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Dr. Shulamit N. Ritblatt
Professor Emerita, Child and Family Development
Founder, CEO delibrainy LLC
Dr. Ritblatt is a recognized expert in social-emotional development, early childhood mental health, learning readiness, and family engagement. Her work emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and trauma-informed, reflective practices that support children and families within schools and communities.
A founding member of CA-FEN’s Planning Team, Dr. Ritblatt helps guide the network’s strategic direction and leads The State of Practice research. She has co-planned CA-FEN’s annual convenings and collaborated with the Parent Organization Network and NAFSCE to advance family engagement standards in pre-service.
Dr. Ritblatt spent 26 years at San Diego State University as Professor and Chair of Child and Family Development, and Director of the Center for Family, School, and Community Engagement. Her background also includes 12 years of service as a therapist and youth counselor in Israel.
Since 2018, she has co-led Friday CAFÉ, a monthly virtual gathering for family engagement professionals in San Diego County. She also delivers professional development through a Family and Community Engagement Certificate Program based on NAFSCE’s four core competencies, in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education.
A prolific author, she has published 17 peer-reviewed articles, 10 book chapters, 8 children’s books, one book (From Trauma to Resiliency), and developed three educator-parent-child programs aligned with the three tiers of engagement.
She is most proud of creating two academic programs in early childhood mental health, including a master’s program aligned with Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licensure requirements, and helped found the California Infant Mental Health Association
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