The Palmetto Pyramid Police Partnership (P4) was conceptualized and launched through a federal Preschool Development Grant awarded to DSS, facilitated through collaborations by multiple state agencies. The goal of P4 is to pilot a model of best practice by providing consistency of care through the Handle With Care notification model and Pyramid Model implementation. P4 was piloted in Richland One School District with law enforcement support by the Columbia City Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department in August 2021.
If this has piqued your interest, you are welcome to download the P4 brochure to learn more about the initiative, introduce the topic with others, or to remind yourself to check out the resources! (See P4 Brochure below.)
Although Handle With Care begins with law enforcement, anyone can make a Handle With Care referral. If you know a child that has been exposed to a traumatic event, and your school does not yet have a Handle With Care program, you can make a referral through this secured email: handlewithcaresc@uscmed.sc.edu
Please list the child’s name, age, school, and the words “Handle With Care.” No other information needs to be provided.
NOTE: A Handle With Care referral does not take the place of a mandated reporter reporting suspected child abuse. If you suspect child abuse, call 1-888-CARE4US or 1-888-227-3487 and if there is an emergency, you need to call 911.
Law Enforcement is typically the first agency to come into contact with children when there has been a traumatic event.
(See Notification PowerPoint below.)
Notification Training: This is the training video that was sent to CPD and RCSD for their officers.
Columbia City Police Department: https://columbiapd.net
Richland County Sheriff’s Department: www.rcsd.net
A huge “THANK YOU” to Chief Holbrook and Sheriff Lott for their support and willingness to partner in the P4 initiative.
P4 is facilitated through the work of three supervisors and three masters of social work interns collaborating with law enforcement, local school districts, and participating school- and community-based mental health.
Let’s meet them!
Dr. Rikki McCormick is the Director of Veterans’ Education and Training Programs for the state of West Virginia. She was previously an Education Associate in the Office of Special Education Services for the South Carolina Department of Education, tasked primarily in bringing Handle With Care to South Carolina. Prior to being with the SCDE, she was the Director of Special Education and Student Support Services for Lincoln County Schools in Hamlin, WV and built the first trauma-responsive district in the state, and one of the first in the nation. She completed her undergraduate degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training at Concord University and has done her graduate work through Marshall University. Dr. McCormick Lowe’s dissertation focused on Twitter’s uses in education. Her research interests have been in auditory processing disorder, D/deaf education, trauma informed care, youth mental health, educational technology, and digital citizenship.
Email: rikki.mccormick@uscmed.sc.edu
Suzanne Snyder, a licensed professional counselor with over 20 years in the mental health field, she currently works at the South Carolina Department of Education as the Mental Health Program Manager. In this role, Ms. Snyder is responsible for helping districts integrate mental health in schools and respond to the mental health needs of students and staff more effectively. She currently has a private practice in Columbia, SC and specializes in depression, anxiety, and life issues with an emphasis on working with adolescents, young adults, and the LGBTQ+ community. Her background includes working in the HIV/AIDS community, specializing in transgender healthcare, Columbia Area Mental Health Child and Adolescent Clinic as the BabyNet Mental Health Coordinator, and Vocational Rehabilitation career services as a Rehabilitation Counselor. She has a Master of Arts in Counselor Education from Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, NC. Suzanne is married with two children, a son at the University of South Carolina and a daughter in the 9th grade.
Email: SSnyder@ed.sc.gov
Meghan Trowbridge is the Assistant Director and Training Director at the University of South Carolina’s Center for Disability Resources (SC UCEDD/LEND) and a Research Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine.
Meghan has been working in the field of disabilities for over 27 years. In her role at the South Carolina UCEDD, she focuses on projects centered on self-determination, person centered planning, and systems development. Her newest efforts center on the Palmetto Pyramid Police Project (P4) working with local law enforcement agencies, daycare centers, and schools to implement the Handle with Care initiatives. She is currently the onsite supervisor for the P4 Initiative MSW interns.
