Office of Child Development Honored with Partnership of Distinction Award
The long-running partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services was recognized during the Pitt Community Engaged Scholar Forum on March 4.
The University’s Office of Child Development (OCD) and Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) were honored with the Partnership of Distinction Award at the University of Pittsburgh Community Engaged Scholarship Forum held on March 4. The recognition celebrates their ongoing 28-year collaboration through the Partnerships for Family Support (PFS) initiative.
Under the leadership of Rhonda Hall, director of family and community partnerships at OCD, the program supports the Allegheny Family Center Network, which serves 8,561 families through 26 family centers with a staff of 164 professionals across the county.
“Our team is humbled and honored to accept the 2025 Partnership of Distinction award on behalf of past and present Partnerships for Family Support contributors,” said Hall. “While it has been through many changes over the years, the partnership remains strong with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services to support the Allegheny County Family Center Network. Our team, which includes Linda Vincent (Project Manager) and Amy Engel (Communications and Administrative Coordinator), have been working diligently over the past three years to continue the great work that our many predecessors began long ago.”
“We are proud to continue to serve the Family Center Network to strengthen families and promote healthy child development across Allegheny County.”
The PFS initiative provides research-based professional development, technical assistance, and programming support to family centers. Support areas include leadership development, child development, advocacy mentoring, and strengths-based family support approaches. The partnership also creates valuable opportunities for Pitt Education students to develop community engagement skills through direct involvement with the centers. All PFS services and programs are free for communities.
Since 2003, the Allegheny County DHS has provided over $8.3 million in funding for the partnership, with the current annual contract at $290,077. Additional support from the Heinz Endowments ($2.9 million) and the RK Mellon Foundation has strengthened the initiative’s impact.
The program aligns with the Plan for Pitt 2028’s community engagement goals and has helped rebuild trust between the University and local communities through positive experiences at Pitt’s Community Engagement Centers.
As the long-standing partnership between OCD and DHS enters its third decade, it continues to be a model for university-community collaborations benefiting children and families throughout the region.
