Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research
Feb. 26, 2024
Registration is open for the 2024 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit. This year's summit is Tuesday, April 23, at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

The summit aims to:

  • Communicate cutting-edge early childhood findings from University of Nebraska–affiliated researchers and colleagues.
  • Link ongoing efforts in early childhood research, practice and policy.
  • Advance the science of early childhood education and development via connections among community partners, key stakeholders, policymakers, early childhood practitioners and researchers.

The daylong event will include a keynote address by Chrishana Lloyd, Ph.D., research scholar in early childhood development at Child Trends, and commentary and discussion from the practice and policy communities.

There is a $50 registration fee to attend ($25 for students).The event will include lunch and an evening reception for all registered participants.

Early registration is encouraged due to limited seating. If space is available, registration will remain open through Monday, March 25.
Priority deadline: This Friday, March 1, 2024
Do you conduct applied, field-based research that impacts lives? Does your work require analysis or data support? Take advantage of this opportunity to collaborate with the MAP Academy.
The MAP Academy invites faculty across all campuses and disciplines to submit proposals for the Applied Analytics and Data Infrastructure (AADI) Catalyst Program — an initiative to support the rigor of high-quality, field-based human research at the University of Nebraska.

The AADI Catalyst program is made possible through a grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative

The MAP Academy, housed within the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS), promotes the advancement of methodologies, applied analytics and data infrastructure to support and enhance rigorous research within the social, behavioral, health and educational sciences.

Our team works closely with researchers to understand their needs and ensure high-quality data. View a list of available services for the program.

Successful applicants may receive up to $1,500 in project support from MAP Academy faculty and staff. Funds must be used by June 30, 2024.

For full consideration, please submit proposals by this Friday, March 1, 2024. Submissions received after this priority deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  

Interested?

Visit the MAP Academy website for more program details and to submit a proposal.

Feel free to contact us with any questions. We are happy to discuss how we can meet your research needs.
Here are recent publications from NAECR researchers:

Rachel Erin Schachter*, Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Molly J. Goldberg**, Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Junrong Lu, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lisa Knoche*, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
 
Grace Parolek, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Jenna E. Finch*, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Ashley Votruba, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Malia Bloemker, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

 * 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.
Student funding: Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars Program

Applications for 2024-25 fellowships are being accepted. The Institute awards one-year fellowships worth up to $25,000 to a maximum of four University of Nebraska doctoral students every year.

The program seeks to support high-quality research that impacts the early years from diverse fields including health, education, social work, music, art, psychology, the neurosciences and others, encouraging multidisciplinary research and new methodologies.

Proposal due date: March 31, 2024

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships, Secondary Analyses of Child Care and Early Education Data

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting applications in 2024 for two new research grant programs. Findings from both programs are intended to inform policy, program administration and future research.
Secondary Analyses of Child Care and Early Education Data

Proposals will support researchers conducting secondary analyses of data to address key questions of relevance to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

Award budget: $90,000–$100,000
Proposal due date: May 10, 2024

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships

Proposals will support five-year cooperative agreements between Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies in states, territories or tribes, and research partnership organizations to develop investigations of child care subsidy policies and practices to increase low-income families’ access to quality child care.

Award budget: $100,000–$400,000
Proposal due date: May 31, 2024

Funding Forecast: Access to Infant and Toddler Care and Education: Research and Evaluation Grants

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) plans to solicit applications for Access to Infant and Toddler Care and Education: Research and Evaluation Grants.

This grant opportunity will provide funding to address key research and evaluation questions related to care and education access for infants and toddlers at the national, state or local level.

Estimated award budget: $75,000–$450,000
Estimated proposal due date: June 3, 2024

Funding Forecast: OPRE Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agency Data and Research Capacity Grants

This grant opportunity will provide funding to support partnerships between CCDF Lead Agencies and researchers to develop and improve state, territory and Tribal data systems and build the capacity of CCDF Lead Agencies to collect, analyze and use data to guide child care policy decisions and program improvement efforts.

These 18-month projects will fund a planning phase to develop a research plan to address questions of interest to the CCDF Lead Agency, including a plan for identifying, linking and using state, territory and Tribal data to inform child care policy decisions.

Estimated award budget: $75,000–$150,000
Estimated proposal due date: June 20, 2024

New! SREE 2024 Conference: Navigating the Future of Education Research: Impact Evaluation in a Transforming Landscape

Sept. 18-21, 2024
Arlington, Virginia

Call for Proposals

The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) is accepting proposals for symposia, papers and posters for its 2024 conference. SREE invites participants to delve into the methodologies, skills and knowledge areas that education researchers will need to provide rigorous evidence for decision-making. 

