Megan Gunnar, PhD, Regents Professor and director of the Institute of Child Development, has been appointed to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH, an instructor and alumna of ICD and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, also was named to the council.
The advisory council will focus on equity and addressing the opportunity gap from a whole family, whole system approach. It is charged with:
- engaging with community, business, expert, advocacy, and other stakeholders to inform recommendations;
- identifying opportunities and challenges to collaborating and coordinating child development services in Minnesota; and
- promoting equity by examining programs, policies, and practices.
“Minnesota should be the best place in the country for each and every child to grow up,” said Governor Walz. “When we focus on improving equity and outcomes for our littlest Minnesotans, we lift up all of us. I am grateful for the service of these leaders – representing youth, teachers and schools, researchers, counties and tribes, and leaders of many walks of life.”
“Too often, race, zip code, and income determine the trajectory of our kids’ lives,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, an alumna of ICD’s undergraduate child psychology program (now developmental psychology). “This council – made up of parents, advocates, teachers, school districts, county and tribal administrators, leaders and voices from the private and public sector, communities of color, and Greater Minnesota – will help our charge to place children at the center of government and commit to prioritizing equitable outcomes so that all Minnesotans can reach their full potential.”
Members of the advisory council will serve until January 2023.
