Terrie Rose, PhD, LP Is the founder of Baby’s Space, a child psychologist, a long-time leader in the field of early childhood development and mental health, and a national trainer. Dr. Rose noticed that children born into poor families and communities are at high-risk of toxic stress, abuse, neglect and other factors leading to developmental delays, social and emotional difficulties, school failure and dropout.  Recognizing that quality childcare offers a strategic early intervention point for at-risk children, Terrie developed an effective, baby-centered model.  This common-sense solution to the childcare shortage as well as to persistent, generational poverty on the local Little Earth Indian reservation was founded in 2000 as Baby’s Space. It responded to the cultures, values, and needs of local families by linking quality childcare and education to family services and parent education. Part of this full service model is the essential on-site mental health services.  These services support children’s kindergarten-readiness by helping mitigate the toxic stressors correlated with poverty such as child maltreatment, substance abuse, domestic and community violence, and parental mental illness. Vulnerable children living in poverty typically receive inadequate diagnosis and treatment, so Baby’s Space intentionally meets children where they are, physically and emotionally.

On-site early detection and treatment services also allow Baby’s Space to serve as a point of intervention and safety for children at risk for or involved in child protective services. Parents are also engaged in a variety of parenting services including parent-child therapies, parent education and support.

Dr. Rose is spreading a network of state of the art childcare centers and training policymakers and professionals.  She is breaking the cycle of generational poverty and addressing socioeconomic disparities while changing the way society views and addresses the early care and learning environments of its youngest members. Over the past decade, the positive impact of Baby’s Space’s full-spectrum approach was evident and services have expanded to meet requests from families.  Because, the failure rate of  3^rd grade American Indian children living in Minneapolis was 40%, families requested that Baby’s Space expand services to include early elementary school.  Tatanka Academy opened this year as an alternative school in the Minneapolis Public School system.

Baby’s Space has expanded this successful model to other Minnesota neighborhoods and now turns its attention nationally. For her pioneering work in creating a high-impact early intervention and providing at-risk babies and toddlers a strong start, Dr Rose is one of twenty-one American social entrepreneurs to be selected in 2008 as an Ashoka* Fellow which noticed and seeded this national expansion effort.  Dr. Rose was the only Fellow selected who represented the fields of early childhood, mental health or education.

Baby’s Space is poised to become a national model for child development, from pregnancy through third grade.  Expansion of the Baby’s Space model will use a “hub-and-spoke” structure in which one center-supported by a newly formed national Baby’s Space organization – will provide and coordinate training, supervision coaching, auditing, fundraising and oversight for neighborhood- or village based centers – that are integrating the Baby’s Space model

While many executives of nonprofit organizations draw hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries, Dr. Rose is the Executive Director of Baby’s Space for an annual salary of zero.  This generous donation of her time and expertise allows donations and financial resources to be allocated towards the families and children who so desperately need them.

“Beyond the professional dedication to the organization, there is not a day that Terrie walks in the door empty handed.  Well known for her work locally, donations of clothing, books, toys and other resources are left at the doorstep of her home daily and she arrives at a Baby’s Space center each day with her arms loaded with supplies for the families and children that she serves.  The children parade throughout the day to her “principal’s chair” to receive her personal love and attention toward their emotional struggles, classroom disruptions, and physical maladies.  Her firm stance and kind heart brings a constant stream of visitors into her overloaded schedule.”

Dr. Terrie Rose was the Former Associate Director of Training for Infant and Toddler Development at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development, Dr. Rose has co-authored numerous articles on the impact of maltreatment and poverty on early childhood development, and has trained thousands of early childhood professionals and physicians in the diagnosis of mental illness in young children. Dr. Rose is also a Solnit Leadership Fellow, and the recipient of the Minnesota Department of Health’s 2003 Betty Hubbard State-wide Leadership Award.

*Ashoka: Innovators for the Public recognizes social entrepreneurs for their system-changing solutions to the world’s most urgent social problems.

All information about Dr. Rose was taken directly from her award nominations

Outstanding Service Award Criteria To be nominated for this award, an individual must be recognized in several of these areas:

For Mental Health Professionals and Social Workers

• Engaging in efforts that raise awareness about children’s mental health
• Demonstrating compassion for children, youth, and their families in their work
• Advocating on behalf of children with mental health needs
• Developing and/or implementing innovative, successful programs and methods of collaborating with those involved in the life of a child with mental health needs

Engaging in research to address mental health issues as they apply to children