About Us

Introduction and History

The Center for Community Collaboration (CCC) began as CSUF’s Center for Collaboration for Children, which operated at CSUF from 1991-2001 under the direction of Sid Gardner. Upon the retirement of Sid Gardner in 2001, the College of Health and Human Development (CHHD) and University Extended Education (UEE) formed a partnership to continue building on his legacy and renamed the center, The Center for Community Collaboration. Established as part of the CHHD, the CCC continues to be a major change catalyst, both locally and statewide, for universities and communities to embrace inter-professional education, community collaboration and results based accountability.

In 2002, Michelle Berelowitz was appointed as director and under her direction CCC began to establish itself as an organization on campus working in collaboration with community partners to provide professional development, research and technical assistance. A brief summary of activities over the past ten years is presented below:

1. Developed and offered Early Care and Education Leadership Certificate (with United Way)
2. Developed and offered Infant Mental Health Certificate (with Orange County Health Care Agency)
3. Received a 3-three Family and Community Violence Prevention grant from the Office of Minority Health for $750,000.
4. Conducted a community assessment of non-profit organizations in the San Gabriel Valley (with PHFE Management Solutions)
5. Since 2004, the Center has been under the sole direction and leadership of the College of Health and Human Development.
6. The Center continues to provide technical assistance, research and professional development to the community, faculty and student interns.

In keeping with Cal State Fullerton's mission…

“Through experiences in and out of the classroom, students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions, strengthen relationships to their communities and contribute productively to society.”

CCC provides students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to work in the field of human services in order to improve the lives of the children, families and the community in Orange County.

The CCC’s Core Principles

CCC has identified seven-core competencies as central to inter-professional education and which have been critical to CCC’s operating success. They include the ability to:

1. Understand the process of family centered practice
2. Apply the knowledge and skills necessary to support integrated services
3. Work in collaborative teams or partnerships across traditional lines of programs, agencies, disciplines, and diverse communities
4. Develop leadership to initiate and sustain systems change
5. Facilitate effective communication with people from different cultural, social, professional, and organizational backgrounds
6. Understand and implement outcome based accountability
7. Acquire the ability to understand and/or change social policy issues across multiple systems that affect children, families, and communities.

Highlights and Accomplishments

Since 2002 CCC, embarked on endeavors in the areas of research, professional development and community capacity building. The following is a list of CCC’s accomplishments: (Click links for more details)

The Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County
The Annual Community Forum on the Conditions of Children in Orange County
¡CONECTATE! Family Life Center
Early Care and Education Research
Social Welfare in the United States: Osaka Jikei College

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