least two days per week
year-round for families andcaregivers to learn how to
support their child'sdevelopment in language and
(05:38):
literacy, cognitive, social,emotional, physical, and
approaches to learning, such ascuriosity and executive
functioning.
Each center also administers theages and stages questionnaire,
sometimes called the ASQ, tohelp families and caregivers
understand how their child isdeveloping in relation to
(06:01):
typical developmental stages.
We also offer family engagementactivities that support
families' increased involvementin their child's active
development.
And caregivers can participatein workshops on a variety of
topics, including integratingthe arts into daily routines,
(06:21):
health and nutrition, prenatalcare and sleep safety, positive
parenting skills, bedtimeroutines, and even first aid CPR
certification.
SPEAKER_02 (06:33):
Wow, that's an abundant amount of workshops.
Thank you for sharing that,Jessica.
And can you share some successstories or examples of how the
Judy Center hubs have positivelyimpacted families in Montgomery
County?
SPEAKER_01 (06:46):
Yes, we are very interested in monitoring our
impact over time.
And historical kindergartenreadiness data for the rolling
terrace catchment area indicatethat children who participated
in the rolling terrace JudyCenter program for at least one
year prior to enteringkindergarten demonstrated
(07:07):
readiness on the state measureat a higher rate than those who
did not participate with theJudy Center.
And in FY25, we served 48families at that location with a
total of 55 children, ages birthto four years old.
SPEAKER_02 (07:24):
This is great information for the families
listening right now, and I hopethe families are taking that
into consideration when lookingat the Judy Centers.
So can you tell us what feedbackyou have received from parents
and educators about yourprograms?
SPEAKER_03 (07:39):
Of course.
I love this question simplybecause MSDE does require us to
gather feedback.
So our spring 2025 MSDE, andMSDE stands for the Maryland
State Department of Education,on our spring 2025 MSDE Juty
Center Family Survey, 95% of ourfamilies agreed that the Rolling
(08:04):
Terrace Juty Center increasedtheir child's school readiness.
Of the families who reported,53% reported visiting the Judy
Center five or more times amonth.
And what that means is that theykept coming back, that our
programs were desirable and theywanted to come back.
(08:25):
And while 79% of them werereported also that they
participated in the Judy Centerfor more than two years.
This data indicates that oncefamilies initially engage with
us, they are likely to remainconnected and active over time.
And we have seen this.
(08:45):
We've seen families experience ahigh satisfaction impact.
The Summit Hall Judy Center hashad measurable impact on our
families in our community.
And we know this through directfeedback from families who we
serve and through, again, thedata that we collected for MSDE.
For example, during our parentbreakfast, families consistently
(09:10):
share their personal storiesabout how the Judy Center has
helped them.
And our post-workshop surveydata completed after parent
workshops show that over 95% ofour families feel that our
workshops help them to betterunderstand their child's
development and how to preparethem for schools.
(09:30):
Additionally, in the annualfamily survey conducted by MSDE,
over 95% of our families that weserve reported a positive impact
on their family.
So I just can't say enoughpositives about what our duty
centers pour into ourcommunities.
I'd like to take thisopportunity to give an
(09:52):
acknowledgement to our JutyCenter leaders, Dr.
Rankin Weathers at RowlingTerrace and Miss Moy at Summit
Hall.
And then for our newest JudyCenters, they don't have any
data to report.
They're too new to report, butwe do have a leader in place at
Weller Road, Ms.
Falcone, and we are in theprocess of developing our team
(10:15):
at Galway.
So while their data is not readyyet because it's too new to
report, we look forward toproviding information to the
community in the future.
SPEAKER_04 (10:26):
Wow, that's some great data.
And it really shows a verypositive impact on our
community.
And we know when programs havepositive impacts on the
community, they're usually notdoing it alone.
So who are some key partners andcollaborators in the community
that you work with?
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
That's right, Einet.
Well, early childhood servicesis definitely a partner,
especially through the HeadStart grant that has now
expanded to include birththrough three-year-olds.
We share information about ECS'sfamily learning series, and your
team is also going to providesome training as well.
(11:03):
Montgomery College is also apartner in providing workforce
development information as wellas access to ESOL classes for
caregivers.
Montgomery County PublicLibraries recently shared
information about theirhatchling program for expectant
parents and parents with babiesup to four months old.
(11:24):
The Montgomery County Infantsand Toddlers program is another
partner for families in need forscreening or additional services
for their child who may have adevelopmental need.
Each Judy Center really has aunique set of community-based
partners, including localbusinesses and government
agencies.
(11:44):
Some others include Central NIA,Tacoma Park Child Development
Center, Maria Luz Family ChildCare, Montgomery County
Collaboration Council,University of Maryland Expanded
Food and Nutrition EducationProgram, and Greater Washington
Educational TelecommunicationsAssociation or WEDA.
(12:08):
Our partners at MontgomeryCounty Child Care Services
support us with parent workshopsand professional development
opportunities for our childcarepartners.
