About Us
Thanks to Boston Voyager for the awesome article
Nadine Briggs
Director/Owner
Nadine Briggs, Director of Simply Social Kids and managing partner of Social Success Central, LLC (formerly How to Make and Keep Friends, LLC) is a best-selling author and an accomplished social educator. Nadine has dual graduate certifications in Coaching Children & Teens and Coaching Children & Teens with ADHD.
She has expertise and certifications in bullying and cyberbullying prevention, Foundations of Positive Psychology including learned optimism and resilience, and sibling relationships (Sibshops). Her training includes collaborative problem solving to teach children conflict resolution and training in child anxiety at the Child Anxiety Network at Boston University. She is certified in the Girl Meets World curriculum which addresses relational aggression in girls and in Cognitive Behavioral Coaching.
Nadine’s oldest child has Down syndrome which was the catalyst for her current career. She also has a son with ADHD. She has a personal passion for helping kids find true friendships. She created Simply Social Kids in 2007 to provide a sensory-simple, safe, accepting environment for all kids. Her goal is to help kids find true friendship and connectedness.
As Managing Partner of Social Success Central (formerly known as How to Make and Keep Friends, LLC), she co-authored the best selling books: How to Make & Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges, How to Make & Keep Friends: Helping Your Child Achieve Social Success, I Feel Mad! Tips for Kids on Managing Angry Feelings, I Feel Worried! Tips for Kids on Overcoming Anxiety, Tips for Teens on Life and Social Success, I Need to Win! Tips for Kids on Good Sportsmanship and Bully Busting and Managing Meanies: Tips for Kids on Managing Conflict. She is a parent/educator consultant and public speaker. Top 5 character strengths according to the VIA character strengths survey: honestly, humor, love, perspective, and social intelligence.
MEET THE STAFF
Jesse Lowe
Jesse Lowe is a seasoned family counselor and educator with extensive experience in social skills instruction with children from preschool to high school. She holds a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch New England Graduate School and a Bachelors Degree in Human Development and Community Studies from Lesley University. She is a certified Leave No Trace educator through the National Outdoor Leadership School. Jesse is also a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation.
Jesse has facilitated social skills groups with young children, grade school students, and high school students in a variety of roles, including early childhood educator, school adjustment counselor and family outreach therapist. She has worked at a therapeutic day school for children with different diagnoses that impacted their social development.
There she collaborated with their teachers, families, and outside providers to bring out their optimal social engagement across environments. A mother of two, Jesse has homeschooled her children, participating in local homeschool cooperatives. She enjoys outdoor adventures, gardening, and taking care of her flock of backyard chickens with her family. Top 5 character strengths according to the VIA character strengths survey: curiosity, bravery, fairness, love of learning, creativity, and ingenuity.
Kellie Flynn
Kellie Flynn is currently a special education preschool teacher for the Westford Public Schools. She previously worked as a preschool teacher, in the special education department and as a first and fourth grade teacher for Westford Public Schools. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Masters in Special Education.
Kellie worked her way up from a social coach assistant to social coach due to her ability to connect, and often entertain (this girl can do the floss!) with children and teens of all ages. Top 5 character strengths according to the VIA character strengths survey: Love of Learning, kindness, perspective, prudence, and teamwork.
Christie Cleaver
Office Manager
Manager of Games
Christie Cleaver joined Simply Social Kids in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Kent State University. She spent the first part of her career in youth and teen-serving organizations and the last 15 years in disability-focused organizations. In these organizations, she ran middle school after school programs, summer camps and specialty programming, developed character and leadership development curriculum and programs for teens, facilitated social and recreational programming for children, teens, adults, and families, and developed social skills groups for teens and operated a family support center.
Her role at Simply Social Kids is always evolving and, she has been integral to our operation in various ways. She is the Office Manager, Social Group Assistant, Manager of Games, and has recently accepted the responsibility of Social Coach. Currently, she also teaches Driver Education for Concord Carlisle High School (because she’s definitely crazy). Top 5 character strengths according to the VIA character strengths survey: Gratitude, kindness, humor, honesty, and love.
About Simply Social Kids
Simply Social Kids offers social skills groups in an accepting, welcoming environment where kids make social connections and form lasting friendships.
Simply Social Kids programs are successful in coaching ages 8 – 18 skills that are easily generalized into other environments. The proprietary social skills program infuses a combination of proprietary in-the-moment social coaching techniques with proven strategies to coach kids overcome barriers to friendship delivered in an unstructured environment. Children are taught strategies to develop optimism and resiliency while managing anxiety.
Kids who attend Simply Social Kids programs have a great time in the groups and often don’t realize that they’re learning friendship skills. The kids are taught social lessons through game play and fun activities. Parents report social successes at school, playgrounds, with family, and in the community due to skills learned.
Simply Social Kids programs are offered online and when safe to return, at their home-base in Tyngsboro, MA.
Nadine Briggs has co-authored the How to Make and Keep Friends book series available on Amazon – How to Make & Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges and How to Make & Keep Friends: Helping Your Child Achieve Social Success, I Feel Mad! Tips for Kids on Managing Angry Feelings, I Feel Worried! Tips for Kids on Overcoming Anxiety, Tips for Teens on Life and Social Success, I Need to Win: Tips for Kids on Good Sportsmanship, and Bully Busting and Managing Meanies: Tips for Kids on Managing Conflict.
Contact Nadine at nbriggs@simplysocialkids.com or 978-764-2758 for more information. Join our e-newsletter list by texting SIMPLYSOCIALKIDS at 22828.
Note: This site is not intended as a replacement for seeking mental health or medical treatment.
TESTIMONIALS
What families are saying
about Simply Social Kids
“I wanted to let you know that Harry said that was the most fun ever. Thanks so much for always making him smile, feel accepted and for making his social experience so awesome for him. You guys are so great and your program is so special.”
Lauren
New York
“Also, thanks for the amazing job you’re doing with Trey! I can already see positive changes in him and it’s only been a couple of weeks. You’re helping make our long quarantine more bearable in so many ways and I can’t thank you both and Nadine enough!!”
Wendy
North Carolina
“Simply Social Kids is a warm welcoming place for children to develop their social skills and grow. It is also a wonderful resource for families. My son loves his weekly social group with Nadine and Christie and we highly recommend SSK!”
Jaime
Massachusetts