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College of Health and Human Sciences

Human Development and Family Studies Outreach and Engagement

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is committed to the land-grant mission of engagement. We showcase our community involvement through several centers and programs.

Centers and Outreach Programs About Our Centers and Programs

Human Development and Family Studies is proud partners with the CSU Extension system. Extension serves to “extend” the research from the land-grant and other universities to the people of Colorado, the region, and the nation. Extension specialists on campus, in conjunction with statewide extension agents, identify critical family life issues across the lifespan from conception to death. These needs are brought to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies where faculty and graduate students work to identify and/or create research-based, effective educational programs to address those top priority needs.

These research-based centers and programs are geared toward parents, couples, individuals, caregivers, early childhood and school-age professionals, and others who want to do things differently to create a better future for themselves and their families.

Early Childhood Center

As the laboratory school within the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, the CSU Early Childhood Center serves a three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service.

  • Provide hands-on learning opportunities for CSU students interested in careers working with children and families.
  • Promote diverse opportunities for research related to children, families, and early childhood education.
  • Provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate-programming for young children in partnership with families.
Early Childhood Center
An early childhood education employee sits with toddlers in a classroom.

Prevention Research Center

The Prevention Research Center is founded in the growing discipline of Prevention Science and is designed to help coordinate prevention research activities within the College of Health and Human Sciences and to promote prevention research across the CSU campus. It also serves as a bridge between CSU faculty, community practitioners and organizations, and policy makers to help translate the most current scientific advances into practice.

Prevention Research Center
Doug Coatsworth, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, and his team at the Prevention Research Center

Center for Family and Couple Therapy

The Center for Family and Couple Therapy provides high-quality therapy services to families, couples, individuals, adolescents, and children. Affiliated with CSU’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, the CFCT offers services to all members of the Larimer County community as well as to students, faculty, and staff on campus.

Center for Family and Couple Therapy
female student playing with children

Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center

The Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center is dedicated to providing high quality, child-centered, and comprehensive assessments to children who have experienced multiple and complex traumas.

Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center
student holding childs hand

Campus Connections

Campus Connections is a multidisciplinary service-learning course at CSU where undergraduate students serve as mentors to youth. Students from over 90 majors work one-on-one with youth ranging from 11-18 to tackle a broad range of challenges. Youth may be referred by family members or our community partners and work with mentors to establish goals for positive growth.

Campus Connections
A campus connections mentor talks to a student.

Columbine Health Systems Center for Health Aging

The Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging is a catalyst for interdisciplinary research and evidence-based outreach and education about healthy aging. As a community-engaged center, the center aims to be a premier local, regional, and nationally recognized resource for discovery and application of research on biological, cognitive, psychological, social, and behavioral factors that lead to healthy and successful aging.

Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging
A Columbine Health Systems employee sits with Columbine residents.

GRANDcares Project

The GrandCARES Project focuses on strengthening self-care and parenting skills in custodial grandparents, developing communication and leadership skills in grandchildren, and increasing the ability of service providers to meet grandfamilies’ needs.

GRANDcares
Students at Campus Connections

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is a grant-funded website that provides online resources for grandparents that are raising their grandchildren. The website help grandparents overcome barriers, answer their questions and enhance their relationship with their grandchildren.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren