The Honorable Kelly J. McKibben presides over Early Childhood Court setting aside a special docket for children age three and younger whose parents participate in the program. Judge McKibben is a trauma-trained judicial leader committed to improving the lives of young children and their families by utilizing a collaborative court team to make informed decisions and decrease the length of time to reach permanency.

The Honorable Kelly J. McKibben will preside over Early Childhood Court setting aside a special docket for children age three and younger whose parents participate in the program. Judge McKibben is a trauma-trained judicial leader committed to improving the lives of young children and their families by utilizing a collaborative court team to make informed decisions and decrease the length of time to reach permanency. Judicial leadership is a key component in improving outcomes for young children. Judge McKibben has many years of judicial experience in the dependency division. She is also the presiding judge for Brevard’s Adult Drug Court, another type of problem-solving court. ECC involves non-adversarial court proceedings utilizing therapeutic jurisprudence. Judge McKibben fosters a child-friendly courtroom, and young children are welcome to attend court hearings with their parents and caregivers. This enables the judge to observe parents and children together, the parents’ attunement to meeting their children’s needs, and children’s attachment relationships. During hearings, Judge McKibben listens to parents and other members of the collaborative multidisciplinary court team who provide expertise on infant mental health and parent/child bonding and attachment. With extensive trauma-responsive experience, Judge McKibben is an ideal member of the judiciary to launch this new court program with the support of community partners.