A Message from the President & CEO: September 2024
By Ann Marie Ronsman, President & CEO | Child Advocates of Montgomery County
Thank you for your positive response to our rebranding and programs expansion announcement in August. Your excitement for our new opportunities to serve children in Montgomery County was encouraging—your commitment to advocacy is the reason we can serve more children in our community! We are grateful to continue to partner with Texas CASA on our child welfare and Justice-Involved Youth Cases, while expanding our work with children experiencing truancy and our Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Community Education.
New titles for staff
Along with our rebranding, we have rolled out new titles for our staff to more closely reflect our work within the community. The title change you will likely notice first is that our Case Supervisors are now Advocacy Specialists. Our children have never been “cases,” and title change reflects the critical role these staff members play in supporting our volunteer advocacy work in the community. New services. New name. New look. New titles. But our mission remains the same—to empower our volunteers to bring hope to the most vulnerable children in Montgomery County.
“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” – Oprah Winfrey
Advocates provide essential educational advocacy
Happy back-to-school season! All five of my children are off to start the new school year. I have a junior at Dallas Baptist and a sophomore at Texas A&M along with two high school seniors and a sophomore. It takes a lot of planning and reassurance to return to school with confidence. In those final weeks of summer, I always feel anxious, excited, and a bit overwhelmed!
Back-to-school is a challenging season for students and parents, but it is particularly difficult for the children we serve. They may start the year in brand-new schools, with unfamiliar rules and the need to make new friends. For children who have experienced trauma, back-to-school can also evoke feelings of fear and anxiety. Our Advocates provide much-needed support and reassurance to these children. For others, the return to the classroom may mean safety, stability, and reliable meals twice a day. These children too will benefit from our advocacy efforts as we connect their families with community resources to provide the essentials all children need.
It is not unusual for you to be the first to recognize a potential learning disability in a child you are working with. Our incredible Advocates help children and families to navigate the educational system, ensuring children get evaluated for learning differences. The testing and diagnosis process is key in making sure that these children receive the instruction and services they need. Educational advocacy in child welfare, justice-involved youth, and truancy cases is essential to these children’s futures.
This summer, our TBRI® team has provided extensive training to schools all over our county to better equip teachers and staff with new tools and strategies to work with children who have experienced trauma in their classrooms.
I am deeply grateful for the important work you accomplish each day on behalf of children. Thank you for all you do!
Ann Marie Ronsman, MSN, RN | TBRI® Practitioner
President & CEO