Christina Groark
School of Education
University of Pittsburgh
LL104 LXONE
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
PHONE: 412-244-5303
EMAIL:
cgroark@pitt.eduFull Time Faculty - Associate Professor
For the past 20 years, Christina J. Groark, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education and Co-Director of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development (OCD), has provided administrative oversight, management, and practical and scholarly guidance for international, national, and local interdisciplinary projects. Her expertise includes applied issues of children, youth, and families, especially of those in urban and low-income communities. Her extensive career has been devoted to improving the lives of all children, including institutionalized children, children with severe mental and physical disabilities, at-risk children, and helping children by focusing on the entire family and caregiving environment. Her specific interests are in the areas of early care and education, early intervention, orphanage care, nonprofit management, and program development. Dr. Groark has designed and implemented innovative service demonstration programs, policy initiatives, needs assessments, experimental interventions, program evaluations, and research studies. Internationally, she is working on examining orphanages through projects in the Russian Federation, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. In addition, Dr. Groark has been a consultant to many national and international programs, funders, policy makers, and universities. She is the author of many articles and book chapters in the areas of university-community collaborations, improved interventions in orphanages, applied developmental psychology, and early intervention and is a consulting editor of the Journal of the International Association of Special Education. Dr. Groark is the recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s 2005 Chancellor’s Award for Public Service. She is currently a member of numerous committees and professional associations.
School Affiliations
- Department: Office of Child Development - Assoc Professor/Co-Director Office of Child Dev.
- Department: Psychology in Education - Assoc Professor/Co-Director Office of Child Dev.
- Program: Applied Developmental Psychology - Associate Professor
Education
Recent Publications
Book Chapters
- Groark, C. J. & McCall, R. B. (in press). Community-based interventions. In M. Rutter et al. (Eds.), Rutter’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 5th Ed. London, GB: Blackwell Publishing Company.
- McCall, R. B., & Groark, C. J., (2007). A Perspective on the history and future of disseminating behavioral and social science. In M. K. Welch-Ross and L. G. Fasig (Eds.), Handbook on Communicating and Disseminating Behavioral Science, (pp. 15-32). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Kaczmarek, L., & Groark, C.J. (2007). Early intervention practices for children with and at risk for delays. In C. J. Groark, K. E. Mehaffie, R. B. McCall, and M. T. Greenberg (Eds.). Evidence-based programs and practices for early childhood care and education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Link: More...
- Barnard, W. M. & Groark, C. J. (2007). Demonstration Programs and Successful Outcomes. In Evidence-based programs and practices for early childhood care and education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Link: More...
Books
- Groark, C. J., Mehaffie, K. E., McCall, R. B., & Greenberg, M. T. (Eds.) (2007). Evidence-based programs and practices for early childhood care and education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Link: More...
Journal Articles
- Kochanoff, A., Weinraub, M., Shlay, A., Fiene, R., Greenberg, M., Groark, C., McCall, R., Mehaffie, K., Nelkin, R., Smith, W. E. (in press). Predictors of early child care and preschool educational opportunities: Inequality at the starting gates? Developmental Psychology.
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Recent Course Instruction
Fall 2008 (2091)
Summer 2008 (2087)
Spring 2008 (2084)
- PSYED 00000 - Directed Study
Fall 2007 (2081)
- PSYED 19152 - DIRECTED STUDY
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Recent Presentations
- Transforming an Institution: The Role of Early Social-Emotional-Relationship Experience in Young Children's Development
Presentation at Duquesne University.
- An Analysis and Strategic Approach to Monitoring the Status and Progress of Child Welfare Reform in 21 CEE/CIS Countries
Presentation for USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Office of Democracy, Governance and Social Transition
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Current Professional Participation
- I oversaw the organization, management, funding, and implementation of the Family Support Conference 2007 - "Everybody Ready = School Success." CEUs are available. This is an annual family support conference for parents, neighborhood leaders, faith-based groups, family support participants, community development and economic development organizers, social service agencies, child care workers, educators, health care providers, practitioners, and human service administrators of human services, child advocacy groups, foundations, public agency staff, policy makers, and elected officials.
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Recent Consulting
- Journal of the International Association of Special Education.
- Consulting Editor, Journal of the International Association of Special Education.
- United Way of Allegheny County
- Children, Youth, and Families Selection Committee
- Universities Children's Policy Collaborative (UCPC)
- The Universities Children's Policy Collaborative (UCPC): UCPC is dedicated to contributing to the health and welfare of children, youth, and families by providing nonpartisan information on public policies. A collaboration between researchers from three state-related universities (Penn State University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh), UCPC provides research, data, and experts to address issues affecting the well-being of children, youth, and families in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. UCPC works with foundations, legislators, journalists, and the executive branch of state government to provide scientific information to help improve child and family policy and program results in Pennsylvania. I consult through monthly conference calls and bimonthly meetings in Harrisburg.
- University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota Children, Youth, and Families Consortium.
University of Minnesota President's Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families.
University of Minnesota Center of Excellence in Children's Mental Health.
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Recent Grants
- Howard Heinz Endowment to the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, to provide core services of dissemination, training, and networking in areas pertaining to children, youth, and families, $500,000.
- Howard Heinz Endowment, $93,744, for the Senator Heinz Memorial
- Latin American Orphanage Project - Whole Child International, $135,940.
- Richard King Mellon Foundation to the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, to provide core services of dissemination, training, and networking in areas pertaining to children, youth, and families, $150,000.
- USAID, $114,564, from Creative Associates International.
- ECAAP, $450,000, from The William Penn Foundation.
- USAID, $55,000, from Creative Associates International.
- Statewide Early Care and Education Evaluation Design, $69,000 from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, PA Department of Public Welfare.
- Partnerships for Family Support, $411,192 from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
- Barriers to Mental Health, $270,000 from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.
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