Empowering Children Through Early Intervention: A Passionate Advocate's Journey
For Kandy, Champions for Children’s mission is personal and professional. Seeing the profound impact of early support on her own children shaped her deep commitment to children’s health, dedicating her career to supporting children and families through their most challenging times.
As a psychiatric nurse for 35 years, Kandy appreciates Champions for Children’s focus on supporting children with challenges and disabilities of social, emotional, and physical: the whole gamut. “I'm a true believer of early childhood intervention, early childhood therapy, all the way back to infancy.”
As the mother of two children who benefited from various special education interventions from early childhood through college, Kandy has a very personal perspective on the importance of this work.
Kandy’s early professional experiences as a registered nurse created the foundation for a career dedicated to children and their families. When her children began to face health challenges, she witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of developmental interventions at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. This experience inspired a professional shift toward behavioral health. Kandy spent the next five years as a member of the Kennedy Kreiger team. Here, she observed firsthand the challenges and traumas our children face; the brutality of being a child raised in under-resourced communities.
Her work with families in our community shaped her into the passionate children’s advocate she is today - helping build a world where children’s unique needs are seen, understood, and supported. “The mountain these kids have to climb, just to be heard, to be accepted, is unfathomable.”
Normalizing conversations around neurodivergence and developmental challenges, like ADHD and Apraxia, is a critical component of the work. “When we see a child’s behavior as an expression of what’s happening for them, what’s happening in their brain, we can lead with compassion and curiosity.” This powerful perspective shift creates space for compassionate support and removes the stigma that so often follows these children around. Kandy emphasizes the need for parents, teachers, and communities to educate, advocate, and create environments where children feel heard and understood without societal stigma and shame.
Kandy currently serves as VP of the Behavior Health Service line at Adventist Healthcare. This work includes oversight of both The Ridge School of Montgomery County and the Lourie Center for Children’s Social & Emotional Wellness, where Adventist’s holistic commitment to well-being is evident in every classroom. It is through this work with the Lourie Center that Kandy found her way to Champions for Children.
Kandy McFarland exemplifies the spirit of Champions for Children through her lifelong commitment to early childhood intervention, education, and care for our children. Although the work is far from easy, it is deeply impactful. With advocates like Kandy, there’s hope for a brighter future for all our children.