Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research

March 24, 2025

Resource highlight: Past events & training



Did you know you can access articles and recordings of previous NAECR Knowledge and Networking events on the NAECR website?

The past events section includes valuable information on topics such as effective online data collection, promoting children’s social and emotional development, communicating research to practice and policy audiences, and more. 


Follow this link for direct access: https://naecr.unl.edu/training/past-events

NAECR Knowledge event highlights AI potential in early childhood research

How can early childhood researchers incorporate artificial intelligence into their work? Early childhood researchers discussed strategies, tools and best practices for incorporating AI into their work during the spring NAECR Knowledge event March 13.

Read More

NAECR Networking: Showcasing Innovative Research in Social-emotional Development


The spring 2025 NAECR Networking event will feature early childhood researchers from across the University of Nebraska system, who will share their latest research and findings on social-emotional development.


Presenters will include:


Kerry-Ann Escayg, Teacher Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Sara Kupzyk, Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Abbie Raikes, Health Promotion, University of Nebraska Medical Center


There will be time for questions and conversation.



The event is free, but registration is required.

Presentation Details


NAECR Networking: Showcasing Innovative Research

in Social-emotional Development


Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Noon – 1 p.m. CDT


Virtual via Zoom


A Zoom link will be distributed to registrants prior to the event.

Register for the event

Research study seeking parents and children


University of Nebraska researchers are exploring how parents communicate with their children during social interactions. They are seeking parents and their children (ages 6-10) to participate in a study, including families with children on the autism disorder spectrum and those with typically developing children.


If you have connections with groups that meet these criteria, please reach out to the study coordinator and/or share the research flyer.


Learn more.

Here are recent publications from NAECR researchers:


A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of coaching and the contribution of coaching processes to learning outcomes for early childhood teachers and children

Rachel Schachter, University of Illinois-Chicago

Lisa Knoche*, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Junrong Lu, Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Molly Goldberg, Child, Youth, and Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Paige Wernick**, Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Shayne Piasta, The Ohio State University

Hope Sparks Lancaster, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska

 

Are food and nutrition assistance programs fostering an equitable early care and education (ECE) food environment? A systematic review utilizing the RE-AIM framework

Tirna Purkait**, Nutrition & Health Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Dipti Dev*, Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Deepa Drivastava, Dev Research and Extension Group, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Lisa Franzen-Castle*, Nutrition & Health Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Allison Magness Nitto, Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, Nebraska

Erica Kenney, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts


 * Denotes NAECR Researcher

** Denotes NAECR Student Researcher

Would you like to see your work featured here? Contact us at naecr@unl.edu
NAECR can assist you in finding research partners for your funding applications and staff in CYFS are available to assist with your proposal development for these or other funding opportunities.

Please contact Lisa Knoche if you are interested in building a collaborative team, need assistance with proposal development or would like to discuss funding opportunities for your research.

New! CYFS Signature Research Impact Program


The Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools is offering a new funding opportunity to support transformational research and innovation conducted in partnership with CYFS.


Research must fall under one or more of CYFS’ six thematic areas, and relate to issues impacting Nebraska’s children, families, schools and/or communities. Additionally, principal investigators must be a faculty member at one of the NU campuses and a research affiliate of CYFS.


Award budget: Up to 3 awards will be made. The maximum award request is $20,000 for up to two years


Notice of Intent due date: This Friday, March 28, 2025

Proposal due date: April 30, 2025


Learn more.

New! Brady Education Foundation: Research Project and Existing Program Evaluation Proposals


Opportunities in this funding program seek to improve educational outcomes for children, including those living in low-income communities, and to promote collaboration among researchers, educators and other stakeholders.


Stage 1 proposal due date: April 1, 2025

Stage 2 proposal due date: Aug. 1, 2025


Learn more.

SRCD Horowitz Early Career Scholars Program


This program provides educational and professional development for scholars who are underrepresented in the developmental science field, giving them a launching point for a career in the field of child development.


Through participation in this program, scholars have the opportunity to be reimbursed for registration costs as well as participate in a yearlong program consisting of monthly seminars and one-on-one mentorship meetings.  


Award budget: $1,500 stipend, mentorship and monthly professional development seminars.


Proposal due date: Today, March 24, 2025


Learn more.

Student Funding: Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars


The goal of this program is to support high-quality research from a variety of fields, including health, education, social work, music, art, psychology, neurosciences and others. New methodologies are encouraged along with multidisciplinary research.


