Chelsea’s Child Wellbeing Initiative: A District-Community-University Partnership

Abstract

In the midst of and after disaster, schools and other child-serving institutions play a crucial role in supporting community recovery and mitigating trauma. Our multidisciplinary research team will engage in a collaborative research process to address critical societal issues in public health, immigration, and education in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Collaborating with the town and school district, we will conduct exploratory mixed-methods research focused on child wellbeing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. As research partners, we will help with the establishment of the Chelsea Children’s Cabinet to support families and children, providing, “a designated forum for regular collaboration among all government agencies and external organizations that serve children” (Ed Redesign, 2019, p. 4). In total, 25 local community leaders from the school district, social service and health agencies, government including the city manager and housing authority, and non-profit organizations have joined the Children’s Cabinet. 
Our research team will document the collaborative process of cross-sector engagement, support the use of high-quality evidence, and study the impact on children’s wellbeing and health in Chelsea. The research questions that guide our study are as follows:How does a global pandemic affect children and families’ wellbeing?In response, how have schools mobilized health services, resources and community partnerships to support immigrant families in Chelsea?How does the Children’s Cabinet contribute to the coordination of services for children and families in Chelsea?

Presentations

• It’s always been the case: Community leaders’ pandemic sensemaking in a cross-sector collaborative, University Council for Education Administration Conference, 2022
• Community leaders’ sensemaking of environmental jolts: A case study of pandemic responses, American Educational Research Association, April 2022
• For the Community, From the Community: A Town’s Children’s Cabinet, American Psychological Association 2022 Convention, August 2022
• The Collaborative Design of a Children’s Cabinet: A Case Study of One Cross-Sector Initiative in Response to the Global Pandemic, International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, January 2023
• The Collaborative Design of a Children's Cabinet: A Cross-Sector Initiative to Support Child Well-Being, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, April 2023

Publications 

• Lowenhaupt, R., Oliveria, G., Lima Becker, M., & Lai, B.S. (In preparation). Community leaders sensemaking of environmental jolts: A case study of pandemic response. Journal of Community Practice.
  

Additional Grants

•  Collaborative Fellowship at Boston College: “Chelsea’s Child Wellbeing Initiative: A District-Community-University Partnership”. Granted for 2022-2023.
• IGNITE, Boston College. Chelsea’s Child Wellbeing Initiative: A District-Community-University Partnership. Granted for 2021-2022.
  

Students Trained 

• 3 Graduate Students
  • Samantha Aube
  • Mariana Lima Becker
  • Julian Hayes

Additional Accomplishments 

• Hosted and developed several events and programs for Chelsea’s Childrens’ Cabinet