Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research
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Kerry-Ann Escayg,
University of Nebraska Omaha
Kerry-Ann Escayg is an assistant professor of early childhood education in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Her primary research interests include anti-racism education, children and race, racial socialization, whiteness studies and critical race theory.
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What is the future direction for your early childhood research?
"While many scholars have advocated for anti-bias approaches in early childhood education, conceptualizing an anti-racism paradigm, specifically one which problematizes and interrogates children's racial perceptions, the influence of white power and privilege in pedagogy, as well as the discipline knowledge base, receives far less attention. Therefore, at the theoretical level, much of my future research efforts involve re-conceptualizing foundational tenets of early childhood education. Also, I am currently refining the conceptual and practical underpinnings of anti-racist early childhood education."
Are there any new research projects or activities you are starting on now?
"Currently, I am the principal investigator of What is Whiteness? Little research has focused on African-American children’s understandings of whiteness. Indeed, scholarly attempts to broaden the scope of whiteness studies by connecting theoretical tenets with lived experiences of African-Americans, including children, are noticeably absent in the extant literature. The purpose of this study is to attend to these critical gaps by centering the voices of African-American children.
"A second investigation focuses on Caribbean teachers' conceptualizations of early childhood education. At present, the participants in this qualitative investigation include Trinidadian and Jamaican teachers. Grounded in an anti-colonial theoretical framework, the goal of such a study is to establish a Caribbean-centered model of early childhood education by drawing on the experiential knowledge of Caribbean teachers."
What is a strength of early childhood research at the University of Nebraska?
"One of the strengths of early childhood research at the University of Nebraska is the interdisciplinary focus. Employing a diverse theoretical lens allows for a more robust and diverse body of knowledge on children, families and early childhood education."
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From left, Jaci Foged, Nebraska Extension educator, and Holly Hatton-Bowers, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies
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Kate Gallagher, director of research and evaluation at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute
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NAECR launches new Networking events series
Focused on building and expanding early childhood research across the University of Nebraska system and beyond, NAECR recently co-hosted a networking event with
Nebraska Extension
to share examples of their collaborative efforts.
About 40 people attended the inaugural NAECR Networking event Oct. 1 at the Nebraska Union — in person and via video conferencing — to learn more about NAECR and Nebraska Extension, and how both organizations can work together in support of interdisciplinary research and collaboration that positively impacts the lives of young children and their families.
Lisa Knoche, NAECR director, noted that bridging the work between early childhood researchers and Extension services is crucial.
“As we continue to expand early childhood research, building strong relationships is at the heart of what we do,” she said.
Kathleen Lodl, associate dean and state 4-H program leader, said Extension’s work invol
ves sharing knowledge and teaching tools generated on campus with the people of the state.
“There is no better way to make sure we’re accomplishing that than in conversations such as this,” she said.
The event included seven short presentations on recent projects to illustrate how early childhood research can be used in Extension materials and educational programming. Presentations also sho
wcased how collaborations with Extension occur throughout the research’s trajectory, from a project’s conceptualization through its data analysis and interpretation.
NAECR Networking and NAECR Knowledge are an ongoing series of networking and training events designed to enhance early childhood research across the NU system.
The first NAECR Knowledge event will be Nov. 14, when Box features and data security are
discussed. Representatives from UNL Information Technology Services, Security Services and UNL Institutional Review Board will outline some of Box’s most useful features, and discuss how to share secure data using the collaborative file storage tool.
The event will be from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Colonial B Room.
If you would like to connect with Nebraska Extension, please contact
Kathleen Lodl
.
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Here are recent publications from NAECR researchers:
David Dzewaltowski, Public Health, UNMC
Susan Sheridan, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, UNL
Amanda Witte, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, UNL
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Would you like to see your work featured here? Contact us at
naecr@unl.edu
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Bridging Research and Practice
Do you want to translate your research into a positive impact for the field?
As a leading publication for early childhood professionals, the
Child Care Exchange magazine
seeks to provide a bridge linking research and practice — and to share it with students and professionals at all levels.
Nominate your own previously published research, or the research of a colleague or graduate student.
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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!
National Institutes of Health: Reducing Health Disparities among Minority and Underserved Children
This NIH initiative encourages research that targets the reduction of health disparities among children, including a focus on ethnic and racial minority children and populations of underserved children.
Specific targeted areas of research include bio-behavioral studies that incorporate multiple factors that influence child health disparities (biological, lifestyle factors, environmental, social, economic, cultural and family influences); studies that target the specific health promotion needs of children with a known illness and/or disability; and studies that test and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of health promotion interventions conducted in traditional and nontraditional settings.
The closing date for applications is
May 7, 2020
.
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Brady Education Foundation
The Brady Education Foundation funds program evaluations in education that have the potential of informing public policy and private funding. The Foundation is particularly focused on the evaluation of programs that are consistent with a strength-based approach and show promise of being feasible, accessible, effective and sustainable.
Stage 1 proposals are due
Dec. 1
.
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University of Nebraska Core Facility Grant Program
The University of Nebraska is extending a grant program to encourage faculty researchers across all four campuses to employ NU core facilities in their research projects. The program’s aim is to help researchers generate data that strengthens grant proposals, resubmissions and peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Faculty members from all ranks are eligible to submit proposals if they did not use core facilities or associated technology platforms in fiscal year 2017 or 2018. Applicants may request $5,000 per facility, or up to $9,000 total if they use more than one facility.
Proposals are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
New awards will not be made after
March 31, 2019
.
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UNK-Community Early Childhood Conference:
"Promoting Well-being for Children and Families"
Oct. 19-20, 2018
College of Education Building - UNK
Friday, Oct. 19: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20: 7:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The third-annual UNK-Community 2018 Early Childhood Conference, "Promoting Well-being for Children and Families," is scheduled for Oct. 19-20. The event will be at the College of Education Building, 1615 W. 24th St. in Kearney, Nebraska.
For more information, visit the
conference website
. Anyone planning to attend the conference must register online.
Anyone planning to attend the conference must register online.
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2018 International Society for Developmental Psychobiology
Annual Meeting
Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2018
San Diego, California
The ISDP annual meeting provides the opportunity to learn about new research in all areas of developmental psychobiology. Attendees are invited to attend a pre-conference symposium Oct. 31 that will focus on the future of perinatal research.
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NAECR Knowledge: Box Features and Data Security
Nov. 14, 2018
Nebraska Union, Colonial B
10 - 11 a.m.
What are some of the most useful features of Box? What is the process for sharing secure data via Box?
Join representatives from UNL IT Services, Security Services and UNL IRB to learn more about this powerful collaborative tool and ask any questions you may have.
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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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Student Research Opportunities
The
Student Research Opportunities
website enables NU faculty to advertise opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students seeking work experience in early childhood research.
Students can browse available positions and filter them by campus location, academic level (i.e., graduate or undergraduate), position type (e.g., assistantship, paid, volunteer) and the age group being researched.
Postings automatically expire after six months, or faculty can select a specific expiration date.
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Find a Researcher
If you would like to be part of the database or know of another early childhood researcher who may be interested, please contact
Lisa Knoche.
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NAECR News archives available
Miss an earlier issue of NAECR News?
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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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