Community Organizations

Building Stronger Communities Through Developmental Neuroscience

Communities create lasting change when the organizations serving children and families work together around a shared understanding of development.

The Map Forward Project partners with community organizations to strengthen programs, initiatives, and collaborative efforts by applying measurable developmental neuroscience in practical, sustainable ways. Rather than introducing another program, we help organizations design, strengthen, and implement existing efforts through the lens of readiness.

Whether developing a new initiative, strengthening an existing program, or supporting cross-system collaboration, our goal is the same:

To help communities create the conditions that support learning, healing, resilience, and long-term success.

Community Organization Services

Community Program Development
Readiness-Based Initiative Design
Cross-System Collaboration
Strategic Planning & Consultation
Professional Learning & Training
Grant Development & Project Support
Implementation Coaching

Strong community programs begin long before implementation. They begin by intentionally designing the conditions that allow people, partnerships, and evidence-based practices to succeed.

Examples of Our Community-based Work

Our team has partnered with community organizations across Ohio to design and strengthen initiatives supporting children, families, and professionals.

Recent collaborations include:

Development of a countywide child abuse prevention initiative funded through the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund in partnership with Fairfield County Family and Children First Council. (Read the Replication Manual)
Partnered with Athens County Children Services’ Therapeutic Foster Care Program.

When a significant service gap emerged in Athens County Ohio, I reached out to The Map Forward Project. I trusted Tammy’s long-standing commitment to our community to help meet the growing need for recruiting therapeutic and permanent caregivers for vulnerable youth with complex behavioral needs. Using neuroscientific brainbased assessments and sequenced guidance, our partnership enabled us to recruit multiple therapeutic and adoptive families to permanently support traumatized children build healthier patterns of development and thrive across all areas of life.

-Wendy Shields, Deputy Director Athens County Children Services

The MAP Forward Project laid the foundation for strengthening MTSS at Meigs Primary by helping establish key systems and structures that supported continuous improvement. It fostered collaborative data conversations, clearer decision-making processes, and a stronger focus on Tier 1 instruction. While all components of MTSS were not yet fully implemented during the project, the work created a shared vision and practical framework that has continued to guide our school’s implementation. The systems and collaborative practices developed through The Map Forward Project remain an important part of how we support educators and improve outcomes for students.

-Virginia Brown M.Ed. IMTSS and Literacy Coach, Meigs Primary School