Affiliated CSC Activities

Smart Start - United Way

Smart Start-Centre County is a network of businesses, organizations, and individuals that promote the healthy growth and development of all young children in Centre County. As a member and co-chair of the Smart Start Early Childhood Mental Health Action Committee, Pamela Cole and Child Study Center staff have assisted in obtaining funding for an initiative to improve provider training in the area of early childhood mental health. Further collaborations between the Child Study Center and Smart Start-Centre County are expected.

Families Interested in Research Studies – FIRSt Families

The Families Interested In Research Studies (FIRSt) database has been established to connect Penn State researchers and families with infants and young children in central Pennsylvania who are interested in participating in research. Developed through collaborations between faculty from Human Development and Family Studies, Psychology, and other departments throughout the University, the database is housed and administrated at the Child Study Center.

The Friendship Group Project

The Child Study Center is home to this project, which was designed to provide opportunities for elementary school children in the community to develop and practice the skills needed to form satisfactory friendships. Friendship groups are facilitated by teams of advanced undergraduate students who are trained and supervised by Dr. Janet Welsh of the Prevention Research Center. Additional support and supervision is provided by graduate students in the child clinical psychology program at Penn State. The Friendship Group program is funded as part of the Department of Psychology's undergraduate training program, and is offered to families and children in the community at no cost.