Meghan is also the Social Work Core Faculty for the SC LEND. She supervises multiple social work trainees in several organizations and teaches social work courses on disability, community development, human behavior, leadership, and supervision for the University of South Carolina, Winthrop University and Columbia College. As a result of her efforts, CDR currently collaborates with over 25 agencies serving children, youth and families living with disabilities. Committed to full inclusion for people with disabilities, Meghan has spent her professional career fostering collaborative relationships with a variety of community organizations. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and a Nationally Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer.
Email: meghan.trowbridge@uscmed.sc.edu
Kerri Wikel
Project Director, Team for Early Childhood Solutions (TECS)
Center for Disability Resources/School of Medicine/University of South Carolina
Kerri Wikel is the Project Director for Team for Early Childhood Solutions (TECS) at the University of South Carolina (USC), School of Medicine, Center for Disability Resources. TECS is contracted through South Carolina’s BabyNet system to manage the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) and to provide training and technical assistance to the early intervention system.
Kerri holds a B.A. in Cognitive Psychology from USC and has nearly 10 years of experience in the field of early intervention. She began her career as an Early Intervention Specialist at a private early intervention agency and eventually became their state director of early intervention.
Kerri attended the Siskin Children’s Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee where she became a nationally certified trainer in a routines-based, family-centered home visiting model. She is also a state-certified trainer for the Routines-based Interview process and is leading the effort to implement RBI throughout the state as the family assessment measurement tool for BabyNet. Mrs. Wikel recently earned the South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association’s (SCIMHA) endorsement as an Infant Family Associate.
Jennifer Rainville
Education Policy Attorney
SC Appleseed Legal Justice
Jennifer Rainville is the Education Policy Attorney at South Carolina Appleseed where she fights to end systemic barriers in education for all children in South Carolina. She works on Education Law issues such as school enrollment, school discipline, and special education matters.
Prior to working at South Carolina Appleseed, Jennifer was the Lead Education Discipline Law Attorney and Probate and Heirs’ Property Unit Head at South Carolina Legal Services. She has kept hundreds of children in school with appropriate services to help them be successful in their education.
Jennifer has spent her entire legal career fighting for low-income South Carolinians. She holds a law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University.
Jennifer has served as the Chair of the South Carolina Bar Education Law Committee (2017-2019). She was selected as a Midlands Legal Elite in 2019, 2020 and 2021 in the area of Education law by her peers. Additionally, Jennifer is a graduate of the 2020/ 2021 class of the South Carolina Bar Leadership Academy.
Jena Martin
Director of Special Populations
Family Connection of SC
Jena Martin currently serves as the Director of Special Populations for Family Connection of South Carolina, ensuring our underserved and at-risk children receive appropriate and timely special education services. She oversees 15 trained staff in delivering Triple P Stepping Stones direct support and manages NICU staff in 3 Children’s Hospitals within the state. Jena has over 15 years of experience providing care and support to families in a clinical setting as a former Certified Child Life Specialist in pediatric hospice and palliative care, where she also became the first healthcare provider in South Carolina to be certified in Perinatal Loss Care by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA). Jena oversees several early childhood support programs, drawing on her personal experience in the early childhood sector as a former preschool teacher. She received her BA in English and minored in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina in 2004. In 2020, she graduated with a Masters in Early Childhood Education from USC. She credits the impact of working with parents and professionals as part of the PTI for her motivation in seeking her degree. Her graduate course experience has strengthened her leadership skills and increased her knowledge in advocacy, decision and policy making efforts and collaboration. Serving on multiple local and statewide boards for the well-being of children in our state, she represents both a parent and professional voice, hoping to impact system changes for our state’s most vulnerable. Jena is a wife and a mother to four, 2 of whom receive special education services and one who has chronic health conditions. Her family grew through foster care, kinship care and four permanent adoptions. Through her work with FCSC and the PTI, Jena has provided peer to peer support as well as training for parents who have children with multiple disabilities, who need assistance navigating overwhelming systems of care such as health care, special education, and who have had experiences with the child welfare system. Jena brings a vast amount of knowledge through both her personal and professional shared experiences. Skilled in seeing the big picture and with a gift of collecting and analyzing data in a way that speaks both logistically and from the heart, her oftentimes 30 foot view allows her to be a visionary, implementing processes and polices that advocate for equity and best practices for at risk children and youth.
