Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research
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Stephanie Wessels,
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Stephanie Wessels is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Her research focuses on literacy development for young second language learners.
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She is specifically interested in vocabulary development that enhances and extends current academic practices in the primary grade-level classrooms, including the “funds of knowledge” (the prior and background knowledge) that young second-language learners bring with them into the classroom setting.
What is the future direction for your early childhood research?
"I have been conducting family literacy programs where the children and their parents become storytellers by using their digital devices."
Why is early childhood research important?
"Early childhood research is critical in the area of literacy because it is the foundation for reading and writing in their later years."
What is a strength of early childhood research at the University of Nebraska?
"The focus that the administration has made on early childhood is fantastic. It has helped funding and collaboration among the faculty."
How can effective collaborations enhance the research enterprise?
"Through collaboration, you are able to have a wider view of the research and be able to reach more people."
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NU Collaboration Initiative Funding Opportunity
The Collaboration Initiative is designed to help University of Nebraska researchers become more competitive for extramural funding by fostering meaningful collaborations that leverage the full intellectual capacity of faculty across the University’s four campuses.
The RFA for this opportunity will be available
Sept. 16
and will solicit proposals from multi-campus, multidisciplinary teams. Principal Investigators must be available to attend the NU Collaboration Initiative retreat on
Oct. 31
at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
Similar to last year, NAECR will reach out to early childhood researchers to gauge interest and assist in forming teams of researchers who wish to collaborate on a proposal.
Please stay tuned for a follow-up email or contact Sommer Fousek at
sfousek2@unl.edu
if you are interested interested in building a team!
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Here are recent publications from NAECR researchers:
Danae Dinkel, Health Promotion, Social & Behavior Health, University of Nebraska Omaha
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Would you like to see your work featured here? Contact us at
naecr@unl.edu
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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 discussing funding opportunities for your research.
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New!
American Educational Research Association Research Grants
The AERA Grants Program is designed to advance knowledge and build research capacity in education and STEM education and learning.
The program welcomes proposals that 1) develop or benefit from advanced statistical or innovative quantitative methods or measures; 2) analyze more than one large-scale national or international federally funded data set, or more than one statewide longitudinal data system, or incorporate other data enhancements; 3) integrate, link or blend multiple large-scale data sources; or 4) undertake replication research of major findings or major studies using large-scale, federally supported or enhanced data.
Awards are up to $25,000 for one-year projects, or up to $35,000 for two-year projects.
Proposals are due
Sept. 25, 2019
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New!
Secondary Analyses of Strengthening Families Datasets
The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services plans to award up to 10 cooperative agreements to fund research to conduct secondary data analysis of archived data, specifically the Building Strong Families (BSF), Supporting Health Marriage (SHM) and Parents and Children Together (PACT) datasets.
Supporting datasets are from large-scale federal evaluation impact studies, which addressed questions related to healthy marriage and/or responsible fatherhood.
The average projected award amount is $75,000 per budget period.
Proposals are due
Oct. 11, 2019
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New!
Brady Education Foundation
The Brady Education Foundation is currently accepting proposals focused on evaluating programs that have the potential of helping to close the opportunity and resulting achievement gaps between children living in under-resourced communities and/or from under-represented populations and other children.
Proposals are due
Dec. 1, 2019
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New!
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Office of Research and Economic Development
The UNL Office of Research and Economic Development has announced several internal funding opportunities to support UNL faculty members’ research, scholarship and creative activities.
Award types, funding amounts and application deadlines vary.
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Victoria S. Levin Grant for Early Career Success in Young Children's Mental Health Research
The Victoria S. Levin award aims to foster early success in achieving federal funding for research that is informed by developmental science to address concerns affecting the early foundations of children’s mental health and well-being.
The grant of up to $25,000 supports release time from duties to write and submit an NIH application, provides travel funds to meet with NIH program staff and provides a pre-review of the candidate's NIH application.
