The Center for Grieving Children Selected as Childhood Bereavement Changemaker

The Center for Grieving Children Selected as Childhood Bereavement Changemaker

In partnership with Denver-based Judi’s House/JAG Institute

PORTLAND (March 3, 2022) – The Center for Grieving Children is one of 30 grief-centered organizations selected by Judi’s House/JAG Institute to participate in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker program to build capacity for data collection and program evaluation through a series of trainings, workshops, and collaborative learning sessions.

Over the course of a year, Changemakers will receive guidance and practical recommendations to address data and evaluation needs big and small that can inform strategic planning, support funding opportunities, and enhance the overall impact the Center for Grieving Children has on the nearly 1 in 12  children in Maine who are estimated to experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18.

Founded in 1987, the Center for grieving children provides a safe space, loving peer support, outreach and education to grieving children, teens and families across the state. Grief did not take a hiatus during the pandemic. In fact, it was magnified in ways Center staff have never before seen.

“By establishing a culture that values and supports data for successful design and implementation of evaluation strategies, the Changemaker initiative will move the childhood bereavement field closer to a vision of no child alone in grief,” said Laura Landry, PhD, director of evaluation and research for Judi’s House/JAG Institute.

The Childhood Bereavement Changemaker program was conceived by Judi’s House/JAG Institute, a Denver-based grief care organization with philanthropic support from New York Life Foundation – the largest corporate funder in the childhood bereavement space – and in collaboration with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, the only professional member organization specifically addressing issues about childhood bereavement.