Jordan Downey, LMSW
Outreach Clinician
National Crime Victims Center- MUSC
Jordan Downey is an outreach clinician working with the National Crime Victims Center at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Institute of Psychiatry. Through her work there, Jordan delivers school and community based trauma therapy services.Before beginning her journey at MUSC. Jordan worked with primary school aged students as a school social worker. During that time she was primarily responsible for delivering grief and trauma therapy to students. Through this role she has also become a Certified Grief Support Specialist.
Currently, Jordan offers not only trauma therapy services to underserved youth and their families, but frequently participates in and facilitates psychoeducation based training for teachers and other community partners that often interact with children who have experienced trauma.
She received her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Tennessee. Following that, she attended the University of South Carolina where she received her master’s in social work and a Graduate Certificate in Drug and Addictions Studies.
Jordan received her LMSW shortly after graduating from USC. She is currently working towards her LISW-CP. When Jordan is not pursuing clinical endeavors, she can be found spending time with her cats or enjoying Charleston beaches.
Kerrie Schnake
CEO, SC Infant Mental Health Association
Kerrie Schnake is a change agent for infants, toddlers, families and caregivers, bringing more than 20 years of experience working in early childhood systems. She serves as the chief executive officer of South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association, which she founded in 2017. Schnake is engaged in guiding South Carolina's efforts to strengthen the child and family-serving workforce by integrating policies and systems that promote the use of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Competency Guidelines and Endorsement system. She currently holds her IMH-E® in the Infant Mental Health Mentor-Policy category as part of South Carolina's inaugural cohort.
ZERO TO THREE recognized her passion for systems growth and service development to support children 0-3 and their families by naming her to its Fellowship Class of 2018-2020, enabling her to work with an international network of diverse leaders to transform early childhood systems and policies.
Schnake earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, East Bay and a master's degree in early childhood education with an emphasis on public policy from San Francisco State University. She teaches a graduate course on relationship-based caregiving for infants and toddlers at the University of South Carolina
Carletta Scott Isreal
Program Officer
SC First Steps
Carletta Scott Isreal is a Program Officer at SC First Steps serving seven counties in the Pee Dee to include Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Lee, Marion, and Marlboro Counties. In this role, Carletta provides technical assistance and support to local partnerships’ executive directors and boards. She also serves as an Early Childhood Adjunct Instructor at Williamsburg Technical College, Kingstree, SC. Prior to these positions, she was the Executive Director at Williamsburg County First Steps, early childhood teacher, and 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) coordinator at Williamsburg County School District. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of education.
Carletta graduated from Charleston Southern University, Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education; Francis Marion University, Master of Education (M. Ed.) Degree in Remediation (At-Risk Children); Coastal Carolina University, Master of Education (M. Ed.) Degree in Education Leadership; and Coastal Carolina University, Education Specialist (Ed. S.) Degree in Education Leadership. She is certified as a School District Superintendent, Elementary School Principal, Elementary Teacher and Early Childhood Teacher with SC State Department of Education. In addition, she is certified as a childcare trainer and Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) for SC Endeavors formerly Center for Child Care Career and Development (CCCCD). Carletta is a member of the State Leadership Team, and Master Cadre trained in the Pyramid Model. Carletta was elected to Williamsburg County School District Board of Trustees and was elected by her fellow board members to serve as secretary.
Carletta is the proud mother of one adult son, Adam and one teenage daughter, Amya.
John Greco (he/him)
LMSW, Family Therapist
Children’s Place, Inc.