Montgomery College leadsCafecitos to share information
with families about Englishclasses, training opportunities,
and entrepreneurship.
Sky Point Federal Credit Unionis leading a series of workshops
(12:32):
too on credit building, homeownership, investing,
entrepreneurship, andretirement.
These partnerships afford acomprehensive service delivery,
access to high-quality communitychildcare, access to on-site
adult education and trainingopportunities, health and
(12:53):
nutrition planning, and overallearly learning experiences that
Judy Centers might not otherwisehave the opportunity to
participate in.
SPEAKER_04 (13:02):
Wow, with such a wide variety of services and for
such a diverse community, how doyou ensure that your services
are accessible to all families,including those with diverse
backgrounds and different needs?
SPEAKER_03 (13:14):
Well, this answer is quite simple.
We are open to all families withchildren in the catchment areas
or the community who are underfive years old.
Very simple.
Just come on in to one of ourduty centers if you live in the
community, and we will be ableto support you.
SPEAKER_02 (13:31):
Thank you for sharing that, Nishan.
That's wonderful.
What steps do you take to createan inclusive environment for all
children and families?
SPEAKER_03 (13:40):
Well, our staff is quite diverse and they are
trained to work with allfamilies.
As you know, in the educationspace, in particular in public
education, we are a welcomingand inclusive environment.
So those values transition intoour duty centers.
SPEAKER_02 (14:00):
Thank you.
And that certainly speaks to thepopulation of Montgomery County
as we have a diverse populationwith families and needs.
And so what are some of thefuture goals and plans that you
have for the Judy Center hubs?
SPEAKER_01 (14:15):
Well, Michelle said it briefly earlier, but I do
want to echo that Maryland'sBlueprint for the Future is
encouraging continued expansionof Judy Centers.
And so in the coming months, weare very excited to be opening
Montgomery County's fourth JudyCenter Early Learning Hub at
Galway Elementary School,located near the intersection of
(14:38):
Fairland and Briggs Cheney Roadsin Silver Spring.
SPEAKER_02 (14:43):
Thank you, Jessica, for sharing that.
That's very exciting news andcongrats.
We're all very excited to seethe new opening for the Judy
Center.
And my last question is (14:51):
how can families and educators learn
more about your services andeven get involved if they would
like to?
SPEAKER_03 (14:58):
Sure, I'll take that question.
So, first, everyone can navigateto Montgomery County Public
Schools website, which can beaccessed by going to
MontgomerySchoolsmd.org andsearch for Judy Centers, and our
Judy Centers will pop up.
Families who live in the RowingTerrace catchment area may visit
(15:21):
our website to view monthlynewsletters and the schedule of
activities.
And families who are in theSummit Hall community can do the
same as well as in the WellerRoad community.
You will find our newslettersand schedule of activities at
each of the three sites.
(15:41):
Families can also findinformation on the school's
websites.
So again, just in the threecenters that are operational and
on the district's website bysearching for early childhood
education.
And we do have an Instagramhandle for the Judy Center at
Summit Hall.
It's at Summit Hall Judy Center.
(16:04):
So information can be found onInstagram.
And just in general, I want toshare that our monthly activity
calendars, our newsletters, ourprogram flyers, they're
typically posted on the web.
But we also have steeringcommittees.
And Jessica mentioned a numberof our partners who are on those
(16:26):
steering committees.
So those steering committeesoccur six times a year and they
support the collaboration withour community partners in
addition to community outreachevents hosted by the Early
Childhood Office in the springand in the fall.
So for some of our communities,they host events like community
(16:48):
baby showers.
So we're looking forward tothat.
I believe that's going to be atone of our centers.
I'll have to get back to you onwhere.
And then there will becontinuing parent workshop
series.
So while we have information onour websites now, you may see
some new information pop upthroughout the year.
(17:08):
So we ask for our families inour Judy Center communities just
to stay tuned for all of thegreat activities that we have
planned for this academic year.
SPEAKER_04 (17:20):
Wow, thank you so much, Jessica and Michelle, for
sharing such wonderfulinformation about these
impactful programs you have forthe different catchment areas in
our community.
So we are very glad you are onour show today.
SPEAKER_03 (17:34):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you all again for theopportunity to ask us about the
Judy Centers.
SPEAKER_04 (17:40):
So, listeners, be sure to tune in next time as we
explore more supports andcommunity resources available to
those who nurture youngchildren.
Stay informed, inspired, andconnected to the vibrant
community of early childhoodenthusiasts.
Together, let's build a strongfoundation for the future, one
child at a time.
SPEAKER_02 (18:02):
And thanks for tuning in into the Elevate
Podcast.
Stay connected and join theconversation by following us on
social media at DHHFCC.
And we'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_00 (18:17):
This podcast is brought to you by County Cable
Montgomery, your source for newsand information from the
Montgomery County government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
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