OptimisticExpectations
About
Meet The Team!
Optimistic Expectations provides services that promote family cohesiveness and effective communication between parents and children. This is done through workshops and trainings, from the book Real Talk: Ten Parenting Strategies To Raise Confident Successful Children. These services are offered to school districts, churches and non profit organizations.
Optimistic Expectations is always striving to offer practical strategies for raising children that parents can use on a daily basis from their first exposure to the parenting strategies offered to them. The goal is to offer effective strategies so parents realize that they are not alone in any circumstance they may be facing.
Our Values
Knowledge - Our experience allows us to challenge every parent that we connect and exceed the expectations of our clients/vendors with our services.
Collaboration - We work with schools and organizations to achieve their parental involvement goals by offering services that are proven and effective
Accessibility - Parents and Educators can connect with us whenever they need us even after our interaction ends
Passion - Our energy and enthusiasm for parental success is contagious. We work hard to ensure that parents and educators understand the importance of their role in our children’s success and the parent/child relationship.
Collaborators
Kumari Ghafoor-Davis, MSW has over 20 years experience in social services. A graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), she has worked with children and families in schools, inpatient/outpatient programs, independent living/aging out programs for foster care youth, group homes, half way houses, and crisis units for adults and children.
As a Social Worker and Parent Coach/Expert, Kumari’s consulting company Optimistic Expectations, offers workshops to parents so they will have more tools in their parental journey. Student workshops are offered to promote more personal, academic and social success. Her team also offers Professional Development Trainings to teachers, administrators and auxiliary staff.
Optimistic Expectations’ team has a hands-on interactive training style, with a goal to provide practical skills that will aid participants to be more effective and productive in their role as parent, student and/or teacher/administrator.
Kumari uses her book, Real Talk: Ten Parenting Strategies to Raise Confident Successful Children, as a guide and curriculum offering practical strategies to raise children who are academically, and socially successful as well as self confident, integrity filled and resilient.
Kumari also created a game called “Family Values: The Game That Gets Families Talking”, so families can have even more ways to connect, build relationships, share morals/values, communicate their thoughts, ideas, and familial concerns.
Optimistic Expectations’ team trains and facilitates workshops in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York in; churches, non-profits, public/ private schools, and day care centers. They provide in-service trainings to public/private school staff, teachers and mental health trainings to non-profit organizations. Some clients include districts such as Newark Public Schools, Harrison, Orange, Hillside, Plainfield, Union City, Elizabeth, Hoboken, Bernardsville, Irvington Public Schools, as well as Essex County Youth House, UMDNJ, Seton Hall, Isaiah House and the FSO/FSC’s of New Jersey.
Kumari is currently an adjunct professor in continuing education at Montclair State University and has worked at Essex County, Passaic County and Hunter College in their Sociology and Social Work Departments since 2002.
Coach Kumari's Blog: www.coachkumari.blogspot.com
Click here for Coach Kumari's features with EmpoweringParents.com
Kumari Ghafoor-Davis, MSW
Ebru Today - Kumari Ghafoor-Davis - Self-Esteem in Children
Coach Caryl R. Lucas is the founder of Coach on Call, an empowerment company that produces youth leadership programs, bully prevention assemblies and educational trainings.
A former Star-Ledger reporter turned personal development specialist, Coach Caryl Lucas specializes in building healthy self-esteem and communications skills among students. She also speaks out against celebrity reality star bullies and negative images of women in today's media and videos. She specializes in bully prevention, goal setting, stress management, social media etiquette and inspirational keynotes.
A women’s and youth advocate, Coach Caryl is the founder of the Unstoppable Girls Enrichment Summer Retreat and Live Fearless panel discussion. She also is co-author of Fearless: A Bold Approach to Reinventing Your Life and author of Aunt Sarah's Recipes for Spirit-Filled Life, a tribute to her late 107-year-old Aunt Sarah Carter Perry Brown. Her new book is Unstoppable, an affirmation and gratitude journal for youth.
Coach Caryl is a graduate of Upsala College, where she earned a BA in English and minor in Journalism. She is a professionally certified life coach and graduate of Compass Institute.
She travels nationally and is available for colleges, high schools, women's conferences and retreats. Get her daily Soul Food or Unstoppable Girls motivational affirmations daily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Twitter – @CoachCaryl
Facebook – Caryl Lucas
Coach Caryl R. Lucas
Founder of Unstoppable Girls
Charles Dixon, MPH, is the founder of the Family Intervention & Training (FIT) Enterprises, Inc. The company is designed to enhance the health and well- being of students and their families through health & education/training, counseling, career & economic development, cultural & arts education. FIT specializes in: Enrichment programs and activities that strengthen the role of men/ fathers & women in being Fit for Success. Activities for youth to expand their intelligence and physical abilities through Smart FIT & Mentorship, (Sports, Music, Art, Recreation, and Theater) .
Jennifer Bronsnick, LCSW
Jennifer Bronsnick, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, life and wellness coach, and human design specialist. Her expertise is supporting adolescent girls and their mothers through arguably one of the most challenging times in their lives; the teen years. Jennifer uses her client’s unique energy blueprint to help them to understand themselves, to communicate better and to build solid relationships with loved ones. The company specializes in: Improving the mother/daughter relationship, Adolescent Health and Wellness, and Self Esteem/ Resiliency Building.
Alfred Blake is known as a “ #1 Rule Breaker” and a dream catcher who looks to find the unlimited potential in every person he meets. He is the author of “The Students Handbook To Breaking All The Rules” and Co-Founder of I Am Multi LLC, a company that provides life skills workshops for the transition of a high school senior to a college freshman. His company specializes in: Youth Empowerment, Youth Leadership Skills & Mentoring.
Clients & Vendors
