Georgia Thrive Infant Toddler Court Program
The Infant Toddler Court Program (ITCP) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant. The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Wellbeing at the Georgia Health Policy Center received this funding to implement ITCPs at three local sites in Georgia over five years.
Mission and Vision
Georgia THRIVe aims to improve the well-being of families and young children by strengthening the system of care, transforming courts, and reducing child welfare system involvement. The program envisions a well-coordinated child welfare and court system resulting in safe, stable communities where families thrive.
what we do
The Georgia THRIVe program works simultaneously at the child and family, site, and state levels.
- The state level receives support from the State Advisory Group and three workgroups: local implementation, data and evaluation, and program sustainability.
- At the site level, each family works closely with a community coordinator and participates in frequent Family THRIVe meetings and monthly court hearings, which provide collaboration, trauma-informed support, and real-time problem solving and resources.
- Every child receives consistent pediatric care and a developmental assessment, with referral to early intervention services to address and treat identified developmental delays. Every family is referred to evidence-based therapeutic services tailored to meet its unique needs. Families can also receive home-visiting services, parenting education, and child-parent psychotherapy to meet the child’s need for safe, secure attachments.
The Safe babies approach
Each Georgia THRIVe site receives state and national level technical assistance to implement the ITCP using the Safe Babies approach, a program of Zero To Three. The Safe Babies approach is guided by five areas of focus, with the needs of babies and their parents at the center of every conversation, action, and decision:
our team
Shelmekia Hodo
Project Director
shodo@gsu.edu
Tayler Harps
Statewide Coordinator
tharps@gsu.edu
Apryl Wallace Bernard
Data and Evaluation Support
awallacebernard1@gsu.edu
Kayla Bolden
Sr. Data and Evaluation Support
kbolden8@gsu.edu
site locations
- Athens-Clarke County: Family Connection-Communities in School
Community Coordinator: Christina Thompson, christina.thompson@fc-cis.org - Gwinnett County: Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc.
Community Coordinator: Stefany Gregg, sgregg@esng.org - Troup County: Troup County Board of Commissioners
Community Coordinator: Evyn Crocker, ecrocker@troupcountyga.gov
national partners
- ZERO TO THREE/National Resource Center
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Help Me Grow
- Center for the Study of Social Policy
- American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law
Resources and handouts
Learning management system
The Georgia THRIVe-Infant Toddler Court Program Learning Management System is designed to support the delivery, management, and tracking of training and educational resources for professionals, parents, and caregivers dedicated to promoting the healthy development and well-being of infants and toddlers. This platform provides convenient access to instructional materials, court-related resources, and community connections to support these efforts.