From a young age I’ve been fascinated by how a group of same-age children could be individually so unique. Honestly, I am still as curious as I was then about child development and behavior!

Jennifer Gillette, MA

Director of Child Development & Parent Education

This week, we’re excited to spotlight Jennifer Gillette, MA, Director of Child Development & Parent Education at Clay. We chatted with Jennifer to learn more about what gets her up in the morning and her passion for supporting parents during the first years of their parenting life journey. Read below to find out more!

Tell us about you – what’s your background?

I am walking the parenting talk! Personally, I’m a very proud mother of three teen boys. Professionally, I have a graduate degree in Child Clinical Developmental Psychology from Tufts University and have dedicated more than 25 years to supporting the healthy development of parents and their young children in both group and one-on-one settings. I’ve been very fortunate to have worked in a variety of pediatric organizations and companies in Boston such as Early Intervention, Healthy Steps for Young Children, Mass General Brigham, Brazelton Institute, and about 8 years ago started my own business, The Loved Child.

Were you always interested in working in early childhood/pediatric behavioral health?

Yes! My very first summer job was a day camp counselor. I clearly remember being fascinated by how a group of same-age children could be individually so unique. I loved observing how the young campers played and interacted with one another. Honestly, I am still as curious as I was then about child development and behavior! 

What brought you to Clay?

That’s an easy question to answer.

I am so grateful for all my previous work experiences. But the limiting factor of each organization was scalability – there were always more families who could benefit from our guidance than we could support. With Clay’s innovative technology and group support model we will soon be able to touch the lives of all families – irrespective of location or means.

What do you like most about your job?

I joined Clay on day one. It has been so rewarding to be an integral part of Clay’s design, growth and success. Similar to the role of being a new parent, it has been exciting (and sometimes also exhausting!) to be so deeply invested in the development of Clay.  

What is the best part about working at Clay?

Hands down – our multidisciplinary team of professionals! Each one of us brings our own deep expertise from our past professional experiences. The synergy between us is truly incredible! We are all equally dedicated to the creation of the Clay product to best support parents helping their children with behavioral and mental health challenges.

What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

Folks tend to be quite surprised to hear I was born in Guatemala and spent my childhood years living around the world. And, just one more thing – I am completely crazy about foxes.