Dr. Valerie Maholmes has devoted her career to studying factors that affect child developmental outcomes. Low-income minority children have been a particular focus of her research, practical, and civic work. She has been a faculty member at the Yale Child Study Center in the Yale School of Medicine where she held the Irving B. Harris Assistant Professorship of Child Psychiatry, an endowed professorial chair. While at Yale Dr. Maholmes worked in numerous capacities including Director of Research and Policy at the School Development Program. She has served on numerous professional boards and was also a member of the New Haven Board of Education where she served as Vice President/Secretary. Notably, she was awarded the prestigious science-policy fellowship with the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. Dr. Maholmes completed her bachelors and masters degrees at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ, and a doctoral degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. She also earned a sixth year degree from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT.

"Fostering Resilience and Well-Being in Children and Families in Poverty encapsulates the spirit and humanity of people who not only deserve our goodwill, but also our deepest admiration. The book elevates our conscience and challenges our perceptions, while providing practical tools for anyone who aspires to promote optimal living and social advancement among families and communities who live in poverty."-Ivory A. Toldson, PhD, Deputy Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

"All children, especially those in poor families, need the support of caring adults in their lives. The nurturing relationship between parent and child and the mentoring relationship between teacher and student can help ameliorate the effects of adversity and inspire hope in children. Dr. Maholmes has captured the essence of my work in poor schools and communities through her focus on hope, optimism, and resilience. Findings from more than four decades of our work have shown that children, despite disadvantage, can be successful and can overcome early experiences of adversity if the adults in their lives focus on their developmental needs. This book is a must-read for educators, professionals, and policymakers wanting to inspire hope and make a difference in the lives of poor children and families."-James P. Comer, MD, MPH, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry, Yale Child Study Center, and Associate Dean, Yale School of Medicine

"As I read this book, I felt like I was sitting with mothers and fathers who were talking to me about how they went about raising loving, competent, and efficacious children despite living in the shadow of poverty. The book also brings to life other unsung heroes in these children's lives-the teachers, community members, and clergy, who along with parents, instill hope, optimism, and an unwavering determination to succeed." -Gene H. Brody, PhD, Regents' Professor of Child and Family Development and Director, Center for Family Research, University of Georgia

"As opposed to youth-centered approaches, Maholmes' book takes an environmentally based approach through the lens of hope, which may spur innovative ways of thinking about social factors that have heretofore been neglected in dropout prevention efforts (Ungar, Ghazinour, & Richter, 2013). Clearly, more work needs to be done before Maholmes' premise is realized, and there is much to learn about the complex relation between hope and intrapersonal/social contexts. Nevertheless, Fostering Resilience and Well-Being in Children and Families in Poverty: Why Hope Still Matters is a welcome first-step to this end." -Rich Gilman , Emily M. O'Bryan, PsycCRITIQUES

Featured in -The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy