Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities

11/14/2025

The Innovation Hub at the Thrive Center is a three-month fellowship program that helps startups and nonprofits in the mental health or disability space looking to navigate the path to scaling and reaching more families.

We are now accepting applications for the Spring 2026 Cohort! Interested in applying? Please join us for a Q&A with the Hub team and Spring 2025 Cohort Alumni, Maria Barrera, on Monday, November 17th at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET.

👉 Register for the event here:

Join us on Monday, November 17th at 11:30 am PT to talk all things Innovation Hub with Jason, Kinsley, and special alumni guest Maria Barrera from Clayful! During this webinar, Maria will discuss how the fellowship helped her scale Clayful's impact, give an update on Clayful's current work, and we w...

11/13/2025

Today's episode features Shawn Hardnett, who has built something extraordinary at Statesman Academy in DC: a school where love isn't just talked about, it's budgeted, scheduled, and fiercely protected.

"We love them just the way they are. We love them for what they're gonna be. We love them for what they are right now. And you can't do this work if you don't love them."

When 450 boys told him "we will give you rigor if you make us feel safe," Shawn listened. He dedicates one-third of professional development time to relationships. He teaches adults to "light their eyes up" when they see students. He refuses to drop rituals that create belonging.

This isn't sentiment. It's strategy.
Listen to the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/65x6lHnfmOen2PDVPcudsq?si=og1RHrfERCeshgBhoXaMfw

11/12/2025

Matt Biel, Director of the Thrive Center, was recently honored by The Holding Co. for his contributions and leadership in the sphere of family-centered mental health. Matt was featured in the organization’s Care Guild, a list of innovators pushing the American care system forward in new and creative ways.

Congratulations to Matt for this well deserved recognition!

11/11/2025

Thrive team members Rachel Hanebutt and Amittia Parker have been announced as 2025-2026 fellows by Georgetown’s Gender+ Justice Initiative. This annual fellowship supports a group of scholars “whose work advances intersectional research on gender, race, and justice across Georgetown’s campuses.”

Congratulations to Rachel and Amittia! We are so excited that they are representing the Thrive Center with this incredible honor!

11/06/2025

Thrive team members Amy Hunter and Emily Aron recently presented at the recent Zero to Three's LEARN Conference.

Their presentation, "Mind the Gap: Bridging Training Shortfalls and Boosting Practitioner Wellbeing in Early Childhood Mental Health," explored how strategic professional development can address training gaps, support workforce wellbeing, and advance equity in infant and early childhood mental health.

👏 Congratulations to Amy and Emily!

11/05/2025

🚨 REMINDER! 🚨

GULEND, the GU Disability Studies Program, and GU Disability Culture Center are hosting an upcoming screening of the documentary "The Ride Ahead," featuring Father-Son Co-Directors Samuel Habib and Dan Habib.

📅 Date: November 10, 2025
⏱️ Time: 1:00-3:00pm EST.
📍 Location: 2115 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20007 (Room 186)

Please see the QR code in the flyer to access more details.

We hope to see you there!

11/04/2025

🎓 Meet Our Expert: Kinsley Cuen

Kinsley Cuen is a seasoned program operations leader with extensive experience in accelerator programs, research initiatives, and strategic planning. As Program Manager of the Innovation Hub at the Thrive Center, she bridges startup and academic ecosystems, connects organizations with expert advisors within the Thrive Center, and navigates the complex maze of scaling innovations in the mental health and disability sectors.

Kinsley believes that thoughtful operations are the foundation of sustainable, community-centered innovation. With a B.A. in International Relations & Global Studies, she is passionate about making innovation accessible across contexts and is committed to advancing the Innovation Hub & Thrive Center's mission to improve child and family health through equitable, scalable solutions.

10/30/2025

Today's episode features Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, who's leading the nation's first cabinet-level early childhood department in New Mexico.

When she arrived in 2019, New Mexico ranked 50th in child wellbeing, nutrition, education, and poverty. The governor's response? "We have to do something monumentally different."

Their solution: Build a comprehensive prenatal-to-5 system that starts with valuing the workforce. "How can we expect a different result when the people here, the caregivers don't even have what, you know, their basic needs met."

Listen to the full episode now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cEkmd2LEf3tnXDLJPWQSt?si=EibPrdXoRhK1KS28pCI8YA

10/30/2025

Applications are now open for the Innovation Hub Spring 2026 cohort! If you are an innovator in the mental health or disability space and are hoping to scale your impact, the Innovation Hub may be for you!

In this video, Kinsley Cuen, Program Manager for the Innovation Hub, provides more details about the program, including benefits of the Innovation Hub, the application deadline, and the cohort dates.

Apply to the Innovation Hub here: http://bit.ly/47rFX5b

10/29/2025

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month! Please enjoy this video, produced by the GUCEDD, which explores the theme of "Disability: Part of the Equity Equation” in a conversation with Dr. Adam Tulu.

Thrive team member Jalyn Marks, the Information Dissemination Coordinator for the GUCEDD, explains the significance of the discussion:

“We sat down with Dr. Adam Tulu, founder of the Tsinat Institute, to discuss the importance of inclusion and community voice. Hearing from leaders like Dr. Tulu reminds us that progress begins with providing opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

10/28/2025

🚨New Resource Alert!

The Program Manual Planning Document is an exciting resource created by the Center of Excellence (CoE) for IECMHC that guides consultation programs through the process of creating their own program manual.

In the video below, Lauren Rabinovitz, the Director of the CoE, walks viewers through the document, highlighting the interactive features and explaining how to find it on the CoE website.

Click here to access the Program Manual Planning Document: http://bit.ly/4nt67dQ

10/23/2025

GULEND, the GU Disability Studies Program, and GU Disability Culture Center would like to invite you to a screening of the documentary "The Ride Ahead," featuring Father-Son Co-Directors Samuel Habib and Dan Habib.

📅 Date: November 10, 2025
⏱️ Time: 1:00-3:00pm EST.
📍 Location: 2115 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20007 (Room 186)

Please see the QR code in the flyer to access more details.

💙 We hope to see you there!