Family Growth and Child Development

Promoting the healthy development of children beginning at an early age is not only smart, but it is cost-effective. The goal of the Family Growth and Child Development Department (FGCDD) is to promote positive outcomes for children and youth by strengthening, supporting and empowering families and communities. The department has three main areas of focus:

• Assuring that children and youth are safe, healthy and successful. The FGCDD fosters the positive development of children from birth into young adulthood through the creation, development and administration of high quality programs and initiatives. These programs focus on early childhood development, school readiness, literacy, after school care, childcare, health, social skills development and substance abuse prevention.
• Strengthening and supporting families. The FGCDD believes that the best way to ensure the healthy development of children and youth is to support parents, families and communities. Building strong, resilient, socially, and financially stable families is an integral function of the department’s work. The department offers services to families using an integrated, community-driven approach that focuses on prevention, strengths-based family support services and community partnership building. The FGCDD meets families where they are and believes that every family can succeed, no matter what the structure or circumstance.
• Empowering Communities. The FGCDD works with targeted communities to address their needs and spearhead services, programs and initiatives that positively impact children and families by mobilizing stakeholders in each neighborhood. Stakeholders can include schools, businesses, churches, grassroots organizations, human service providers, local government, police, parents, and others. Current initiatives include:
  • Duquesne State Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP)
  • Duquesne Communities That Care Delinquency Prevention Team
  • Minority Disabilities Outreach Program
  • Greater Pittsburgh Healthy Marriage Coalition