Dr. Kathleen Van Antwerp is an expert in Human Development as a Child Mental Health Specialist with a Masters Degree in Special Education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change. 

Her research focused on positive interventions for at-risk children in public and private school systems. In addition to her educational background, she has over twenty-five years of classroom teaching experience, specializing in at- risk youth, children labeled as severely emotionally disturbed, incarcerated youth and children placed in emergency shelters.  She has taught Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge, California State University, Channel Islands, Moorpark Community College and is currently a Core Adjunct Faculty member at National University. Dr. Van Antwerp was selected to present at Oxford University’s Round Table on Early Childhood Education, due to her expertise on the topic of The Role of the Educator in the Ecology of Socialization. Her work has been published in books and journals nationally and internationally.

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Dr. Van Antwerp is the Director of Programs for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, directly responsible for the operation of 17 Youth Activity League centers throughout Los Angeles. These centers provide after school and year-round enrichment programs for the most at-risk and underserved children in the County of Los Angeles.

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Dr. Van Antwerp has developed comprehensive community policing training used to train law enforcement officers throughout the United States. This comprehensive training program is written for sworn and professional personnel working with at-risk children in youth outreach programs. The curriculum uniquely integrates best practices from the science of child & adolescent development, juvenile crime prevention and community policing, to develop proven effective youth outreach programs for the 21st century.

As a Behavioral Specialist, Dr. Van Antwerp designs behavioral intervention plans for children and families in crisis, effective for a variety of situations including, education, juvenile justice, family preservation, and mental health interventions.

As a child advocate, Dr. Van Antwerp is the co-founder of ONE CIRCLE Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to leading communities in a pro-active human rights movement for abused and neglected children. (one-circle.org). Dr. Van Antwerp has written and presented training on recognizing and reporting child abuse to childcare organizations, educators and child care professionals throughout California. She is a consultant to local school districts and childcare programs.