Meet the New Associate Director for Equity, Justice, & Strategic Initiatives at the Office of Child Development

March 27, 2023

In 1986, the Office of Child Development was formed at the University of Pittsburgh to support young children and their families. It was initially funded by the Heinz Endowments and the Buhl Foundation to be a convenor of all the people and resources at Pitt who were working to support early childhood development and learning. Over 35 years later, the Office of Child Development has grown to over 40 staff and students who continue to combine university and community expertise to create bold strategies for enhancing children’s literacy, positive racial identity, mental health and well-being, and family leadership skills. 

The Office of Child Development recently revised its mission and vision statements to reflect its deepening commitment to racial justice, after five years of working with equity and justice consultants including Michelle King, Erika Gold Kestenberg, Felicia Savage Friedman, Etta Cetera, and Ari Brazier. This was a natural step following the arrival of School of Education Dean Valerie Kinloch, who has transformed the school to actively advance educational equity.  

Now, the Office of Child Development has named a new Associate Director for Equity, Justice, and Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Shallegra Moye, to help take this commitment to the next level. 

Dr. Moye, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, has supported local children and families for over 20 years, and is passionate about children, learning, and community. She earned her Doctor of Education (EdD) from the School of Education’s Urban Education program at the University of Pittsburgh, has worked with the Heinz Fellows program in the Center for Urban Education, and continues to lead the 3Rs (Reading, Racial Equity, and Relationships) Initiative with The Pittsburgh Study.  

Dr. Moye sat down with us and shared her goals for her new role at the Office of Child Development, and for making Allegheny County a place where young children and families thrive. 

 

How did you get interested in creating a more just & equitable community for children and families? 

Dr. Moye: I have always been deeply concerned about the well-being of children and families and through the years my volunteer and professional work reflected this. For example, I served in parent governance of early childhood in the 90’s, was a regular classroom volunteer and PTO parent and president and was also a community-based service coordinator. My previous career in managed care was centered around healthcare equity and access for families.   

This is the work that always felt right and only recently have I developed the capacity to locate and name my efforts as justice and equity driven. I credit my relationship with and connection to the Center for Urban Education and Dean Kinloch for helping me develop the criticality necessary to acknowledge, name, and disrupt injustice and inequity in the many forms that they manifest.   

When I was introduced to The Pittsburgh Study back in 2019, I was intrigued and excited by the boldness of an intervention that was committed to improving childhood thriving from before birth into early adulthood. When I was invited to join the Early School-Age cohort (K-3rd grade), which was integrating reading, racial equity, and relationships to address systemic barriers to literacy access in Allegheny County, I said, “Yes, please, and thank you!” 

 

What do you think is most needed to make our community a better place for children to learn and grow? 

Dr. Moye: There are so many ways to answer this question. Truly, the answer to what is needed is as diverse as the very children and families we seek to support. Yet, I believe there are a few fundamental concepts that are urgently needed to make our community a better place for children to learn and grow.  

Our children need healthy, thriving, healed adults. Adults who are actively acknowledging, naming, and disrupting internalized oppression. Adults who are willing to unlearn and relearn ways of being in the world, that appreciate difference and prioritize emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological safety. We need adults who see, accept, and esteem humanity in everyone.  

Our children need love. Love that propels, challenges, corrects, and restores. Propels them into a future not yet fully imagined; challenges them to the greatest expressions of their brilliance, gently corrects them when they make mistakes, and restores them back into community when harm is caused.  

These are the conditions that usher in learning and growth.  

 

What do you hope to accomplish at the Office of Child Development, the University of Pittsburgh, and in our community? 

Dr. Moye: Wow, that is a big question, however I am a big dreamer and an even bigger doer!  

I am so thankful that I am standing on well-fertilized ground in the Office of Child Development, enabling me to deepen and widen our commitment to equity, justice and strategic initiatives. Shannon Wanless has done a remarkable job of honoring the history and evolution of the Office of Child of Development, grappling through the revision of our mission and vision with our staff, and assembling a team of dedicated professionals who are ready to embrace the work. Within the Office of Child Development, I hope to deliver dynamic professional learning that expands our capacity to live our mission and vision. I hope to support our school and literacy partners in ways that expand their capacity to serve children and families well. 

In the University of Pittsburgh, I hope to ensure that all the schools, departments, and centers know who the Office of Child Development is, what projects we are engaged in, and the impact our innovative work has on the region. I hope to leverage my existing networks to introduce new collaborative opportunities which expand culturally relevant research and access to university resources, and I hope to continually demonstrate our trustworthiness.    

In the community, I hope to develop a diverse and robust technical assistance program that supports schools, districts, community-based organizations, and other colleges and universities. I also hope to expand our notion of community to extend beyond Allegheny County and southwestern PA to include our role in the state, national, and international community. Barriers to equity and justice in childhood thriving are global realities, and we are uniquely equipped to help meet the challenge.  

 

What can the Office of Child Development’s staff, students, and partners expect from you in this role? 

Dr. Moye: Everyone I interact with can anticipate being seen and heard, and feeling my urgency, passion, and love for young people and their families. You can anticipate that I will be unapologetic and unwavering in my commitment to equity and justice. You can anticipate seeing me express the breadth of my emotions from love to joy and sadness. You can also expect that I will be dressed to the nines and regularly sporting t-shirts that reflect my praxis!  

 

There are many organizations that are trying to figure out how to center justice and equity in their work. Based on your past experiences, what advice would you give to them? 

Dr. Moye: My first recommendation would be to explicitly state that equity and justice must be centered, because if we are not stating it, then we are likely not thinking about it, which inevitably means it is not happening. My next recommendation would be to assess your organization to identify assets and barriers to reaching equity and justice. Next, I would develop an action plan with all relevant constituents and regularly monitor the progress toward goals. A final recommendation would be to incorporate celebration and joy into your equity and justice journey.  

If all else fails, call the Office of Child Development for technical support!