Meet Janet!

“I feel proud and grateful to have been part of CHILDREN AT RISK since inception. I would have never dreamed back in 1989 that our efforts to write a data/recommendations publication would lead to this amazing organization. I look forward to working with CHILDREN AT RISK for many years to come.”
—Janet Pozmantier
For Children Legacy Society Member

As a founding member, Janet Pozmantier was instrumental in establishing CHILDREN AT RISK more than 30 years ago. She is a licensed professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, and play therapist, and the Founding Director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston. She began her career in primary prevention at Mental Health America of Greater Houston as the first director of WHO—We Help Ourselves (a child abuse prevention program), followed by 20 years at ChildBuilders where she created Parents Under Construction (a nationally recognized, research-based, award-winning program teaching children and youth today the parenting skills they will need in the future).

When did you first hear about CHILDREN AT RISK?

In 1989, I was participating in a statewide child abuse prevention event and a colleague, Mardi Huck from San Antonio, stood up, holding a publication titled “CHILDREN AT RISK.” She told us San Antonio child advocates realized that progress in child abuse prevention would be limited without strong legislative support, so they gathered data about children’s issues in their community. They shared the resulting publication with their legislative representatives to advocate for new laws to improve children’s lives. I asked her for a copy of the book and brought it to our local Child Abuse Network meeting. The idea resonated with everyone and we went to work with colleagues in other child policy areas to research and publish a Houston CHILDREN AT RISK data book. The first book was released in 1990 at a legislative forum. Soon after, we decided to create a new non-profit—CHILDREN AT RISK—to continue our research, policy, and advocacy efforts.

What made you want to get involved with the organization?

As founding members of CHILDREN AT RISK, we all shared a passion for making children’s lives better. We realized that armed with data and trained in advocacy, we could help elected officials pass sensible legislation and policies that could make a difference in our children’s future. It was an exciting time to begin an organization that would focus on policy and advocacy!

What is something that CHILDREN AT RISK has done since your involvement that you are proud of?

Really, everything! We started out as a group of diverse professionals and volunteers, spanning the fields of medicine, social work, mental health, education, workforce, etc., with a simple mission “to provide Houston and Harris County on a regular basis with an assessment depicting the condition of children and youth in Houston and Harris County.” CHILDREN AT RISK has carried forth that mission for 33 years now, in addition to expanding its influence throughout the state of Texas. The fact that CHILDREN AT RISK’s biannual reports are considered THE source for accurate data regarding the state of Houston’s children still makes me very, very proud.

I’m also proud of how CHILDREN AT RISK mobilized the child-serving community in the wake of two natural disasters: Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19. The agency moved with lightning speed to convene diverse leaders throughout the city and region to organize both immediate and long-term responses. Finally, I’m very proud that Dr. Bob continues the legacy we began by always being an outspoken, unapologetic voice for children.

How do you see the state of children changing in the far future?

The subtitle of our initial report (October, 1990) was “Houston’s Readiness for the 21st Century Will Be Measured by the Strength and Potential of Our Children.” Well, the 21st century has been around for more than 20 years now, and I’m sad to say I believe we still have a long way to go. So many of the advances that were made during the first two decades of the organization seemed to have been halted or reversed, either by natural disasters or disastrous policies and legislation. Our state must become more child and family-centered or we will not be proud to call ourselves Texans in the future. The need for an organization like CHILDREN AT RISK is critical, now more than ever.

What legacy do you hope to leave for children?

Primary prevention—stopping bad things from happening before they can begin—and child advocacy have been my life’s work. I am encouraged by a new generation of brilliant and passionate child advocates who share this mission and work every day to make Houston and Texas the best place for a child to grow up.

What impact has CHILDREN AT RISK left on you?

I feel proud and grateful to have been part of CHILDREN AT RISK since inception. I would have never dreamed back in 1989 that our efforts to write a data/recommendations publication would lead to this amazing organization. I look forward to working with CHILDREN AT RISK for many years to come.