John Greco is currently working as a home-visiting family therapist serving Aiken County families of children with behavioral health concerns and has been in this role for the past 4 years. He received his BS in psychology and human services from Southern Wesleyan University and his Masters degree in Social Work from the University of South Carolina. Prior to earning his MSW, John worked in various group-home settings across the southeast as a house parent for children-in-care. This experience inspired his desire to work clinically with children and families and provided context for his passion to address behavior and mental health symptomology through a trauma lens. His dyadic clinical work with children and caregivers is attachment-focused and trauma-informed and he believes stronger family connections are one of the ways to build more interconnected and healthy communities. He is a registered SafeCare™ provider in South Carolina, a Strengthening Families Program™ provider for Aiken and Barnwell counties, and has additionally received training in Attachment Biobehavioral Catchup™ (ABC). He has participated in trauma trainings for the City of Aiken, Augusta, and within his agency to enhance trauma-sensitive and attachment-focused practices for non-clinicians who intersect with trauma-related behaviors daily. He will sit for his clinical exam in late-spring pending his approval from the Social Work Board of Examiners. Aside from his clinical work, John enjoys spending time at home with his husband Mark and his pets Bella and Elio.
Michelle Cunningham, RNC- MNN, BSN, BA
SC DSS Program Manager, DAODAS Liaison
Michelle is a Program Manager for SC DSS and DAODAS Liaison.
Brianne R. Coulombe, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of South Carolina, Aiken
Dr. Brianne Coulombe is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in developmental psychology, research methodologies, and statistics. She received a BA in psychology from Gonzaga University, and an MA and PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Her research takes an attachment and developmental psychopathology approach to understanding resilience in children from adverse contexts. Her dissertation focused on the development of positive social behaviors among maltreated children. When she’s not at work, Bri loves trying out new recipes and hanging out with her partner, Mark.
Heather Blackwell
Regional Coordinator
BabyNet, SCDHHS
Heather is a Regional Coordinator for South Carolina’s IDEA Part C Program, BabyNet at the SC Department of Health and Human Services. She has worked in the Early Intervention system for nine years in various roles. Heather has a master’s degree in human service from Liberty University and is an adjunct professor in the state’s technical college system. She is an ACE’s Master Trainer, and gained National Family Support Certification through the Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals Career Compass program.Heather’s love for the field of Early Intervention comes from the experiences and relationships she has had from having a younger sister with disabilities.
Suzanne English
Founder Beyond Early Intervention
Suzanne founded Beyond Early Intervention in 2014 in Lexington, SC. BEI also has offices in Rock Hill and Greenville. She has worked in Early Intervention for 20 years. Before starting her own business she worked for other private EI companies as a supervisor and also as a co-owner. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Social Work from the University of South Carolina and her Masters in Counseling from Webster University. Suzanne believes that there is nothing more fulfilling than having a positive influence in the life of a child. She knows the purpose in her life is to help others and Suzanne loves to empower individuals to be successful regardless of their circumstances. Suzanne is married and has two children. Her daughter attends College of Charleston and is pursuing a degree in Special Education and her son attends the University of South Carolina and is pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy. In her spare time Suzanne enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
Jennifer Dollar, LISW-CP
Director MEd Trauma-Informed Education
Columbia College, SC
Jennifer Dollar is Senior Lecturer of Social Work at Columbia College, Columbia South Carolina where she is the Director of the MEd in Trauma-Informed Education (SOWK). This MEd is unique in that it is an online program which includes half education courses and half social work courses which focus on mental health issues. Jen teaches the clinical undergraduate social work courses where she loves interacting with students face to face.
Jen also has a clinical counseling practice where she utilizes trauma-informed practices with children, adolescents, and adults. She has gotten to provide traingings and inservices on the impact of trauma and the utilization of trauma-informed practices at regional and local conferences. Prior to arriving at Columbia College in 2016, she was a school social worker in School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties where she worked for 16 years. She was a medical social worker for 8 ½ years after graduating with her MSW from the University of South Carolina. She received a BA in psychology from Carson Newman University in East Tennessee. When she’s not at work, Jen loves traveling and the great outdoors. This summer she will have the joy of traveling to Africa to teach about trauma and healing to local women who are experiencing it’s impacts.