Applicants must be full-time, doctoral-level graduate students who have been admitted to candidacy within a department on one of the University of Nebraska campuses.  


Award budget: Up to $25,000 to a maximum of four NU doctoral students every year.


Proposal due date: April 25, 2025


Learn more.

Funding Forecast: Administration for Children and Families Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-being Research Center


The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation anticipates announcing the availability of funds and requesting applications for the Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-being Research Center (TRC). The TRC will provide leadership, collaboration, and support for culturally responsive and actionable research and evaluation of federal early childhood and family economic well-being initiatives that serve Indigenous communities.


Estimated award budget: $700,000 – $1,000,000


Estimated proposal due date: May 1, 2025


Learn more.

Funding Forecast: Administration for Children and Families Tribal Child Care Data and Research Capacity Awards


The Tribal Child Care Data and Research Capacity Awards (Phase I) will support partnerships between Tribal (CCDF) Lead Agencies and research and coordinating organizations to develop and improve tribal data systems and strengthen capacity-building of Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies.


Sponsored projects will identify, collect, analyze and use early childhood data to complete research activities guiding policy and program improvement efforts.


Estimated award budget: $400,000


Estimated proposal due date: June 2, 2025


Learn more.

Student Funding Forecast: Administration for Children and Families Graduate Student Dissertation Grants


The Administration for Children and Families supports rigorous dissertation research by advanced doctoral students addressing policy relevant issues. ACF is accepting proposals for behavioral interventions, child care and Head Start dissertation grants.

Behavioral Interventions Scholars Grants


Estimated award budget: $20,000-$25,000

Estimated proposal due date: April 28, 2025


Learn more.

Child Care Dissertation Grants


Estimated award budget: $20,000-$25,000

Estimated proposal due date: May 1, 2025


Learn more.

Head Start Dissertation Grants


Estimated award budget: $20,000-$25,000

Estimated proposal due date: May 16, 2025


Learn more.

New! Midwest Pyramid Model Summit


Call for Proposals

 

Nov. 5-6, 2025

Naperville, Illinois


Aimed at advancing high-impact, sustainable implementation strategies, this event will focus on how the Pyramid Model, an evidence-based approach to promoting social and emotional development and positive behavior, can be effectively adapted and scaled in early childhood settings.


Summit organizers are especially excited to showcase some of the Pyramid Model and infant/early childhood mental health work happening across the state of Nebraska.


Proposal due date: April 30, 2025


Learn more.

Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) Annual Conference: “Education in Context: Research, Systems, and the Future of Evidence-Based Change”


Call for Proposals

 

Oct. 8-11, 2025

Chicago, Illinois


SREE is currently accepting proposals for its annual convention. Participants are invited to discuss relevant insights and findings about education in context, and to explore the approaches, frameworks and tools necessary for research that examine educational practices, policies, initiatives and the broader systems in which they unfold.


Proposal due date: April 1, 2025


Learn more.

International Society for Developmental Psychobiology

Annual Meeting


Call for Proposals

 

Nov. 12-14, 2025

San Diego, California

 

The ISDP is currently accepting proposals for its 58th annual meeting, which will bring together a multidisciplinary group of international researchers from all areas of developmental psychobiology ranging from clinical psychiatrists to ethologists to molecular biologists with a common interest in promoting translational research by emphasizing the integration of basic and clinical research approaches.


Proposal due date: June 2, 2025


Learn more.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2025 Convention “Envisioning Possibilities for the Future”


Call for Proposals

 

Nov. 20-22, 2025

Washington, D.C.


ASHA is currently accepting proposals for its annual convention.


This call encourages researchers to share new research, clinical practices and ideas with the communication sciences and disorders community. This is a once-a-year opportunity to share expertise and contribute to the advancement of professional practice and research.


Proposal due date: April 3, 2025


Learn more.

New! Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day: Supporting Families, Celebrating Abilities


Saturday, April 5, 2025

8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Boys Town Headquarters

Boys Town, Nebraska


Parents, caregivers, teachers, related service providers, students and others are invited to join the Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day. Topics will include advocacy, state resources, transition plans and more. Local organizations will host tables with information about how they support and celebrate the abilities of all students.


There will also be a poster session to share recent research on supporting students with disabilities.


Learn more.

New! Parent Engagement and Partnerships in Early Childhood:

Outcomes from Across the Big Ten


Big Ten Early Learning Alliance

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Noon CDT

Virtual via Zoom


Parent engagement, broadly defined, is associated with positive social emotional and academic outcomes in young children. However, research shows that parent engagement remains a persistent challenge for schools, particularly with families of young children from marginalized groups.


