Maureen Hollocker, Great Start Collaborative Director for Charlevoix, Emmet and northern Antrim counties, has been appointed to serve as the Lead Trainer for the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance. The alliance is a national organization that ensures all states have a strong and effective children’s trust or prevention fund capable of leading and investing in strategies, policies and best practices that prevent child abuse and neglect.
Hollocker’s work in Northern Michigan is dedicated to building a strong early childhood system where all children can reach their potential, and the national appointment is an extension of her work on a larger scale. She will be serving as the alliance’s Lead Trainer, training other trainers from around the U.S. in “Bringing the Protective Factors Framework to Life in Your Work.” She first joined the alliance training team in 2014.
The announcement about Hollocker’s appointment was made during the CTFA national conference in Washington, D.C., earlier in November.
“Working and being connected to the larger Strengthening Families network at the national level allows me to learn from the leaders of this framework and also to be innovative with our local efforts,” Hollocker said.
As the Lead Trainer, she will be providing in-person delivery of seven courses throughout the year, including one for each of the Protective Factors: Parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and social and emotional competence of children.
Alliance-certified trainers receive numerous benefits from the training, including the ability to use course materials to train their local and state-specific audiences – thereby bringing the work to more communities throughout the country and helping more families thrive, Hollocker noted.
“The Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework is a national research-based initiative that aims to strengthen families, promote optimal development of children, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. This strengths-based approach to working with families is something we can all do through everyday actions and provides a framework to bring all families together to build Protective Factors rather than divide families up by risk factors and funding streams,” Hollocker said. “On both a local and national level, I see how the Alliance training changes how people view families and how it transforms how they approach their work with children and families in the future.”
Jill Haan, Director of Early Childhood for the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, which oversees the Great Start Collaborative and Hollocker’s role, said Hollocker is the ideal person to serve on a national level in teaching the protective factors.
“This appointment speaks volumes about Maureen’s commitment to the Strengthening Families Framework. She has always been passionate about helping us remember that children do not come to school alone – they come with their families,” Haan said. “The designation as a National Lead Trainer illustrates her ability to connect with others engaged in the work and facilitate impactful learning on a broad level. We are fortunate to have her knowledge and expertise at a local level.”
About the organizations
The Children’s Trust Fund Alliance, formerly known as the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds, is a not-for-profit organization established in 1989. It remains the only national organization that provides support to all aspects of the work of state-level Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds (CTFs). Its work includes promoting and supporting a system of services, laws, practices and attitudes that support families by enabling them to provide their children with safe, healthy and nurturing childhoods. To learn more: ctfalliance.org/
The Great Start Collaborative of Charlevoix, Emmet and northern Antrim counties is made up of community leaders and organizations from each county that have a vested interest in early childhood investment. The mission of the collaborative is to engage multi-disciplinary partners and families to identify, plan and implement system change to strengthen families and improve child outcomes. Since 2012, one of its major priorities has been the implementation of the Strengthening Families Framework. To learn more: greatstartforkids.com
Photo caption: Maureen Hollocker (center) is pictured at the national Children’s Trust Fund Alliance meeting in November 2019 with CTFA colleagues Martha Reeder (left) and Pat Stanislaski.