News

May 12, 2026

Pitt Study Seeking Families to Discuss Referrals, Follow-Ups After NICU Discharge

The University of Pittsburgh’s Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is conducting a study that focuses on families’ experiences with referrals and developmental follow-up after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

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The study – Understanding Early Intervention Access for Moderately Preterm Infants Following NICU Discharge – is recruiting families in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas who had an infant admitted to the NICU.

Participation in the study involves a brief developmental assessment and a short survey. Compensation is provided for participants.

Those interested in participating must:

Have infants born between 32 to 36 weeks of gestation
Have an infant that has been discharged from the NICU
Be a primary caregiver who is 18 years or older and caring for the infant.

Some families may be invited for a follow-up interview after the developmental assessment and caregiver survey. The survey and interview each take about an hour to 90 minutes to complete.

For more information, call Nada Alshahwan, MS, OTR/L, at 412-383-7231 or email Naa105@pitt.edu.

News

April 28, 2026

Pitt’s P.R.I.D.E. Program Suggests MOYC Books, Asks for Survey Participation

To celebrate April’s Month of the Young Child, the University of Pittsburgh’s Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education’s (P.R.I.D.E.) recent newsletter suggested six books for children to commemorate the month and asked early learning educators and caregivers to take part in a survey.

Survey

The P.R.I.D.E. survey asks parents, caregivers, educators, community partners, artists, or anyone who has worked with P.R.I.D.E. to provide perspectives and assess the program’s accomplishments since it was founded.

The survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. All responses will be confidential. One respondent will be chosen at random to receive a $50 gift card.

Book List

The P.R.I.D.E. program also selected six books for children to read to celebrate April’s Month of the Young Child. The list includes:

Brown Baby Lullaby (Tameka Fryer Brown)
Baby Young Gifted and Black (Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins)
Hello Baby! (Steve Jenkins)
Jabari Jumps (Gaia Cornwall)
Dream Big, Little One (Vashti Harrison)
Whose Toes Are Those? (Jabari Asim)

The University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development’s P.R.I.D.E. program was founded 10 years ago to support the positive racial identity development of Black children from birth to 8 years in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

News

April 14, 2026

Pitt Launches Online Graduate Certificate in Infant Mental Health

The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education has launched a new fully online graduate Certificate in Infant Mental Health.

The certificate, which is designed for working professionals, is aimed at addressing a nationwide shortage of trained infant and early childhood mental health professionals.

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Nearly 50,000 infants and toddlers were served through early intervention in Pennsylvania between 2022 and 2023, but a 2025 analysis by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children found that mental health and behavioral services remain a significantly underutilized component of that care. This gap was described as “concerning considering the growing emphasis on mental health.”

Addressing the shortage requires a trained workforce that is equipped with specialized knowledge and skills to support the social-emotional well-being of young children and their families, the University of Pittsburgh noted. The state’s early intervention and home-visiting programs are seeking practitioners trained in relation-ship based, attachment-focused approaches to supporting infants, toddlers, and their families.

“Our new online certificate in infant mental health equips Pennsylvania’s early childhood workforce with accessible training that integrates both cutting-edge research and best practices to strengthen families and their communities,” said Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, the Renee and Richard Goldman dean of Pitt’s School of Education. “Drawing on our faculty’s deep expertise and our long-standing commitment to early childhood education, we are addressing a growing statewide need and enhancing outcomes for all children through evidence-based research and practical application.”

The Infant Mental Health certificate is a fully online, graduate-level credential. Online programs at the university are developed and supported by the University Center for Excellence in Digital Education, which partners with Pitt schools and units to ensure that online students receive the same high-quality academic experience as those on campus.

The certificate’s curriculum is aligned with the learning domains required for endorsement through the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health and the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health.

Tuition for the certificate is $750 for credit hour. More information on the certificate is available on the University of Pittsburgh’s website.

News

April 8, 2026

Office Hours with CEC Workforce Development Career Counselor

Meet with Mr. Roland Woods, CEC Workforce Development Career Counselor, at the Homewood CEC to get support exploring employment opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh.

Office hours are available each Tuesday and Thursday from 12 – 4 p.m.

Location

Homewood CEC
622 N. Homewood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Schedule an Appointment

To schedule an appointment, contact ROW74@pitt.edu or call 412.290.2285

News

December 22, 2025

Pitt Seeking Caregivers of Young Children for Behavior and Sleep Difficulty Study

The University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt + Me is calling for caregivers of children between the ages of 3 and 5 to take part in a study on behavior and sleep difficulties.

