I care deeply about children, and our community. After graduating from the University of Utah in Family Consumer Studies with emphasis in Psychology and Child Development more than 20 years ago, I have had the opportunity to hold many roles that advocate on behalf of children and families.
However, nothing in my professional experience of serving children and their families would prepare me for the real-life trauma that my own family experienced. In 2006, my second child, Sammy was born, and later that same year, he passed away. His brief time on earth reshaped my life in ways that I could not imagine and only now, 15 years later, have I begun to understand. To be clear, Sammy’s life was a blessing for me and all who knew him. I remain eternally grateful for the time that he spent in my arms. The loss of our son was a great trauma for me, my husband, our only daughter at that time, Theadora and for all of our loved ones.
Trauma and hardship affects us all. Processing adverse experiences is different for everyone, in particular for children. Children who experience stressful situations are equipped with few resources in their young tool-box. They will carry their grief with them from their early childhood into their elementary, adolescent, and adulthood experiences.
Social and emotional needs, along with mental and physical needs require additional classroom accommodations and support. In cases where the social and emotional need is unaddressed, the results are predictable; adverse behaviors, impeded learning, and unsatisfying school experiences and relationships. Research on this topic is vast. However, it is through my professional career, and my lived experience that I have learned, more can-be-done to support our youngest family members with their social and emotional well-being.
The answer is that we, as parents, adults, and educators must see, soothe and create safety for every child.
Therefore, it is with the strong memory of my infant son, a love for all children, and the joy in knowing that there is so much more that we can do together to help, that I founded The Sammy Center.
Founder and CEO RBT/CCW/SSW
Maria Soter has immersed herself in the world of Early Childhood for over 25 years, from the inception of Salt Lake City's first Preschool for Homeless children in 1998 to, more recently, the creation of the Coaching Model and program for Head Start. Maria has always had a passion to serve children and their families, especially where a need is unmet.
Her vision for The Sammy Center became a reality in 2018 when she heard the CEO of a local program speak on behalf of the Early Childhood mental health crisis that was on an uprising. She has made a commitment to herself, the community, and the children of Salt Lake City to give them an added level of support through The Sammy Center.
Teacher
Tracy has been in the childcare field for over thirty years. As an owner, operating her own family child care business for over sixteen years, and a Head Start and private school teacher for roughly eleven years.
Tracy has a deep passion for the Early Childhood Field and is a strong advocate for children. Her vision is to always take children on adventures where they can investigate new ideas and form their own thoughts and ideas through hands-on and open-ended learning experiences. She believes every child is unique and learns at their own individual time, and everyone deserves to learn through their own learning style, with family as an essential part of learning. Together, we will create opportunities to create a win so that the child and family will achieve their goals and dreams. Tracy is a mother of four adult children and six grandchildren.
Teacher
Alicia discovered her passion for working with young children 10 years ago. Her dedication and commitment shine through with each conversation she has with preschool-age children and only continue to grow. With her initial education and training beginning with toddlers, she has found a deep commitment to working with preschool-age children and helping them find support with social-emotional skills and life-long success.
Teacher
Noelle graduated from the University of Utah with their child psychology and infant and early childhood mental health degree. They have always been drawn to working with infants and young children and felt they have been able to heal their own inner child through this work. They started at The Sammy Center as an intern and fell in love with the kids, the staff, and the mission of the school.
TEACHER
Grace is going to be a sophomore at the University of Utah, majoring in Early Childhood Education. She started at the Sammy Center as an intern and is excited to transition into a teaching role. With a passion for fostering development, Grace is excited to make a positive impact at the Sammy Center.
Teacher
LCSW
I began my career in social work, facilitating parenting classes for at-risk communities in the greater Salt Lake and Park City area. Research has shown that strong parent-child bonding is one of the most important protective factors for decreasing delinquency, substance abuse, child abuse, and negative peer influences on children. Protective factors work to increase safety and emotional well-being, build strong family relationships, and promote healthy social connections. I have been facilitating and teaching positive parenting practices for over 25 years. I am passionate about relationships, especially those between parents and children. One of the best ways to build resiliency in both yourself and your child(ren) is to focus on the 4 Pillars of Wellness, which include Health, Home, Community, and Purpose. I'm looking forward to sharing ways to decrease stress, identify emotions, make healthy connections with your child(ren), and build strong families. My wellness classes will explore these pillars and provide you with knowledge, new skills, home practice exercises, and time to talk with other parents about their experiences with parenting and self-care.
