People Serving People (PSP), a long-time partner of the Institute of Child Development (ICD), is a 2019 recipient of the Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Community Partner Award.
The Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards allow member presidents and chancellors to recognize effective leaders and campus-community partnerships. The community partner award is given to community-based organizations that have strong partnerships with a member college or university and have enhanced quality of life in their communities. In 2019, there were 88 awardees from 27 colleges and universities across Minnesota.
PSP operates a shelter and other services for families experiencing homelessness and related trauma. Since 1989, PSP has supported University of Minnesota studies to inform education, services, and policies for homeless children and their families. For many years, PSP has partnered with ICD and its Lab School to develop and offer practicum training and volunteer experiences for students. For example, PSP and Lab School teachers recently developed a new undergraduate course titled, “Early Childhood Practicum in Trauma-informed Care,” which they jointly oversee. PSP also provides dedicated space at their site for students to conduct research and evaluate interventions.
“Our collaboration with the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development has been nothing short of transformational,” said Daniel Gumnit, chief executive officer at PSP. “Our early childhood development programs work alongside families who have experienced adversities, trauma, and toxic stress, and our partnership has meant so much early learning success for the families supported by People Serving People.”
PSP was nominated for the award by Ann Masten, PhD, a Regents Professor and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development in ICD, who collaborates with PSP on research- and educational-based initiatives. “This partnership has facilitated extraordinary student and faculty engagement in the issues of homelessness, highly influential research by faculty and students, and many publications and presentations on the risks and resilience of families experiencing homelessness,” Masten said. “It also has led to broader awareness of equity and justice issues posed by homelessness in children and families.”
Gumnit accepted the award on April 10, 2019, at a statewide summit at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Congratulations to PSP for receiving the community partner award! ICD is grateful for your partnership.
