Judy Center holds annual harvest fest
Families, elementary school students gain connections for school readiness, other resources
The Charles County Public Schools Judy Center held its annual harvest festival on Saturday at the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary Transition School in Waldorf, where local students and their families enjoyed free pizza, games, kid-friendly activity stations, raffle ticket drawings and received informational resources from community partners.
“It’s our family event for fall where we have all of our partners come out,” said Jennifer Gimmel, an instructional specialist for the Judy Center. “They bring all of their information so that
families know what’s available in the community. We make those connections and get the word out about what we do. Hopefully, they will come to more of our events and participate in our play groups which is for children aged 0 to 4 who are not in school yet.”
“The Judy Center has been in our county for many years and we do family events every year. This is one of our biggest events of the year so we stick with what works,” Gimmel added. “All of our events are free but the best part about it is that we hook parents up with our community partners, in case they need other resources outside of the school system.”
The Judy Center serves
students and families from the Dr. Mudd, Eva Turner and C. Paul Barnhart elementary school zones. In order to connect these individuals with community services and opportunities, staff members collaborate with community partners to ensure that at-risk children, from birth through age 5, are socially, emotionally and physically ready for first grade.
“It’s an opportunity to
get the families from our three schools to come out and promote early childhood,” assistant coordinator Amanda Pheulpin said. “They also get to find out about the services and activities that are within our county and could benefit their children.”
Pheulpin, an assistant coordinator for Dr. Mudd Elementary School who has worked at the Judy Center for 12 years, said she loves the education enhancement programs that are offered as early childhood and intervention makes all the difference.
“It really makes a difference in helping to empower parents that they are their child’s first teacher,” Pheulpin said. “We’re all about linking them to resources in the community that will help strengthen their family as the move on.”
“The Judy Center has been a part of our family for about six years,” said LaToy Harris of Waldorf, whose two daughters attend Dr. Mudd Elementary. “We always support everything they have because they have a lot of good things for families. You can come out and spend time with your family. There’s a lot of educational things — we always get books which are wonderful. We just love the Judy Center and everyone that’s a part of the family here.”
Fellow Waldorf resident Dorquis Vazquez, who attended Saturday’s annual harvest festival with her 4-year-old son, said the Judy Center has been a part of her family for two years. She also appreciates the positivity and hope that the Judy Center brings to the local community.
“What she likes and enjoys the most is the activities for the children because it helps them to develop,” Dr. Mudd Elementary library media specialist and Spanish translator Norma Haner said. “It’s very good because in her case, her child doesn’t have other siblings. She thinks that it helps him be more social and interactive with other children around his age. It also shows him not to be afraid in that environment with other kids.”
Most services, programs and activities that are offered through Judy Centers are free. The Maryland State Department of Education was charged with administering these programs as a result of Senate Bill 793, whereby the Maryland General Assembly allocated $7 million to establish the Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Education Enhancement Programs in July 2000, according to the Judy Center’s website.
About 23 counties across Maryland were awarded grants to establish Judy Centers, which are located in or affiliated with elementary schools and provide full-day, full-year services. These programs provide enhancement grants for private providers and use the Maryland Model for School Readiness to track progress.
For Harris, the great thing about the Judy Center is that staff members go above and beyond fostering a child’s readiness for school.
“They bring families together and support the community outside of just their events with things like health care, dental, clothing, food, employment and even education for parents,” she said. “If you don’t have a high school diploma, they reach out to try and help you to get that diploma or GED. So, it’s a support system for the whole family.”
The Charles County Judy Center is located at 820 Stone Avenue in Waldorf. For more information, call 301-934-7493 or send an email to ccpsjudycenter@ccboe.com.