The Life and Legacy of Janet Mann: A Foster Care Visionary
A Tribute by Molly Kretchmar-Hendricks, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Gonzaga University with the support of Janet’s family and friends
Before founding The Children’s Ark, Janet Mann and her husband, Paul, cared for more than 40 infants and toddlers as foster parents.
With their children, John, Genevieve, and Elizabeth, their innovative foster care model kept infants together with their birth mothers while supporting the development of their relationships. Over its 15-year operation, The Children’s Ark changed the lives of countless families, some for generations to come.
Life Overview
Born on November 23, 1945, to Harvey and Harriet Clarke in Spokane, Washington, Janet lived a vibrant and meaningful life with great intention and purpose.
She fostered deep relationships, embodied compassion daily, and was committed to child welfare. Janet died unexpectedly on the afternoon of June 11, 2024, in a hit-and-run accident while walking to meet her grandson for lunch. Her family and friends continue to grieve her loss while also celebrating her life and the contributions she made to creating a better, more compassionate community, particularly for children and families in foster care.
Janet earned a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College before marrying Paul Mann. She later pursued a master’s degree in teaching and then worked as a paralegal. Taking a break from the stress of the legal track, she began volunteering at Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery where she found her true calling. Inspired by this work, one evening Janet informed Paul that they would become licensed as foster parents.
Between 1988 and 1994 they cared for more than 40 babies and toddlers, many of them profoundly maltreated and medically fragile. Janet’s experience as a foster parent convinced her of two fundamental truths: that the separation between young children and their primary caregivers often became the biggest obstacle to reunification and that truly helping a child means supporting the entire family. To Janet, keeping the parent and child together in a supportive foster care environment seemed a better approach toward eventual reunification, but there was no existing mechanism for doing that. That realization sparked a vision, which led to the creation of The Children’s Ark.
There is no greater gift than to be seen and known by another.
The Children’s Ark
In 1994, Paul retired and the Manns created a nonprofit called The Children's Ark.
The Children’s Ark began as a residential program, in which birth mothers joined their children in foster care, under the supervision and guidance of Janet and Paul who resided with them. The Ark developed in conjunction with the innovative Circle of Security Project; Janet pursued advanced training in Infant Mental Health and became certified in Circle of Security Assessment and Treatment.
The program evolved to include intensive services provided by professionals who often volunteered their time, and was supported by a remarkable and committed staff. After five years, the residential program transitioned to a day-treatment program, expanding the program’s reach to include birth fathers and other family members while also working in partnership with foster parents.
Through this work, it became acutely evident that traumatized children and families heal and thrive when we can build non-adversarial, collaborative networks of care and support, keeping the child’s needs always at the center. It also became clear that being in genuine relationship was an essential ingredient.
Learning to parent a particular child in the absence of that child is rather like learning to swim without any water; you might understand the theoretical technique but staying afloat really depends upon being immersed in the experience.
Advancing Lessons Learned
I first met Janet and Paul in the early days of The Children’s Ark when my colleague, Nancy Worsham, and I had the privilege of documenting and evaluating their innovative approach to foster care.
As a newly appointed developmental psychology professor at Gonzaga University with a background in parent-child attachment, I eagerly embraced the opportunity to contribute to a foster care program grounded in attachment theory. Our research focused on the residential years, where we witnessed firsthand how prioritizing relationships led to profound, lasting change.
Janet would often share her expertise with my students. On one occasion, she presented about one child in her care – a poignant portrayal of the impact of trauma on attachment and, more importantly, how to provide care for such a deeply wounded child. It was then that I approached Janet about writing for publication and the beginning of our intensive collaboration. The first paper we co-authored focused on that child: A Disorganized Toddler in Foster Care: Healing and Change from an Attachment Theory Perspective was published by ZERO TO THREE in 2006.
Because of that article’s positive reception, then-editor Emily Fenichel encouraged us to consider writing a case book. In 2017, our book, Creating Compassionate Foster Care: Lessons of Hope from Children and Families in Crisis, was published (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). Janet’s sensitive and compassionate portrayals of the families and children, along with her powerful insights, were, in the words of more than one reader, “life-changing.”
It is easy in this work to feel overwhelmed, discouraged, and hopeless. The odds are seldom favorable; the obstacles to overcome seemingly endless. To watch just one young parent break out of generational patterns, however, and step down their own path to success makes the struggle worthwhile.
“I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Janet.”
Shortly after Janet's unexpected passing, Arin told me this.
After regaining custody of her daughter through the Ark program, Airin Hazelwood remained close to Janet and Paul over the years.
Ongoing Legacy
Janet’s courage, commitment, and deep compassion made The Children’s Ark the success that it was.
In his forward to our book, our Circle of Security colleague, Glenn Cooper, wrote: “The Children’s Ark is a compelling, multi-faceted, example of how lasting change can be achieved through clinical sophistication, a working understanding of relationship needs, and a profound and enduring commitment to each family…working with profoundly traumatized families will always depend on courageous individuals willing to bear the many heartbreaks of this demanding work.”
After retirement from The Children’s Ark, Janet returned to Vanessa Behan, serving on its Board of Trustees. During her six years on the Board, Janet helped guide Vanessa Behan through designing and building a new facility and provided leadership during the COVID pandemic. In 2022, she gave a powerful TedxSpokane Talk: “People, Not Programs, Change People,” which, again, highlighted the transformative power of relationships.
We are honored to collaborate with ZERO TO THREE in presenting this tribute to Janet Clarke Mann as well as the re-release of that first publication, “A Disorganized Toddler…” Janet leaves behind a powerful and important legacy. Throughout her career, Janet and her family cared for more than 120 infants and toddlers as well as many families facing significant risk factors, changing countless lives. Many of the families she touched traveled to attend her memorial; speaking for many, one young woman said to Paul, “Thank you for saving my life.”
May we all carry this work forward with conviction and compassion – may we all, as Janet would say at the end of every meeting or coffee date, “Carry on bravely!”
See how our Safe Babies program is transforming child welfare into the practice of strengthening child and family well-being.
Publications & Presentations related to The Children’s Ark
- Mann, J. C. (2022). People, not programs, change people. TedXSpokane.
- Mann, J. C., & Kretchmar-Hendricks, M. D. (2017). Creating Compassionate Foster Care: Lessons of Hope from Children and Families in Crisis. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publisher.
- Mann, J. C., Kretchmar, M. D., & Worsham, N. L. (2011). Being in relationship: Paradoxical truths and opportunities for change in foster care. ZERO TO THREE, 31 (3), 11-16. [hyperlink to PDF of article]
- Worsham, N. L., Kretchmar, M. D., Swenson, N., & Goodvin, R. (2009). At-risk mothers’ parenting capacity: An attachment theory and epistemological analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 14, 25-41.
- Mann, J., Kretchmar, M. D., & Worsham, N. L. (2008). Critical issues in foster care: Lessons The Children’s Ark Learned from Barbara and Nathan. ZERO TO THREE, 28 (6), 41-46. [hyperlink to PDF of article]
- Mann, J., & Kretchmar, M. D. (2006). A disorganized toddler in foster care: Healing and change from an attachment theory perspective. ZERO TO THREE, 26(5), 29-36. [hyperlink to PDF of article]
- Kretchmar, M. D., Worsham, N. L., & Swenson, N. (2005). Anna’s story: A qualitative analysis of an at-risk mother’s experience in an alternative foster care. Attachment and Human Development, 7, 31-49.
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