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The Optimizing Attention and Sleep Intervention Study (OASIS) is an eight-month study during which caregivers with children between ages 3 and 5 will take part in four to six behavior sessions that each run about an hour.

The study will examine the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for preschool-aged children. Compensation will be provided. Locations for the study will be either at home or at a pediatrician’s office of choice.

The purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of treatments for preschool-aged children with behavioral or sleep difficulties. All participating families will receive a parent behavioral intervention, with evidence-based strategies for improving disruptive behavior, from a licensed behavioral health clinician.

The child will also continue to receive routine care provided by the pediatrician while participating in the study.

After enrolling in the study, families will be assigned at random to receive one of two behavioral treatments. The behavioral health therapist will work with participants to identify areas of concern regarding a child’s behavior and teach strategies or skills to address the behavior.

Participants will be asked to complete homework assignments between sessions as well as three questionnaires – before and after treatment and four months later – that cover family demographics, psychological factors such as depression or anxiety, and sleep. At various times, children will be asked to wear an actigraphy watch to monitor their sleep and caregivers will receive texts twice daily that ask about the child’s behavior and sleep.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the study, caregivers must:

Be at least 18 years old
Have children between ages 3-5 with behavioral or sleep difficulties
Have children receiving care at one of the following CCP practices: Bass Wolfson Squirrel Hill, GIL East Liberty, GIL Murrysville, CCP Shenango, Bass Wolfson Cranberry, or CCP Neshannock
Have children who have not had delays in their milestones or been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism or Down’s syndrome

For more information on the study, visit the Pitt + Me website.

News

November 18, 2025

OCDEL Announces Scholarships for Infant Mental Health Professional Development Course

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will again offer the opportunity for early childhood education professionals in the state to participate in the University of Pittsburgh’s Infant Mental Health professional development certificate for free.

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OCDEL will enable licensed child care providers, Head Start/Early Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts programs to take part in the certificate with no-cost scholarships to professionals serving children and families in prenatal, infant, toddler, and preschool programs.

Traditionally, the certificate has been provided to infant/toddler early intervention, OCDEL-funded home visitors, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, and Rapid Response team members. The extension of the course to providers is a result of ongoing discussions and evaluation of requests for professional development from the field.

In an announcement, OCDEL said it recognized the challenges faced by state providers in supporting the mental health and well-being of children and families in their early years. The organization believes that the early childhood system is most effective when collaborative work is relationship-based, culturally sensitive, grounded in an understanding of developmental theory, research, and supported by reflective practice.

The extension of the course to providers aims to continue building the capacity of early learning professionals to partner with others and better support families in Pennsylvania.

Those interested in taking the course should apply for sponsorship through The Pennsylvania Key. The application for the 2026 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate and Learning Circle Scholarship will be open through Tuesday, November 25.

Criteria and Other Considerations

Criteria for applicants includes:

Demonstrate, at minimum, one year of experience working with young children and their families.
Have the ability to complete the IMH Foundations course within the timeframe of January through December 2026.
Participate in virtual Learning Circles; applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction to IMH Course Webinar on January 21 and attend a minimum of two additional Learning Circles, which occur monthly for 1.5 hours at two different times with a cohort of fellow professionals to discuss course content.

During the candidate approval and evaluation process, these other considerations will be taken into account:

Provider type and area of service
Number of children served by the provider
Number of children with IFSPs and IEPs served by the provider
Number of children who are dual-language learners served by the provider
The applicant’s experience, education, and role
The applicant’s ability to provide services in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner
Supervisor approval and support for completion of the course

For more information, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s website.

News

July 28, 2025

Kidsburgh Article Encourages Caregivers to Talk to Children About Race

A new Kidsburgh article posits that not only is it beneficial to talk to young children about issues revolving around race – but it can be harmful not to do so.

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The article, Kidsburgh Guide: Talking with Your Kids About Race, notes that caregivers “teach children how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ to look both ways before crossing the street, and to be kind to their classmates.” But many parents find themselves unsure of what to say if a child asks them about another child’s skin color.

Medina Jackson, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s P.R.I.D.E. Program (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education, told Kidsburgh that she helps families and educators to build the tools to answer such questions.

Jackson noted that children are not colorblind and that waiting to discuss race with them can be harmful.

“Children are already having racialized experiences, receiving messages about race, and assigning meaning to those messages and experiences,” she told Kidsburgh.

Jackson said she defines positive racial identity as a child’s ability to feel good about themselves regarding their race and the collective racial family to which they belong. She added that for older children, a strong sense of racial and ethnic identity has been tied to higher self-esteem, better academic performance, and greater resilience.

In the article, Jackson makes suggestions for caregivers on how to talk to children about race and shares some resources for further reading.

