“Through the Get Georgia Reading Cabinet, I’m able to engage with high-level professionals from a wide range of sectors, all of whom are dedicated to delivering high-quality services and learning opportunities to children and families across the state. By coming together, we’re better able to break out of our individual siloes and take a broader view about what’s necessary and what’s possible to improve outcomes for Georgia’s children. My values are aligned with the work of the Campaign and, by working together, our collective effects are magnified and enhanced.”
Carolyn Altman, Juvenile Court Judge, Paulding County Juvenile Court
Recognizing the importance of a positive adult-child relationships and interactions, the Paulding County Juvenile Court works to ensure that the children and young people it serves can form supportive relationships with adults who can encourage them.
While serving for 10 years as an attorney in the Douglas County courtroom of Judge Peggy Walker, Judge Altman was exposed to Walker’s philosophy about how children who lack the words to express their thoughts and feelings often communicate through their behavior and are sanctioned for that behavior.
Judge Altman saw the impact that language nutrition, access to supports, services and learning opportunities, and positive home and community learning climates can have on a child’s development and life trajectory. The Paulding County Juvenile Court applies a similar philosophy and approach to supporting children and families by providing prevention and early intervention services in delinquency and dependency cases.
To strengthen community learning climates in Paulding County, the Paulding County Juvenile Court tracks the neighborhoods and the schools from which children come into foster care in order to identify and address any pockets of concentration and advocate for resources to be delivered in areas of the county where the need is greatest.
The court is also working with the local school system around truancy cases, understanding that school absences are a symptom of an underlying problem. When students miss school, they investigate what’s preventing them from attending school regularly and work to address those barriers.
Being part of the Get Georgia Reading Cabinet exposes Paulding County Juvenile Court to the research, work, and programs of other departments and agencies in the state that can inform the court’s efforts to support the children and families it serves.
To learn more about the Paulding County Juvenile Court, visit their website.