Parent Trainer
I have been passionate about children for as long as I can remember. I joined the Early childhood profession about 50 years ago and have had the pleasure of working with children as a classroom teacher and program administrator over the years. Most recently, I have been working as a teacher educator, mentor, and Child Care Advocate. I am so excited to work with the Sammy Center in helping the Center reach its goals.
Attorney for D.A.'s office, Juvenile Branch
Blithe Craven's professional career and experience are what drew her to become involved in The Sammy Center and serve on the board. Blithe's background in Criminal Justice dates back to 1998. Since 2018, she has worked for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office as Senior Deputy District Attorney and supervisor of the Family and Sexual Violence Unit.
She once shared that if she could just keep one child out of the system, she would feel like she had done a good thing. Difficult as it is to have the knowledge and experience of what Blithe sees day-to-day, her commitment to making a difference and serving our community is a gift.
Secretary
Emily is currently the Director of MSW Practicum Education and an Associate Clinical Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Utah. Prior to 2020, Emily was the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, Utah Chapter, a position she held for eleven years. In this role, she managed daily operations including budgets, meetings, boards, conferences, and continuing education. She also routinely worked with the Utah legislature and DOPL-Utah's regulatory board, to strengthen and draft social work rules and statutes important to the social work profession. She consulted with many state and county agencies on ethics and practice-related issues, served on multiple external boards and committees, presented over 150 talks on various social work-related topics, co-authored ASWB licensing prep materials, and a state licensing manual, supervised and advised MSW students, and authored and successfully advocated for six pieces of social work-supportive legislation intended to strengthen professional social work, and was as a consultant to DOPL on ethics-related infractions. She taught Practice I and II in the MSW program as well as an attachment - focused summer elective. Her work with NASW culminated in national recognition as the National Outstanding Executive Director of the Year (2013), local recognition as one of Utah’s Thirty Women to Watch (2014), and the Utah Social Worker of the Year (2022). She was also recognized in my current position as the Practicum Professor of the Year in 2023—a student-driven recognition.
Emily began my social work career as a case manager for Catholic Community Services in 1995, and entered the MSW program in 1997. In 1999, her social work education and experience crystallized with an MSW degree from the University of Utah. After earning her MSW degree, she spent 14 months of residence at the Yale Child Study Center in intensive post-graduate fellowship training, where she maintained a client load and received daily didactic instruction and supervision. Two months into her tenure at Yale, she was selected for a concurrent Bush Fellowship at the Yale Ziegler Center for Child Development and Social Policy (formerly the Yale Bush Center), where she conducted research and consulted on policy issues at their intersection with child development. After fellowship training, she directed public policy and community initiatives for the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona where she co-led a small team that developed a successful early childhood initiative that continues to benefit young children and families throughout southern Arizona. She returned to Utah in 2003 where she worked as a private practitioner in a multi-disciplinary group practice and as a crisis social worker in the emergency department at the University of Utah Medical Center before starting her role with NASW, Utah Chapter. Her almost thirty years of experience and training as an educator, clinician, advocate, and administrator have imparted a broad understanding of the biopsychosocial underpinnings fundamental to the social work profession and the training and support needs of diverse students and colleagues. In addition to her interest and experience in clinical social work, administration, policy, and program development, she continues to advocate for educational resources to support student learning and policies that serve professional social work and the communities we serve.
With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Donna
brings a wealth of expertise in developmental,
counseling, school, clinical, and neuropsychology,
as well as integrative medicine for mental health.
Her diverse training enables her to provide
comprehensive evaluations for our preschoolers
and offer in-depth consultative
therapeutic approaches for our families and our
teachers. Dr. Donna is fully licensed in
psychology and participates in
Psypact, allowing her to offer telehealth
services nationwide in participating states.
Email: drturnerneuropsych@gmail.com
Nature Area Project Manager "Volunteer"
We appreciate the work and vision Paul offered at the inception of The Sammy Center in 2021 as he helped create our 'Nature Area'. Paul has worked as an educator over the last 10 years. He has had a variety of roles educating young children, including EcoGarden Steward at TreeUtah, a Ski Instructor at Deer Valley, and over 7 years teaching and coaching preschoolers at Head Start.
Mon - Thu: 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Fri: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Sat & Sun: Closed
The Sammy Center
1515 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Call or Text: (385) 420-4991 | thesammycenter@gmai
Copyright © 2023, The Sammy Center. All Rights Reserved.
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