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Susannah Keller has spent the past two decades working with young children and their families in a variety of capacities. She holds an M. Ed., with an emphasis on “Risk and Prevention” in 0-5 year-old children. Her degree program focused on the intersection between the educational and mental health fields, and how to best support young children’s socio-emotional development. Susannah spent much of her career in San Francisco, working in a range of early education and mental health settings: directing a therapeutic playroom program in a family support center, conducting therapeutic groups with preschoolers while working individually with their parents and teachers, and overseeing a diverse, subsidized preschool program. Seven years ago, Susannah and her family moved to Ann Arbor. For the past six years, she has taught parent-child classes as a teacher with First Steps-Ann Arbor, a part of Ann Arbor Public Schools. Through this work, Susannah has continued to work with both young children and their parents, having fun while offering support and information about young children’s development.

Susannah’s work has always involved identifying areas of developmental concern in the children she works with, and meeting parents where they are to help them understand their children’s developmental needs and pursue services as needed. She has seen the struggles parents face when trying to access services for their children – particularly when issues of language and limited resources come into play. Susannah has three children of her own, and this work became more personal when one of her children was diagnosed with a disability. She has found the process of accessing school-based services to be a complex and challenging one, and she marvels how families access services without the resources and supports she is fortunate enough to have. Susannah is excited to work with A2IDEAS. She is passionate about helping families advocate for their children, and the work feels like a natural evolution of her work supporting parents.

In her free time, Susannah enjoys hiking with her family, running by herself, fiddling around in the kitchen, reading, and binging on the occasional Netflix series with her husband.