In 2021, Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES celebrated the retirement of Allen County Superior Court Judge Charles Pratt, who led the program since its inception in 1999.

The Great KIDS Make Great COMMUNITIES initiative began as a project of Allen Superior Court, Family Relations Division. Great KIDS empowers youth-serving adults by providing education and training on the application of positive youth development frameworks and strength-based practices to ensure that our community’s children have the opportunities and relationships they need to grow into productive and healthy adults.

Recognized nationally, its programs and conferences serve as a great resource for strengthening children and families by:

• Training youth workers in positive youth development concepts.

• Supporting the work of youth-serving organizations.

• Creating household recognition for the supports and strengths that young people need to succeed.

“We’re so grateful to Judge Pratt for his commitment to positive change in our community, both in and out of the courtroom. I’m excited to continue to build on the legacy he created, and continue to equip families, and the leaders and organizations that serve them, with the tools they need to empower our youth,” said Amanda Miller, Executive Director of Great KIDS.

“Since 1999, more than 75,000 people have attended our trainings, and then deployed those concepts to hundreds of thousands of youth in our community.”

We’ve proudly supported Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES by awarding them Signature Grants, with an investment of more than $2M since their founding.

Thank you, Judge Pratt, for your decades of leadership—and thank you, Amanda Miller, for continuing to drive the initiative forward to benefit youth in Allen County!

“I'm proud of the progress we've made towards helping children grow into healthy adults (and eventually parents). Great KIDS has mightily contributed to positive generational change in our community.”

–JUDGE CHARLES PRATT