Featuring experts from the Big Ten Early Learning Alliance, this event will discuss current research on parent engagement and partnerships and outline its vital connection to policy and practice. Presenters will include Drs. Susan Sheridan and Lisa Knoche from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.


Learn more.

Educational Psychology Colloquium

Featuring Jill Locke


This Thursday, March 27, 2025

2 – 3 p.m. CDT

Virtual via Zoom


Jill Locke, Ph.D., will discuss meaningful social outcomes for autistic youth in schools. Attendees will learn how to identify engagement states of autistic youth on the playground and understand the core foundational strategies in Remaking Recess, an evidence-based social engagement intervention for autistic youth.


This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Educational Psychology and CYFS.


This event is free, virtual and open to public. Registration is required.


For questions regarding the colloquium, please contact Sungeun Kang, Ph.D., at skang18@unl.edu.

MAP Academy 2024-25 Methodology Applications Series

Featuring HyeonJin Yoon


This Friday, March 28, 2025

Noon – 1:30 p.m. CST

Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall, Room 313


The Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics invites you to the third presentation of the 2024-25 Methodology Applications Series.


On Friday, March 28HyeonJin Yoon, MAP Academy research assistant professor, will lead a presentation titled, "Navigating Research Data Repositories to Support Secondary Analyses."


This presentation will introduce the process of accessing and utilizing publicly available datasets for research in the social, behavioral and educational sciences. Yoon will offer practical guidance on navigating and utilizing data repositories with examples, discuss the benefits and challenges of secondary data analysis, and outline key research steps.


Additionally, the presentation will highlight training resources and grant opportunities to help researchers maximize the potential of secondary analysis research.


Learn more.

MAP Academy 2024-25 Methodology Applications Series

Featuring Alexandra Terrill


Friday, April 4, 2025

Noon – 1:30 p.m. CDT

Virtual via Zoom


The Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics invites you to the spring 2025 methodology presentation featuring Alexandra Terrill, associate professor, Departments of Occupational & Recreational Therapies and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Utah.


On Friday, April 4, 2025, Terrill will lead a virtual presentation titled, "Protecting Data Integrity: The Pervasive Challenge of Scammers in Remote Technology-based Research."


Remote technology-based research has rapidly increased in popularity and offers several advantages. However, this approach also carries the risk of disingenuous responses, posing a real threat to data integrity.


Terrill will discuss real-world examples of scammers across a range of study design types and provide guidance for identifying, addressing and preventing these issues.


Learn more.

NAECR Networking: Showcasing Innovative Research

in Social-emotional Development


Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Noon – 1 p.m. CDT

Virtual via Zoom


The spring 2025 NAECR Networking event will feature early childhood researchers from across the University of Nebraska system, who will share their latest research and findings on social-emotional development.


Presenters will include:


Kerry-Ann Escayg, Teacher Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Sara Kupzyk, Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Abbie Raikes, Health Promotion, University of Nebraska Medical Center


There will be time for questions and conversation.



The event is free, but registration is required. A Zoom link will be distributed to registrants prior to the event.

Student Research Days: Undergraduate Poster Session


Tuesday & Wednesday, April 15-16, 2025

10 a.m. – Noon CDT

Nebraska Union


The office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, the Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research and Innovation will be hosting their annual Student Research Days Poster Sessions and Creative Exhibitions.


Students can present their research or creative work to the larger UNL community and choose to participate in a poster and creative exhibition competition.


Presentations in any formats are welcome.


Learn more.

Student Research Days: Graduate Poster Session


Tuesday & Wednesday, April 15-16, 2025

3 – 5 p.m. CDT

Nebraska Union


The office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, the Office of Graduate Studies, and the Office of Research and Innovation will be hosting their annual Student Research Days Poster Sessions and Creative Exhibitions.


Students can present their research or creative work to the larger UNL community and choose to participate in a poster and creative exhibition competition.


Presentations in any formats are welcome.  


Learn more.

Student Research Days Slam


Thursday, April 17, 2025

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. CDT

Nebraska Union


Student Research Days Slam is a campuswide contest in which undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines are challenged to communicate their work in short presentations. This year reflects on the prompt, “If you could travel into the past or the future to tell people about your research or creative endeavor, where would you go, who would you talk with, and what would you tell them?” 


Apply to be a slammer.


Reserve your seat.

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Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools

College of Education and Human Sciences

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