Welcome to NEORTC!

Northeast Ohio

The Northeast Ohio Regional Training Center (NEORTC) proudly serves the counties of Ashland, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne. NEORTC’s offices and training site are located at:

264 South Arlington Street, Akron, OH 44306

As part of the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program (OCWTP), NEORTC is committed to high quality, culturally responsive, family-centered training for child protective staff and caregivers in its fourteen-county region.

In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO), and Ohio’s University Consortium for Child and Adult Services (OUCCAS), the staff at NEORTC have provided competency-based training since 1986.

NEORTC Training

PCSA staff, caregivers, and assessors should log into CAPS LMS to view and enroll in [RTC] training. Anyone who does not have access to the CAPS LMS should review PDF versions of [RTC] training calendars linked below and use the appropriate guest registration process detailed below.

Internal guests are county staff employed at a PCSA, JFS, or CSEA with a State of Ohio User ID (SOUID) that do not have a child/adult protective services role. These guests will contact Penny Myers directly to request access. Internal guests do not complete the guest registration form below.

External guests include but are not limited to retired staff, law enforcement, teachers, court-appointed special advocates, mental health professionals, and court staff such as public defenders and prosecutors. External guests will not be provisioned access to the CAPS LMS but will be added to the requested instructor-led session on a space-available basis. External guests must complete the guest registration form below to request access to training. You will need the session locator # listed on the training calendars linked below to complete the form.

Coaching

Interested in participating in the OCWTP coaching program? Search for “Coaching Request Form” in the CAPS LMS and follow the instructions to submit the form. RTC staff will contact you with additional information upon receipt.

Cancellation & Weather Policies

Staff Training

In case of severe winter driving conditions, please call NEORTC at (330) 379-2003 after 6:30 a.m. to find out if training is cancelled. If it is, the message on the recorder will inform you of the cancellation. If there is no message to that effect, then training will be held that day. However, if training is being held, please note your driving conditions from your location and determine if it is safe for you to travel to NEORTC. For county-hosted staff trainings, liaisons will make the determination if training should be cancelled and should notify NEORTC as soon as possible of the cancellation.

Also, if any trainee encounters travel delays, they can call the front desk number 330-379-1805 to alert NEORTC staff so trainers can be informed of a delay in arrival. Please keep in mind the “15 Minute Rule.”

Caregiver Training

Since most caregiver trainings are held in the counties, the county hosting that training is responsible to determine whether a training should be cancelled due to weather conditions impacting their area. NEORTC should be notified as soon as possible of any cancellation. The county is responsible for notifying their registered caregivers; NEORTC will notify any caregivers outside of that specific county as well as private caregivers registered to attend the session.

Contact NEORTC

NEORTC’s Front Desk: (330) 379-1805 between 8am and 4pm

After Hours emergency contact for TRAINERS ONLY:
Mary Serapiglia, NEORTC Director, (330) 808-4350

NEORTC’s address:
264 South Arlington Street
Akron, OH 44306

Mary Serapiglia, LISW-S, NEORTC Director
mary.serapiglia@summitkids.org
(330) 379-2003

Jodie Hembree, LISW-S, Training Coordinator
jodie.hembree@summitkids.org
(330) 379-1867

Kimberley Gear, MSSA, LSW, Training Coordinator
kimberley.gear@summitkids.org
(330) 379-1976

Cindy Wallis, M.A., CFLE, Training Coordinator
Cynthia.wallis@summitkids.org
(330) 379-1931

Patricia Hill, MPA, LSW, Caregiver Coach Patricia.Hill@summitkids.org
(330) 375-1685

Penny Myers, Administrative Assistant III
penny.myers@summitkids.org
(330) 379-2091

Laurie Barker, Clerical Specialist, Staff Training
laurie.barker@summitkids.org
(330) 379-1982

Vickie Webb, Clerical Specialist, Foster Parent Training
vickie.webb@summitkids.org
(330) 379-1935

Check Your County’s Training Liaison

NEORTC Staff Liaisons

County	Name	Phone Number	E-mail
Ashland DJFS	Sarah Owen	(419) 282-5053	Sarah.Owen2@jfs.ohio.gov
Ashtabula CSB	Beverly DeFazio	(440) 998-1811	Beverly.Defazio@jfs.ohio.gov
Columbiana DJFS	Nancy Geho	(330) 420-6623	Nancy.Geho@jfs.ohio.gov
Geauga DJFS	Dawn Bates	(440) 285-1102	Dawn.Bates@jfs.ohio.gov
Holmes DJFS	Stephanie Geib	(330) 674-1111	Stephanie.Geib@jfs.ohio.gov
Lake DJFS	Mary Udics	(440) 350-4333	Mary.Udics@jfs.ohio.gov
Lorain CSB	Amanda Pittner	(440) 329-5784	AmandaPittner@childrenservices.org
Mahoning CSB	Patty Amendolea	(330) 941-8876	Patty.Amendolea@jfs.ohio.gov
Medina DJFS	Rosalind Caro	(330) 661-0808	Rosalind.Caro2@jfs.ohio.gov
Portage DJFS	Deborah Hogan	(330) 297-3461	Deborah.Hogan@jfs.ohio.gov
Stark DJFS	Angi Rosa	(330) 451-8927	Angi.Rosa@jfs.ohio.gov
Summit CS	Kelly Aloisi	(330) 379-1984	Kelly.Aloisi@summitkids.org
Trumbull CSB	Lori Yedlicka	(330) 372-2010 x1342	Lori.Yedlicka@jfs.ohio.gov
Wayne CSB	John Dillon	(330) 345-5340 x2224	John.Dillon@jfs.ohio.gov