Insights by mYo, is an innovative online dashboard that provides Head Start and Early Head Start leaders with all the data required in a Community Assessment. Including over 600 unique community data indicators, family survey responses, select PIR data, and a Community Assessment template, Insights is a one-stop-place to quickly and easily access relevant data. For over a decade, Maya has traveled across the country training HS/EHS leaders on how to conduct a Community Assessment and effective collection and analysis of data. Now Maya spearheads the mission to share Insights with HS/EHS leaders so that their staff, programs and community can benefit from this game-changing data tool!
Maya McElrath, Co-President of mano-Y-ola and Founder of Insights by mYo has over 20 years of experience in social work settings and program administration. Her passion is understanding data and its transformative impact when applied to social and outreach programs. A lifelong learner and self-proclaimed “Data Geek,” Maya’s interest in data and building systems led her to found the Insights dashboard. Maya holds a master’s degree in social work from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Maya, originally from the Netherlands, had a multi-cultural upbringing. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico; however, she spent her time in Venezuela, the Netherlands, Cyprus, and Jordan in her early years. Maya moved to the United States in 1994 and has called Raleigh, North Carolina, home for the past 30+ years. She enjoys spending time gardening and traveling with her family.
Brian Brutzman, Ph.D., LBA, BCBA is a psychologist and licensed behavior analyst with more than a decade of experience as a behavioral consultant. He previously served as clinical coordinator for the Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. His published research spans various topics such as childhood social skill development, mental health during disasters, knowledge brokerage, and school-based intervention. He is passionate about helping students achieve their potential in school and specializes in the mitigation of complex and challenging problem behavior in the home, school, and community. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University Maryland, a master’s degree in general psychology from New York University and a doctorate in social-personality psychology from Michigan State University with a specialization in quantitative methodology and evaluation science. He currently serves as the director of school-based services for Heartland ABA, providing support in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
Heartland ABA offers a variety of training opportunities for educators and early childhood providers which span classroom behavior management, understanding the function of challenging behavior, behavioral de-escalatation, social-emotional learning, understanding challenging behavior as a form of communication, implementing positive behavior interventions and supports at the scale of the individual, classroom, school, or district, and much more. We are happy to provide some of these training opportunities at no cost to our partners and look forward to learning more about your needs so that we can address them in a targeted, individualized way.
Melvin Gravely, CEO of The Gravely Group, brings over 25 years of experience training local, national, and state Head Start Agencies and Associations. Renowned for his effective blend of training expertise and results-driven Family Advocacy instruction, Melvin aids program management in enhancing organizational structures. The Gravely Group’s success is rooted in Melvin’s deep involvement in family and children advocacy, having trained 100+ Head Start programs in compliance and governance, often invited back for his expertise. The Gravely Group has presented at regions R2HSA, R4HSA Annual Conferences and Leadership Summits since 2017. We have also presented at various regional, state and local head start conferences for several years. His leadership roles in family advocacy include serving as former Treasurer and President of the National Foster Parent Association and past President of the Ohio Association of Parliamentarians. Currently, Melvin serves as Parliamentarian for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), directing his efforts toward fostering strong internal teams within these organizations.
The Gravely Group is an experienced consulting and training firm that provides interactive and innovative workshops to Head Start programs nationwide. For over 25 years, the Group’s expert consults have presented governance, programmatic, and fiscal strategic training plans at National, Regional, and State Head Start Association Conferences. Our team of knowledgeable professionals offers skillful and research-based individual training, consulting, and guidance to agencies providing traditional, locally designed, Migrant/Seasonal, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Head Start services. The Gravely Group’s Knowledge Management Division maintains a strong command of the regulatory requirements that govern Head Start agencies and their ever-changing landscapes. This robust understanding of Head Start requirements and best practices benefits programs and helps them foster progress from their service delivery through to their governance levels.
PAX is a trauma-informed, evidence-based program designed to support healthy development in early childhood. The PAX Good Behavior Game® (PAX GBG®) is a universal classroom intervention that improves behavior, learning outcomes, and well-being in early childhood settings, while PAX Tools® provides strategies for caregivers and other adults to support children at home and within the community. Together, these programs create a consistent, collaborative approach to fostering social-emotional growth and positive behaviors. By strengthening the school-to-home connection, PAX equips early childhood educators and families with practical tools to promote self-regulation, cooperation, and kindness in young learners. These strategies nurture inclusive and supportive environments that empower children to succeed during their foundational years. Tailored for early childhood educators in Head Start centers, PAX offers effective solutions for creating trauma-informed, nurturing classrooms. Research highlights long-term benefits, including improved academic outcomes and enhanced well-being, laying the groundwork for lifelong success.
Janet is the founder, coach and consultant for Coaching Potentials LLC, focusing her skills on enhancing quality through facilitated dialogue, training, technical assistance, coaching, reflective practice, and team building. She is also an instructor teaching the Early Childhood Coaching Institute Certificate Program nationally, for which she led the design team in 2010. Janet has over 47 years of experience in the early childhood (EC) education profession supporting and developing federal, Tribal, state and local organizational systems. She has provided specialized child development, mental health/trauma-informed care, and shared leadership supports to over 150 EC programs as a national Head Start TA Specialist for 17 of those years. She has educated staff and parents as a consultant and coach, and been an EC Program Director, college adjunct faculty, teacher and advocate volunteer. Janet was a founding member of the Colorado Coaching Consortium and continues on its Steering Committee. She has a master’s degree in early childhood education from UC Denver, an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Sciences, and an international AMI Montessori teaching credential. Janet’s published articles and books, keynotes/speaking engagements, rich experience and education, and strong integrity to support developmentally responsive practices with children and adults attest to her ability to connect, inspire and transform lives. Her career focus has been on leveraging human behavior science to maximize human potentials.
