History

1970: A Hill District advisory group of mothers, fathers, and grandparents communicated to Dr. Jerome Taylor an interest in preventing social, emotional, and cognitive problems in children under three years of age. Before the end of 1970, initial grant money had been located to launch the planning and implementation of what later was called Right Start.

From 1975 to 1980: Additional programs were developed to enhance the level of self-esteem in parents and improve the quality of relationships between caregivers since these matters make an enormous difference in quality of parenting. We also designed and implemented Values for Life Child Care Centers to promote high levels of Love and Respect, Interpersonal Skills, Learning Orientation, Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence, Self-Persistence, and Self-Reliance in infants and children through five years of age.

1988: We formed the Institute for the Black Family at the University of Pittsburgh which better accommodated the range of interventions we had developed and refined in helping families.

Before 1991: With the assistance of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, we designed two major local policy initiatives to enhance the development of neighborhoods.

1994: We were funded for our First Steps Initiative which was designed to prevent child abuse and neglect.

1996: We moved from the University of Pittsburgh and formed a new entity under the name of the Center for Family Excellence, Inc. We continued our existing programs which help families transform their lives and the neighborhoods where they live.

1997: An initiative funded by the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth and Families, the Family Reunification Program works to expedite the reunification of children who were placed in foster care.

1998: We were funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation to infuse Values for Life Interventions through the Village at McKelvy Elementary School to promote academic achievement among students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

1999: Our Male Coalition Program works with male youths and adults around issues such as anger management, daily life maintenance, family management, gang violence, job readiness, maleness, and manhood, parenting, sexual responsibility, substance abuse, and parenting. The Cultural Policy Council which was formed in the Hill District during the winter of 1999, works to strengthen families who are living under adverse circumstances by making Values for Life the norm throughout entire neighborhoods.

2000: Certificate Training sessions in Values for Life Child Care were held with three organizations which serve young children. We expect that an increasing number of organizations will attend our training sessions in the future. The Center for Family Excellence was one of three statewide winners in the Violence-Free Youth Challenge competition. We moved to spacious new quarters in the AUBA building on Dinwiddie Street where we have consolidated all programs except our Values for Life Child Care center.