Sharleta M. Woodall, MSW
(She/her/hers)
Safe Babies Court State Manager
Sharleta Woodall is the Safe Babies Court Statewide Manager for South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association (SCIMHA). She is responsible for leading and guiding the implementation of the Safe Babies Court approach in the state of South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Social Work from Winthrop University and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina and has over 16 years of experience working with children and families. Sharleta has worked at a systemic level, leading, and implementing various initiatives across the state of South Carolina. She has worked with government, private and non-profit agencies as a social worker in child protective services, family reunification and has also served as an intensive lead therapist for children who were at risk of out-of-home placement. She is a Board Member for South Carolina Midlands Mediation Center and has also obtained a Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Foundations Training certificated and a national certification for facilitating the Caring for Our Own Training for kinship caregivers who are caring for their loved ones. She is currently seeking endorsement as an Infant Mental Health-Policy Mentor. Collaborating and building partnerships are very important to her and she has a passion for creating system changes for the children and families of South Carolina.
Michelle Hammack, LISW-CP
(She/her/hers)
PEAR Network Manager
Michelle Hammack is currently serving as the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Manager of the PEAR Network, a program of SC Infant Mental Health Association (SCIMHA). Michelle has experience working with individuals throughout the lifespan with a strong passion serving mothers, infants and young children. She received her master’s degree in Social Work from University of Maryland at Baltimore with a specialization in Child, Adolescent, and Family Health. Michelle’s earliest work served youth in childcare programs and a domestic violence shelter. An affinity for a strength-based perspective and relying on team collaboration grew in her case management work for individuals with developmental disabilities and youth with mental health diagnoses. During her time as a Maternal-Child Social Worker in an inner-city hospital, she fostered programs to increase the well-being of mothers and families during pregnancy and postnatally. Michelle has a passion working with diverse populations and incorporating culturally sensitive practices.
Kristi Kennedy, M.S., LMFT
(She/Her/Hers)
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Manager
Partners for Early Attuned Relationships (PEAR) Network
Kristi Kennedy is currently serving as one of the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Managers of the PEAR Network, a program of South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association. Kristi has over 27 years of experience serving individuals, couples, children, and families in the mental health nonprofit sector. Kristi has a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Auburn University and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in both South and North Carolina. She recently submitted her application to be endorsed as an Infant Family Specialist. Kristi has experience working in the juvenile justice system, family preservation, child abuse/neglect, domestic violence/sexual assault, loss/grief, and adoption/foster care issues. She believes that all children are valuable and deserving of love, safety, and security in a family environment. Kristi sees education, empowerment, and community as key to helping parents meet their children’s needs. Kristi lives in the York County region with her husband, three children, and an assortment of pets. She enjoys spending time gardening, cooking, traveling, and taking active adventures with her family.
Savannah Edis, MSW Intern
Winthrop University
Jaleeia Thompson, BSW Intern
Columbia College
Adam Wenzel, MSW Intern
University of South Carolina
Handle With Care is a national notification model that allows schools to know that a child has been exposed to a traumatic event and, thus, “handle with care.” Coupled with trauma-informed practices and school/community-based mental health, children can receive timely support in order to mitigate the effects trauma have on the brain, body, learning, and behavior.
The P4 project attempts, not only to implement Handle With Care within K-12 schools, but also to provide an avenue for support for our littlest learners in preschool, early childhood, early intervention, daycare, and home settings. (See Flow Charts for the HWC process below). To focus on sustainability and expansion, P4 now lives as a committee on the SC Pyramid Model State Leadership Team (SLT) housed at SCPI: South Carolina Partners for Inclusion, our Technical Assistance Center for Early Childhood Outcomes.
The goal of this committee is to train, coach, and support Handle With Care that provides Consistency of Care for infants, toddlers, and young children through home, school, law enforcement, and community agencies in identifying trauma, coordinating child and family supports, and providing follow-up to reduce the effects of trauma. (See Steering Committee Flyer below)
Interest Site: An interest site is a district that has contacted and completed an interest meeting and has created a plan for next steps for implementing Handle With Care.
Implementation Site: An implementation site is a district that has held an interest meeting, established their notification protocol, initiated collaboration with law enforcement and has held the kickoff meeting.
Demonstration Site: A demonstration site has worked through all the steps of both interest and implementation site, and has received and responded to Handle With Care notices.
Active Site: An active site has worked through all the steps of interest, implementation, and demonstration sites, and is functioning independently as a Handle With Care district with a complete trauma-informed framework.
