CEHS and Malone Center begin partnership to support children and families



CEHS and Malone Center begin partnership to support children and families

22 May 2018     By Brad Stauffer

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) is partnering with the Clyde Malone Community Center in Lincoln to provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for the successful development of children and families at the Malone Center and opportunities for practical experience for CEHS students. Malone Center Executive Director Kimberly Goins and CEHS Interim Dean Beth Doll signed a letter of agreement May 16 at a brief ceremony. The initial agreement is for five years.

CEHS-Malone Center partnership
Leaders of Nebraska’s College of Education and Human Sciences and the Malone Community Center signed a five-year agreement to create a community partnership. Pictured (back row, from left) is Deb Mullen, associate dean of education and human sciences; and Martha Florence, Jan Sheridan and Michael Thompson, all Malone Center board members; (middle row) Kimberly Goins, executive director of the Malone Center and Beth Doll, interim dean of education and human sciences; and (front row) Daevon Jackson, early education teacher at the Malone Center, and children in the center’s Early Achievers Academy.

The partnership will facilitate collaborations in several areas including teaching, research, curriculum development, training, and placement of interns, graduate assistants and student teachers. Activities are already underway with staff and children from CEHS’s Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory engaging with children and staff in Malone’s Early Achievers Academy. Plans are also in place to have graduate students in the CEHS Marriage and Family Therapy program provide on-site family therapy services.

“We are delighted that our students can walk across the street from campus, into the Malone Center, and have world-changing experiences as they provide needed services to children and families in Lincoln,” said Doll. “Our college prepares students for careers where they are going to make other people’s lives better. This is a unique opportunity for CEHS students to walk that talk while they’re in training.”

“We want to ensure that all families in Lincoln have access to quality education, access to additional social services, and access to people who really believe in them. That’s what we’re getting from the university in this partnership,” said Goins. “It’s ensuring that we can take care of our families and be on the forefront of educational opportunities. Our kids and families will be much better because of this partnership.”

Deb Mullen, CEHS associate dean, is coordinating the partnership for the college. She is excited about the potential of the partnership to impact the children at the Malone Center and for the promise of CEHS students getting real-world experiences where they can make a difference.

“We’re not just neighbors, we’re partners, and we need to be good partners so our shared neighborhood can achieve all that’s possible,” said Mullen. “Children in the Malone community deserve the same opportunities as children in more affluent areas of Lincoln. These are talented kids, and we see their value. They can achieve so much if they’re just given the chance.”

The Malone Center supports underserved families through early childhood education, an out of school program, a leadership academy for high school students, a community learning center at Culler Middle School, a minority health program, and an aging senior program to help seniors remain independent.

CEHS anticipates students and faculty across the college will participate in the partnership.


College of Education and Human Sciences
Child, Youth and Family Studies