About Us
The Office of Child Development is a university-community partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth, and families. Through interdisciplinary collaborations across research, practice, and policy, we strive to turn knowledge into action and respond creatively and collaboratively to challenges facing children in Pittsburgh and around the world.

 










EHS Promotes Healthy Eating Habits for Families

Early Head Start Nutritionist, April Miller, educates families of the importance of eating healthy. She encourages healthy, inexpensive meal planning and easy preparation that fits today's busy lifestyles.

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Race Factors in Early Education

The Race and Early Childhood Collaborative was formed to assess if and how parents and teachers discuss race with young children, to determine what developmental issues exist as they relate to positive racial identity, and to generate recommendations and encourage collaborations around this important issue.

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Connecting Reading with Kindergarten Attendance

Ready Freddy partners with Public Allies Pittsburgh to improve kindergarten attendance. Since reading at grade level is key to academic success, Public Ally Joanna Kemp, assigned to Langley K-8, spearheaded a book drive that enabled each kindergartner to take home 5 books they could call their own.

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Forging New Leaders through the LEND Program

The LEND Center at the University of Pittsburgh partners with Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC to provide training that enhances the ability of clinicians to diagnose, treat, and manage disabilities in children and adolescents.

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The Power of Simplicity

The Simple Interactions (SI) approach is a process that empowers the people who work with children to engage in positive interactions.

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Aiding the Transition

OCD is evaluating and assisting the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh as the association works with the Bhutanese population of Pittsburgh and moves to non-profit status.

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Homeless Young Children Webinar Resources

Young homeless children are experiencing their most critical stages of development right now. Click here for resources Ray Firth mentioned in the Littlest Residents Webinar on April 5, 2013.

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Heinz Endowments funds 8 for P.L.A.Y. project licensing!

Our very own Gloria Rodriguez-Ransom, Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, is one of 8 trainees to become licensed in The P.L.A.Y. Project Model. The P.L.A.Y. Project is an intense intervention for families of children with Autism.

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Family Support Rally and Legislative Work Day

Family Support parents attend rally in Harrisburg and have individual meetings with 12 Allegheny County legislators who have centers in their districts.

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Spotlight
Ten Teacher Recommendations in Facilitating Conversations About Race in the Classroom
Rich Milner, the Helen Faison Endowed Chair of Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh, offers advice on how to prepare for and talk with students about race and society in the classroom.

Understanding PRIDE in Pittsburgh: Positive Identity Development in Early Education Resources
These resources discuss results of a recent scan to assess if and how parents and teachers discuss race with young children, to determine what developmental issues exist as they relate to positive racial identity, and to generate recommendations and encourage collaborations around this important issue.




The Provident Charter School, dedicated to children with dyslexia, is opening in the fall of 2016 for children entering Grades 3 and 4. The goal is to grow to Grades 2 – 8 by 2021. If you have a child who may benefit from multisensory reading instruction, contact Provident at 412-636-2014, or visit providentcharterschool.org.

Remake Learning Playbook - Building Collaborative Innovation Networks for Teaching & Learning
The Sprout Fund has premiered the first release of the Remake Learning Playbook - a field guide full of ideas and resources for supporting learning innovation networks. Filled with practical and actionable information, the Playbook is based on the belief that to truly transform the way that teaching and learning happens today, we need to harness all the resources and assets in our communities and create ways for educators and innovators to collaborate, share ideas, and work together. The Playbook was created by members of the Remake Learning Network right here in Pittsburgh.

Listen to: Bob McCall Discussing universal pre-k for Essential Pittsburgh

Recent Publications
Understanding PRIDE in Pittsburgh:
Positive Racial Identity Development
in Early Education
Race Scan – Full Report
Summary and Recommendations

Annual Report (2015-2016)

Early Head Start Annual Report (2015-2016)