Happy family of three having fun outside

Our History

Since 1985, PEI Kids has served the Greater Mercer County community with the mission of fostering child-safe communities. PEI Kids began as Prevention Education, Inc., when our founders, who worked at a rape crisis center, discovered there were no prevention programs for children in Mercer County regarding child sexual abuse and child assault prevention.

Among our initial successes was implementing one of the first Child Assault Prevention (CAP) projects in New Jersey, which the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse & Neglect selected as the first primary prevention program in the state. Since that time, our services have expanded to include programs in the following areas:

Quick Facts

Serving the Greater Mercer County, NJ community since 1985, PEI Kids has long addressed many of the most pressing issues affecting children, including child assault and sexual abuse, bullying, gang culture, and cyber violence.

PEI Kids’ prevention education programs — focusing on child assault and sexual abuse prevention, bullying prevention, cyber-safety, and teen mental health – reach over 5,000 children, parents, and teachers each year through our school-based programs. Our counseling and intervention programs reach an additional 4,000 children and youth providing services in the community, in our offices, and in our local schools.

In 2011, PEI Kids was designated the lead agency of the Greater Mercer Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, which is part of the statewide and national “Enough Abuse” campaign.

On average, over 250 cases of child sexual abuse are reported in Mercer County each year. The County Prosecutor’s Office refers 98% of these cases to PEI Kids for trauma-focused therapy and family-centered support services.

Run in partnership with local law enforcement, the Mercer County Juvenile Probation Unit and Family Court, our Juvenile Intervention programs help court-involved and adjudicated youth on probation as well as youth with anger management issues. We’ve helped more than 2,500 court-involved youth become less of a danger to themselves and the community. Our programs teach skills to help youth turn their lives around and work toward more productive futures!

Under contract with the NJ Division of Child Protection and Permanency, from 1998 to 2024, PEI Kids supervised more than 1,600 court-mandated visits annually between children in the foster care and their biological families.

PEI Kids manages a transportation program for DCPP-involved children and families who need medical, therapeutic, and other transport services, providing over 34,000 miles of assisted transportation each year. If you know a DCPP-involved family who needs transportation, we can help!

About 33-40% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by youth — older siblings, relatives, boyfriends/girlfriends, and peers. In 2023, PEI Kids was selected as one of only 8 agencies statewide to provide treatment for children with Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) . This initiative is part of New Jersey’s statewide response to provide treatment for children with PSB and for child victims impacted by PSB. 

PEI Kids never charges a fee to children/youth or their families for receiving services or participating in programs. Additionally, we do not require or accept insurance. All services are provided thanks to the generosity of donors, funders, and supporters. Some school-based prevention services are supported by the schools/districts receiving services. 

Mother outside with her two children

Meet Our Leadership Team

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Roslyn Dashiell, MBA
CEO/Executive Director

Roslyn Dashiell is PEI Kids’ Executive Director with responsibility for managing the agency’s programs, development, staff, and spearheading its strategic initiatives. Roz implements programs and initiatives for Mercer County’s most vulnerable youth including for child victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking, children impacted by crime, violence and abuse, and youth struggling with mental health challenges.

Roz has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining PEI Kids, she was Director of Community Relations for Gwynedd-Mercy University and Business Manager for Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County. She was also the grant writer for the Rutgers University’s Walter Rand School of Public Policy offender re-entry program in Camden (NJ) and held executive positions in the financial  services and advertising industries. Roz has been a guest speaker for the U.S. Dept. of Justice, and her work has been recognized in regional and national publications. She holds a B.A. from Rutgers University, a Certification in criminology, and an MBA from Centenary University. Roz brings a valuable combination of skills for helping PEI Kids strengthen its programs and achieve its goals for the future.

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Rachel Ehret
Director, Finance & Institutional Development

Rachel Ehret is PEI Kids’ Director of Finance and Institutional Development where she oversees daily financial operations and institutional grants processes. Rachel has been with PEI Kids since 2014 and is dedicated to serving Mercer County children and youth. Before joining PEI Kids, Rachel earned her B.A. in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond, where she was a university writing consultant. She has also worked as an Academic Program Assistant with the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Rebecca Lee
Business Manager

Rebecca Lee is PEI Kids’ Business Manager responsible for ensuring smooth agency operations, including computer and IT management, office and facility operations, personnel, and supporting special projects and events. Rebecca has extensive professional experience in the non-profit sector – including with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Charlotte and Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) –where she honed her considerable skills in business operations and financial administration. Rebecca earned her Associates degree from Raritan Valley Community College and studied Economics at Rutgers University.