She broke down the method for approaching the topic with children into three strategies:

Be proactive
Be responsive
Be reflective

To learn more about Jackson’s strategy, check out Kidsburgh’s article.

News

May 21, 2025

Theiss Training Center to Hold Three-Part Online Course on Childhood Trauma

The University of Pittsburgh’s Theiss Training Center for Trauma and Early Childhood Mental Health will host a three-part online course revolving around trauma in August and September.

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Becoming Trauma Aware, Informed, and Proficient is a virtual training series that is designed specifically for professionals working with young children and their families in early childhood settings. The courses in the series can act as standalone classes or participants can attend all three.

Teri Pentz, LCP, IMH-E® Mentor (Clinical), will lead the three courses on Microsoft Teams. Links for the courses will be shared with participants after they register.

Becoming Trauma Aware

The first course, Becoming Trauma Aware, will discuss the path to becoming trauma proficient and begins with a basic understanding of trauma and what children’s reaction to trauma can look like in the context of play and behaviors.

The session will lay the foundation for understanding trauma by developing an awareness of what it is and how it reveals itself. Attendees will discuss the basic definition and different types of trauma and reactions to it. They will also explore trauma in early childhood and what it can look like when processed through behavior.

The class will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 21. Other details include:

One hour of PQAS or Act 48 credit will be available. There is no cost to attend or for PQAS hours, but Act 48 hours will incur a separate fee.
PD Registry Course: 153308
Event ID: 379298
Register

Becoming Trauma Informed

With a basic awareness of what trauma looks like in children, this second session will take a look at recent understanding of early brain development. It will discuss how babies’ brains develop in tandem with close relationship building, how trauma disrupts relationships and the building of “brain architecture” during this stage, and how strong relationships can build resilience when trauma is present.

The session will run from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 4. Other details include:

Attendees can receive 1.5 hours of PQAS or Act 48 credits. There is no cost to attend or for PQAS hours, but Act 48 hours will incur a separate fee.
PD Registry Course: 153309
Event ID: 379301
Register

Toward Trauma Proficiency

The third training applies information presented in the second session. Looking at a case study, the group will analyze trauma and relationship information that may indicate early traumatic experiences impacting the child’s current psychological functioning.

It will then assess behaviors presented to identify classroom strengths that support children whose needs are met and understand how to identify children whose history and behaviors may indicate a need to refer for services.

The class will run from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 18. Other details include:

Attendees can receive 1.5 hours of PQAS or Act 48 credits. There is no cost to attend or for PQAS hours, but Act 48 hours will incur a separate fee.
All can attend but prior completion of “Becoming Trauma Informed” is required to receive PQAS or Act 48 credits.
PD Registry Course: 153312
Event ID: 379303
Register

News

May 7, 2025

APOST-Pitt Focus Group for Out-of-School Time Professionals

The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) will host focus groups with regional out-of-school time professionals on the design phase for an upcoming project.

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Pitt Education and APOST are working to increase the capacity of out-of-school time staff and organizations in program evaluation. The two organizations will host focus groups with local out-of-school time providers to gather insights, identify challenges, and shape the design for a cohort of organizations to receive training and tools to strengthen their program evaluation.

The input from the project will inform the creation of an evaluation toolkit that will be publicly available in summer 2026.

Focus groups will be held on the following dates:

May 21, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Homewood CEC (includes lunch at noon)
May 21, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Homewood CEC (includes lunch at noon)
May 21, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., CoLab18 at Nova Place (includes dinner at 6 p.m.)

Those interested in taking part in the Program Evaluation Cohort Focus Group should fill out an application.

News

April 29, 2025

OST Professionals Invited to Take Part in APOST-Pitt Focus Group

Regional out-of-school time professionals who are currently evaluating programs for the upcoming year are invited to participate in focus groups on the design phase for an upcoming APOST and Pitt Education project.

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The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) are working to increase the capacity of out-of-school time staff and organizations in program evaluation.

The two organizations will host focus groups in May with local out-of-school time providers to gather insights, identify challenges, and shape the design for a cohort of organizations to receive training and tools to strengthen their program evaluation.

The input from the project will inform the creation of an evaluation toolkit that will be publicly available in summer 2026.

Focus groups will be held on the following dates:

May 7, 10:30 a.m. to noon, virtual
May 21, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Homewood CEC (includes lunch at noon)
May 21, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Homewood CEC (includes lunch at noon)
May 21, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., CoLab18 at Nova Place (includes dinner at 6 p.m.)

Those interested in taking part in the Program Evaluation Cohort Focus Group should fill out an application.