History
Located
in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), the
Center was created in 1991 by a Skillman Foundation endowment granted to
Wayne State University. Chartered in 1994, the Center’s ongoing
efforts have focused on:
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stimulating the creation of knowledge about urban children to be disseminated within the university, community, and policy arena.
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informing policy makers, community leaders, and university faculty and staff, through the dissemination of data and information on policies impacting urban children.
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creating, synthesizing and translating knowledge about urban children from diverse racial and ethnic groups and in varying social settings.
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collaborating with university faculty and community-based partners to meet the needs of university researchers, policy makers, and those who implement programs.
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providing opportunities for discussion of critical policy issues affecting children through forums, conferences and workshops.
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building and strengthening public and private support for child-related issues and activities.
Mission
Statement
The
Skillman Center for Children acts as a catalyst of change for urban
children, youth and families while contributing significantly to the
preparation of professionals, the capacity of community organizations,
and the generation and dissemination of research-based information and
analyses that inform both practice and public policy.
Program Areas
The Center is taking the lead in developing an effective collaborative
model of university and community-based participation that, in turn,
will lead toward establishing a policy agenda focusing on issues
impacting urban children and their families. The Center’s work is
accomplished through community outreach activities, research and
publications, the Resource Center, and the Urban Families Program.
Community Outreach
The Center regularly convenes forums, workshops, and conferences open to the community at large. Topics include, but are not limited to:
The Center utilizes a variety of research methods:
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collecting and analyzing data
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analyzing and evaluating the data collected by other researchers
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developing new ideas and promoting the research of others
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providing evaluation and feedback
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and
developing new research tools and strategies for focusing on
children’s issues.
The
Center’s research projects are multi-disciplinary, policy-oriented and
are directed at providing the community with hands-on information.
Examples of ongoing research projects include:
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welfare reform and economic security
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girls at-risk and the juvenile justice system
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maternal and infant health policies
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housing issues for teen parents
Publications
The The Center stimulates the creation of knowledge about urban children through the publication of occasional papers,
monographs, issue briefs, fact sheets, and newsletters. In addition to informing the community about urban children and
various social policies/practices, these publications
present opportunities for review and comment from service providers, policy makers, and university faculty/staff. All
of the Center's publications can be downloaded from our Web page. A limited number of paper copies are available.
Skillman Center for Children Resource Center
The Skillman Center for Children's Resource Center is a
collection of approximately 2,500 books and 750 videos covering a myriad of issues related to urban children, youth
and their families. Anyone in the greater Detroit metropolitan community is welcome to borrow materials at no
charge. Our staff is ready to help you find the information you need in our collection as well as locate other helpful
resources.
Urban Families Program
The Urban Families Program (UFP) serves as a training, consulting,
technical assistance, and advocacy program in the fields of family
support and parenting education. Training programs are created for
agencies, schools, faith-based or other community organizations to meet
their staff development needs.
Annual
Reports
Newsletters
The Skillman Center for Children publishes a newsletter three times a year. Newsletters include information on upcoming events, the Urban Families Program, our Resource Center, as well as alerts about policy issues impacting urban children and their families. Click on the links below to view recent newsletters in PDF format:
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Staff
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Dr. Miranne,
PhD, Director and Assistant Professor (Research), Interdisciplinary Studies
ag7821@wayne.edu
Dr. Miranne's research and community involvement
focuses on
social policy issues that impact women, children and families. Her current work examines the gendered
perspectives of the changing welfare state, race and poverty, teen mothers and their children, and community
development from the perspective of children and families.
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Joan Blount, M.S., Director, Urban Families Program
aa4778@wayne.edu
In
addition to UFP administrations duties, Joan has worked as a
training coordinator, training supervisor, and a parenting
specialist. She has built collaborative relationships with the
Detroit Public Health Department, Detroit Public Schools, Head
Start, and many other agencies throughout the metropolitan area.
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Linda Stone
ak5703@wayne.edu
Linda
is the Resource Center Librarian, and has a Masters in Library and
Information Science from WSU. She can most often be found in the
Resource Center helping patrons, or performing a myriad of other
duties which keep her busy.
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Jean Vortkamp, Special Projects
ae7562@wayne.edu
Jean
works on publications of materials, this Web site and detroitkids.org.
She has a bachelor's degree in Labor Studies from WSU and a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
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Rebeca
Guzmán, MSW, ACSW, Interconceptual Care Inreach Coordinator (ICCI), Detroit Healthy Start program.
rguzman@med.wayne.edu
Becky received her Masters degree in social work from
U of M and has been working with women and children in Detroit for almost 20 years. She is a certified Doula and enjoys working with new moms before, during, and after the birth process. Becky is also a member of the Pediatric Diabetes Travel Clinic where she assists rural children throughout the state adjust to living with the disease.
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Deborah
Simmons, MSW, ACSW,
Coordinator of Healthy State Project Consumer Regional Council.
ac8404@wayne.edu
Deborah received her MSW at U of M. She has worked in mental health, public health, and medical social
work. For the past 20 years, she has focused on community organization around maternal child health issues. She sits on numerous health and human service board and committees throughout the Detroit
area and the county.
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Skillman
Center for Children
Wayne
State University
100
East Palmer, Detroit, Michigan 48202
Phone
(313) 872-7166 FAX (313) 872-7126 Email - skillmancenter@wayne.edu
Click
here for location and hours.
Mission:
The Skillman Center for Children acts as a catalyst of change for
urban children, youth and families while contributing significantly to
the preparation of professionals, the capacity of community
organizations, and the generation and dissemination of research-based
information and analyses that inform both practice and public policy.
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