Proposals are due
Sept. 13, 2019
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Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood Grants
The Caplan Foundation supports research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through seven years, in the United States. The foundation provides funding in the areas of early childhood welfare, early childhood education and play, and parenting education.
Previously awarded grants range from $22,000 to $100,000.
Letters of inquiry are due
Sept. 30, 2019
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NIH Refinement and Testing of Interventions to Sustain ADHD Treatment
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage pilot studies to assess the preliminary effectiveness of augmented or modified interventions designed to promote enhanced and sustained improvement in ADHD symptoms and functional impairments across settings and transitions in children, adolescents and young adults.
The funding agency encourages applicants to contact the Program Contact listed in the RFA early in the application process to discuss the match between their application concept and the priorities outlined in the funding opportunity announcement.
NIMH intends to commit $1.4 million in direct costs in fiscal year 2020 to fund 5-6 awards.
Proposals are due
Nov. 15, 2019
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NIH Secondary Data Analysis to Examine Long-Term and/or Potential Cross-Over Effects of Prevention Interventions: What are the Benefits for Preventing Mental Health Disorders?
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage research to integrate/harmonize existing data sets from preventive intervention trials implemented early in life to:
1) examine risk and protective factors relevant to later mental health outcomes in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood; and
2) determine whether preventive interventions delivered earlier in life have long-term effects, and/or cross-over effects (e.g., unanticipated beneficial effects), on important mental health outcomes, including serious mental illness (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicide ideation and behaviors, and psychosis behaviors).
NIMH intends to commit $3 million to fund 4-6 awards and NCCIH intends to commit $500,000 to fund 1 award.
Proposals are due
Jan. 2, 2020
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2019 Thriving Children Conference
Sept. 16-17, 2019
Younes Conference Center
Kearney, Nebraska
The Thriving Children Conference is intended for community leaders who have an interest in learning more about high-quality early childhood education programs and services, and their important role in economic development.
The event will feature keynote presentations, workshops on a range of practical issues, a luncheon panel discussion with community representatives from across the state, and networking opportunities.
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Annual Conference on Young Children with Special Needs
and their Families
Oct. 1-4, 2019
Dallas, Texas
The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children’s annual conference will feature foremost authorities in early intervention, early childhood special education and related disciplines.
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Nebraska Head Start Association Annual Conference
Nov. 7-8, 2019
Grand Island, Nebraska
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Nebraska Head Start Association’s “Building Quality Hand in Hand” conference will address areas of interest to Head Start and Early Head Start staff (teachers, classroom aides, family educators, cooks and bus drivers), childcare partners, parents of young children (birth to 5), and private and public schools.
Proposals are due
Sept. 15, 2019
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Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention
Feb. 27-29, 2020
San Diego, California
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The biannual Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention is a multidisciplinary conference for researchers in early intervention (birth to age 8) that is focused on methodological advances, research in progress, innovative approaches to combining methodologies, issues in conducting research and controversial topics related to interventions with young children with disabilities or those at risk for developmental delays and their families.
Proposals are due
Sept. 30, 2019
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New!
NAECR Networking:
Global Child Development with Hiro Yoshikawa
Sept. 26, 2019
9:30 – 11 a.m.
Omaha, Nebraska
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New!
NAECR Knowledge:
Making Your Data Publicly Available
Oct. 29, 2019
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Nebraska Union
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Pediatric Research Seminar
Sept. 20, 2019
Noon – 1 p.m.
Children's Hospital & Medical Center
Glow Auditorium
The UNMC Department of Pediatrics and the Child Health Research Institute sponsor Pediatric Research Seminars on the third Friday of the month. The location of the seminars alternates between UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
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Is there an upcoming conference you want to publicize? A new publication you would like to share? Let us know!
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Connecting Research and Policy
Learn more and sign up for alerts about legislation relevant to early childhood researchers.
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NAECR Student Researchers
Students involved in early childhood research at the University of Nebraska can access a number of resources through NAECR.
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Find a Researcher
Find and collaborate with other early childhood researchers across the NU system.
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NAECR News archives available
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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.
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