Proposal due date: April 3, 2024

2024 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit

Tuesday, April 23, 2024
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. CDT

Mark your calendars for the 2024 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit.


The seventh biennial summit will consist of several presentations and related roundtable discussions on the research and practices that are improving the developmental trajectories of young children.

The summit's keynote speaker is Chrishana Lloyd, a research scholar in early childhood development at Child Trends, one of the nation’s most respected sources for research and data on children. With more than 25 years of experience in education and social science, Lloyd is an expert in applied implementation research, racial equity framing in a historical context, innovative data collection methods, and early care and education workforce issues and initiatives.


Sponsors:


The summit aims to:

  • Communicate cutting-edge early childhood findings from University of Nebraska–affiliated researchers and colleagues.

  • Link ongoing efforts in early childhood research, practice and policy.

  • Advance the science of early childhood education and development via connections among community partners, key stakeholders, policymakers, early childhood practitioners and researchers.
2024 Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders

May 30 – June 1, 2024
Madison, Wisconsin

Call for Proposals

The SRCLD features presentations by researchers on theoretical advances and programmatic research summaries, panel discussions and contributed papers. The symposium is regularly attended by more than 200 researchers from the U.S. and other countries.

For 2024, submissions on any aspect of language and cognitive performance in all languages will be considered.

Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
International Conference 2024

July 29 – Aug. 1, 2024
Knoxville, Tennessee

Call for Proposals

The SNEB’s international conference provides nutrition professionals the opportunity to explore the latest in nutrition education and behavior change research, practice and policy.

SNEB is currently accepting proposals that report primary, secondary or tertiary research on any aspect of nutrition education and/or behavior.

Proposal due date: This Friday, March 1, 2024

2024 Zero to Three LEARN Conference

July 31 – Aug. 1, 2024
Long Beach, California

The Zero to Three LEARN Conference presents cutting-edge information and research, discussion focused on innovations in early childhood, and networking with administrators, teachers, clinicians and researchers.

New! UNL Virtual Lecture Series:
Supporting Optimal Development Through Healthy Environments

The purpose of this series is to educate our research community about emerging ideas and findings for how different aspects of the physical environment may shape development.

The lecture series is brought to you by the UNL Grand Challenges Planning Grant, "Advancing Cutting Edge Research and Practices to Increase Access and Use of Green Space and Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Settings," and organized by a cross-disciplinary group of cognitive, developmental, architecture and design researchers.
 
Contact Anne Schutte at aschutte2@unl.edu with questions or for Zoom links for each event.

Previous lectures are available at https://mediahub.unl.edu/search.

March 6, 2024, 11 a.m.–Noon, CST
Dr. Peter Kahn Jr., University of Washington, HINTS Lab, Editor-in-Chief of Ecopsychology
 
March 20, 2024, 11 a.m.–Noon, CDT
Dr. Julie Ernst, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Center for Environmental Education
 
April 3, 2024, 11 a.m.–Noon, CDT
Sheila Williams Ridge, University of Minnesota, Director, Child Development Laboratory School
 
April 17, 2024, 11 a.m.–Noon, CDT
Dr. Cathy Jordan, University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment; Children and Nature Network
MAP Academy Spring 2024 Methodology Applications Series
Featuring Justin Olmanson

Friday, March 22, 2024
Noon – 1:30 p.m. CDT

The Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics invites you to the first presentation of the Spring 2024 Methodology Applications Series.

On Friday, March 22, Justin Olmanson, associate professor of innovative learning technologies in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, will lead a presentation titled, "Intelligent Personal Learning Assistants in Higher/Teacher Education."

The presentation will describe the design, development and use of an intelligent Personal Learning Assistant (iPLA) for a course titled, "TEAC 259: Instructional Technology for Educational and Clinical Contexts."

The presentation is free and open to the public.

MAP Academy Spring 2024 Methodology Applications Series
Featuring Yingying Wang

Friday, May 3, 2024
Noon – 1:30 p.m. CDT

The Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics invites you to the final presentation of the Spring 2024 Methodology Applications Series.

On Friday, May 3, Yingying Wang, associate professor of special education and communication disorders, will lead a presentation.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Is there an upcoming conference you want to publicize? A new publication you would like to share? Let us know!
Connecting Research and Policy

Learn more and sign up for alerts about legislation relevant to early childhood researchers.



NAECR Student Researchers

Students involved in early childhood research at the University of Nebraska can access a number of resources through NAECR.



Find a Researcher

Find and collaborate with other early childhood researchers across the NU system.

NAECR News archives available

Access past issues of NAECR News.
NAECR News will be shared twice a month to inform the early childhood research community across the NU system.

If this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you would like to be added to the mailing list, please email us using the button above.