Dan-anh Tran, LPC
Associate Director of counseling

Dan Tran is PEI Kids’ Associate Director of Counseling with responsibility for providing comprehensive clinical assessment and mental health services for youth impacted by violence, crime, grief/loss, trauma, and children struggling with problematic behavior. Dan also engages schools and community organizations to facilitate program partnerships that bring mental health counseling onsite in the community for children who can benefit from therapeutic support. Dan has over 10 years’ professional experience providing clinical services including as Chief of Emergency Medical Services for The College of New Jersey and providing outpatient mental health services including group and individual counseling, clinical intakes, crisis intervention, and case management.

Dan obtained his Bachelors degree in Psychology and Masters degree in Counseling from The College of New Jersey. He is certified in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and trained in EMDR, DBT, and as an ADHD specialist. Dan is a traumatic response team member and is credentialed in the state of New Jersey as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). 

Annette Henderson
Director of Prevention Programs

Annette Henderson is PEI Kids’ Director of Prevention Programs. She supervises implementation of our community- and school-based prevention programs while maintaining and promoting relationships with schools and districts throughout Mercer County. Prior to joining PEI Kids, Annette worked 25 years for the Princeton/Princeton Township Police Department(s) in various roles including Detective/Juvenile Officer where she led complex criminal investigations for juvenile matters and managed the Stationhouse Adjustment Program. Annette also supervised daily operation of the detective bureau and served as Public Information Officer establishing working relationships with the media and maintaining long-term professional partnerships with Princeton School District, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey State Police, DCPP, Corner House, PEI Kids, and other community-based agencies serving children/youth.

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Robert Fiorello
Director of Juvenile Intervention Services

With over 23 years’ experience working with high-risk, adjudicated youth, Rob is an authority on Mercer County youth gang culture and delinquency prevention. He is exceptionally skilled at bringing together disparate groups of young people and cultivating an environment of tolerance and mutual respect. Rob serves as Chair of the Mercer County Gang Task Force and is a member of the Mercer County Youth Services Commission and the Disposition sub-committee. His long standing work achieving results for at-risk teens through PEI Kids’ Comprehensive Juvenile Offenders Outreach Services, Managing Aggression & Violence program, school-based programs, and the agency’s many juvenile intervention initiatives over the years, have earned the respect and trust of law enforcement, justice system personnel, and the Family Court.

Rob earned his Bachelors degree from Thomas Edison State University and has been honored by Fathers and Men United For A Better Trenton, the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly, and received the Cherish the Children Professional Award from the Mercer County Commission on Abused, Neglected and Missing Children.

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Audrey Massey
Director of Family Support Services

Audrey Massey is PEI KIDS’ Director of Family Support Services serving as an excellent liaison to caseworkers and supervisors at the Division of Child Protection & Permanency to support the needs of children and families under DCPP supervision. Audrey’s responsibilities include supervising staff who provide services to DCPP clients. Audrey schedules over 30,000 miles of transports and supports over 1,600 hours of supervised visits annually. Audrey has a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University with a range of professional experience preparing her for her current role. Audrey’s care and concern for children is evident in her work and in the dedicated support she provides for department staff, caseworkers, and clients.

Board of Trustees

PEI Kids’ Board of Trustees has a passion for and a commitment to PEI Kids’ mission and reducing the impact of violence on our community’s children and families.


“Our Board is fully committed to advancing the mission of PEI Kids and supporting the children and families we serve. On a personal note, I continue to be impressed by the talent and dedication of my fellow Board members, and am very grateful for their tireless efforts to ensure that PEI Kids can continue to provide its critical services for our community.”

– Margaret Chipowsky, Esq. | President, Board of Trustees

Contact Us for More Information
Board Photo

PEI Kids’ Board of Trustees at our gala, “Denim & Diamonds at the Boathouse”

Board Members

OFFICERS

Lisa Festa Hayden, Vice President 
West Windsor-Plainsboro School District

Craig J. Hubert, Esq., Co-Treasurer
Szaferman Lakind P.C.

Andrew T. Zalescik, Co-Treasurer
Columbia Bank

Jennifer M. Sherman, Secretary
NJM Insurance Group

Francesca Bartlett, Trustee
The Bartlett Family Foundation

Loni Hand, Esq., Trustee

Michael P. Hughes, Trustee
WatchDox, Inc.

Heather Kearns-Latini, Trustee
Capital Health Foundation

Aishwarya Rao, Trustee
Columbia University (student)

Andrew Lee Ro, Trustee
New Hope-Solebury School District

People Appreciated for Long Service (PALS)

PEI Kids recognizes our PALS (People Appreciated for Long Service) as friends, who have contributed with compassion their time, talent, and resources in order to advance the mission of PEI Kids. Our PALS have made a significant difference to our agency by sharing at least 10 years of their time, expertise, and support with PEI Kids.

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Timeline of Historic Events

Originally staffed by two people, PEI Kids currently has twelve full-time and 32 part-time employees as well as a passionate Board of Trustees. PEI Kids also has strong working relationships with local law enforcement, government agencies, Family Court, schools, universities, and many community-based, youth-serving and social service organizations.