Center for Early Education and Development (CEED)

The Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) provides information regarding young children (birth to age eight), including children with special needs, in the areas of education, child care, child development, and family education.

The Web site contains information about CEED activities, including research, training, and publications geared toward improving professional practices, supporting parents, and information policy development.

CEED produces newsletters, policy briefs, research reports, informational brochures, conference summaries and instructional videos on a variety of topics related to early education and development.

Irving B. Harris Center for Infant and Toddler Development

The Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development serves as a model for blending research with practice and policy.  Harris Center faculty bring rich knowledge, broad experience and multiple skills to the field of infant/toddler development and infant mental health.

Center For Advanced Studies In Child Welfare -- CASCW

Established in 1992, the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) brings the University of Minnesota together with county and state social services in a partnership dedicated to improving the lives of families and children. Policy, practice or curricular priorities are determined through feedback from of the Center's External Advisory Committee, Child & Adolescent Research Group (i.e. internal advisory committee), and alumnae networks.

CASCW administers a federal Title IV-E Scholarship, which annually provides funding to Master's and doctoral Social Work students who demonstrate commitment to the field of public (county or state) child welfare.

In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and other public child welfare agencies, CASCW examines new and existing findings to identify effective child welfare practices, inform public management, supervise and train child welfare workers, and incorporate new information into the School of Social Work's curriculum. 2002-03 CASCW initiatives include: a longitudinal study on child well-being measures obtained from State Social Services Information System (SSIS) administrative data, and collaborative meetings between social services and police department representatives to assess current protocols for children's out-of-home placement.

CASCW shares the results of such initiatives in a number of ways: state-wide meetings, workshops, forums and seminars; publications (Child Welfare News, Practice Notes, papers and proceedings); and
the CASCW website.

Minnesota Center Against Violence And Abuse--MINCAVA

Prof. Jeffrey Edleson and Assoc. Prof. Sandra Beeman in the School of Social Work's Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse have conducted almost a decade of research on the relationship between adult- to-adult domestic violence and child maltreatment. Their studies have focused on (a) how formal systems such as the child protection system respond differently to families where domestic violence has occurred, (b) how various system stakeholders see their role in supporting safety in these
families and in collaborating with others stakeholders, and (c) how children are involved in incidents of domestic violence. They and their staff, including Dr. Anna Hagemeister, have participated in a statewide effort to use their research to enhance collaboration among agencies in rural and tribal areas of Minnesota. Prof. Edleson is expanding his work by examining combined efforts to prevent child maltreatment, youth violence, and adult domestic violence. Prof. Edleson, in collaboration with Prof. Oliver Williams (also in the School of Social Work), are also part of a new national network examining the role of men who batter in continued parenting of their children. Finally, Prof. Edleson is taking part in several research efforts to better measure children's exposure to domestic violence.

Gamble-Skogmo Land Grant Chair in Child Welfare and Youth Policy

Gamble-Skogmo Mission
To serve the children and families of Minnesota by:

• understanding community needs,
• conducting nationally significant research that is responsive to these needs,
• providing technical assistance and consultation locally and nationally, and
• educating and training service providers, administrators, and policy makers in the field of child welfare and youth policy.
  

Kids’ Capacity Initiative Pilot Project (pdf -- scroll to page 6 of issue #22)

The Kids' Capacity Initiative (KCI), is an innovative, strengths-based approach to foster care, developed and piloted by Family Alternatives, a private metro area foster care agency. Professor Linda Jones, U of M School of Social Work, directed the evaluation of the three-year project. Distinctive program components distinguish KCI from traditional problem-focused foster care: matching of child and family; use of Health Realization model by foster parents; Circles of Support replaced quarterly reviews; follow up with child after leaving foster care; expectation for the child to do community service; mentoring of children by (former foster child) young adults. The study used three assessment instruments: . Results of the evaluation indicate positive psychosocial outcomes among at least 70% of the children in the pilot, based on three standardized assessment instruments (Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale; Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale; and the piers-Harris Self Concept Scale). Interviews with agency social workers and foster parents about the program were also very positive.

Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return

Art Rolnick and Rob Grunewald of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis make the case that Early childhood development programs are rarely portrayed as economic development initiatives, and think that is a mistake.

School Readiness Pilot Study (PDF)

In a first-of-its-kind snapshot of Minnesota kindergartners, the Minnesota School Readiness Initiative found that while most children who participated in the study were "proficient" in physical development and health, more needed to be done to prepare four-year-olds in the areas of language and math. Organized by the Minnesota Department of Education, this pilot project created a baseline for future research and tested how best to gather this kind of school readiness information.

University Of Minnesota Child Care Center

The University of Minnesota Child Care Center (UMCCC) provides high quality early care and education to children of U of M affiliated parents. The program originated in 1974 and received NAEYC accreditation in 1987. UMCCC strives to meet the University’s triad mission of research, training, and community service by serving as an observation and training site for early childhood students and professionals. Key features of the program include:

• Edu-Care Philosophy
  -educating children while you provide care for them
  -caring for children while you provide education for them
• Anti-Bias Curriculum, which includes these annual alternatives to celebrating traditional and commercial holidays
  - Peace Week
  - Kindness Week
  - Week of the Young Child
  - Celebrity Readers Week
• Non-Violence Curriculum – the philosophy, language, and environments that show children how to get their needs met without hurting themselves or others
• Kami M. Talley Remembrance Literacy Project
  - a small, unique collection of materials geared expressly to the needs and positive development of young children (ages 0-5)
  - open to University parents, faculty, staff, students and educators and educators and caregivers from the broader community
• Weekly Tours. UMCCC provides tours twice a week for prospective families and interested community members
• Educational Tours. Tours for students and educators can be scheduled
• Non-paid internships, practicum experiences, student teaching experiences, and observations may be scheduled with the Education Specialist
• Research Activities. UMCCC’s Research Committee approves developmentally appropriate and relevant research activities

Destination 2010, a student achievement and scholarship initiative of The Minneapolis Foundation

Destination 2010 is a dynamic combination of: direct support, parental involvement, community partnerships, and scholarship incentives designed to improve student achievement, increase high school graduation rates, and advance educational reform within the Minneapolis and St. Paul public school districts. The participating students, currently in the fifth grade, were originally selected for their enrollment in one of seven struggling schools within the two districts. Participants who remain enrolled in a Minneapolis or St. Paul public school will receive a scholarship upon graduation: $10,000 for college or $5,000 for a technical school.