The award is given by APsaA's Committee on Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis (COCAP) to programs that provide direct services to children and families that support the emotional and social development of children. Eligible programs must also utilize psychoanalytic developmental principles to orient the direct services, although other viewpoints are integrated; utilize child psychoanalysts in a significant way as part of its delivery of services; and be established as substantial community resources with general acceptance by the community at large.
Allen Creek Preschool provides parent-infant classes, parent-toddler classes, two preschool classes, and a kindergarten enrichment class, and serves thirty families. Family consultants, composed of a child psychoanalyst and an adult psychoanalyst or analytically trained mental health professional, work together in each class and support all Allen Creek parents. Every child psychoanalyst in Ann Arbor, many adult analysts, and many analytically oriented mental health workers have volunteered their time to work as family consultants and serve on various committees of Allen Creek. The school's Early Childhood Outreach program provides family consultants for other local preschools, reaching over 600 families each year.
For more information on the Allen Creek School, visit http://www.allencreek.org/ or contact Dottie Jeffries, 212-752-0450, ext. 29 or djeffries@apsa.org.
Founded in 1911, APsaA is a professional organization of psychoanalysts throughout the United States. The Association is composed of Affiliate Societies and Training Institutes in many cities and has approximately 3,500 individual members.
APsaA is a Regional Association of the International Psychoanalytical Association.