Center for Child and Adult Development

The purpose of the Center for Child and Adult Development is to support innovative projects that promote optimal human development for everyone, with special emphasis on urban education. The center brings together educators, parents, and community stakeholders to improve the well-being of youth in schools and their families. The center operates under the auspices of the Department of School Psychology, Counseling, and Leadership in the School of Education. We are a department of three specialized but collaborative programs that educate school psychologists, school counselors, and educational leaders.

Projects

The Play Therapy Project: Introduction

The Play Therapy Project provides a culturally competent, creative approach to supporting children’s development and learning through environmental design, arts, and play-based interventions. It is the intervention of choice for children and their families who have experienced such life disruptions as divorce, loss, dislocation and migration, illness, or trauma, including abuse, neglect, violence, war, and natural disasters.

The Play Therapy Project provides professional development and continuing education activities, and an advanced certificate program in play therapy for clinicians and graduate students in creative arts therapy, mental health counseling, school counseling, psychology, school psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychoanalysis, medicine/ physician assistant, nursing, or other appropriate professions.

The project is designated by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) as both an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education and an Approved Provider of Play Therapy Continuing Education. Clinicians who complete the graduate certificate in play therapy may apply for the RPT Registered Play Therapist (RPT) and Supervisor (RPT-S) credentials conferred by the Association for Play Therapy.

Child Advocacy: Dissemination and Professional Development Projects

These child advocacy projects have been developed to promote and improve child advocacy in the areas of child abuse intervention and prevention, especially addressing the needs of vulnerable children. The center’s activities seek to engage, replicate, and share information with current and future professionals, child advocates, and the broader community.

Integral Urban Education: The Tree of Heaven Project

The Integral Urban Education: The Tree of Heaven Project is developing an integral professional development program and curriculum in collaboration with the Brooklyn Zen Center and the science education program in the School of Education at a Brooklyn public school. The program includes mindfulness, self development, and social-emotional learning and development, interpersonal group work and study, and social justice issues and action projects in education and educational policy analysis.

This project will be offering a certificate program in integral urban education for school counselors, school psychologists, and educational leaders. The program will include an array of integral practices that can be used by educators to further their professional development and enhance the well-being of their school communities.

Preschool Play Project

The early childhood researchers from Brooklyn College are conducting a study to assess the long-term development of children. We are seeking the participation of early childhood teachers, teaching assistants, and student teachers to better understand young children and their play and interests.

Links
GLARE (GLBTQ Advocacy in Research and Education)

GLARE is an organization founded by faculty in the School of Education. Its mission is to prepare educators who are willing and equipped to become allies for LGBTQ students and their families, and to foster school climates that affirm thedignity of all.

Reclaiming the Conversation in Education

In Reclaiming the Conversation in Education, P–12 educators and administrators, teacher educators, parents, advocacy groups, scholars, and students work toward the goal of reclaiming the conversation on education by sharing their experiences with educational “reforms” and building coalitions and supporting resistance to the standardization, privatization, and corporate takeover of education.

Change the Stakes

Contact Us

Professor Paul McCabe
P: 718.951.5876

Brooklyn. All in.