Newsletter, December 2024

2025 Margaret Tresch Owen Lecture Series

Save the date for CCF's 17th annual lectures series! The series will feature talks by local developmental scientists. All lectures are free and open to the public and will be held in-person at UT Dallas in the Callier Richardson Addition (CRA) building or online via MS Teams from 9:30am - 10:30am.

How Do Adolescents' Brains Process Social Feedback on Their Performance and Likability?

Leehyun Yoon, PhD

Friday, February 7th

Tech & Talking: How the Pervasiveness of Digital Media Impacts Language Development

Sarah Kucker, PhD

Friday, February 21st

Supporting Children

with Autism in Naturalistic Settings

Michael Siller, PhD

Friday, March 7th

Our December 2024 Graduates!

This semester, we celebrate the graduating students who have been an integral part of CCF. Their hard work, passion, and commitment have made a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Raven Bacchas, Vivian Le, Emily Espinoza, Vedanti Kumbhar, Marion Wheeler, Iman Elhajj, and Maria Husain for reaching this incredible milestone. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

Building Futures Sandbox Society!

We are inviting you to join our CCFs new monthly giving program: Building Futures Sandbox Society. Your role as a partner in this effort is critical as we build a brighter future for children, parents, and students in North Texas and beyond. By joining this monthly giving program, you are not just making a donation; you are joining a community of change-makers creating sustainable impact. Your consistent support allows us to plan for the future, respond quickly to new opportunities, and drive progress toward our mission, every month.

Join the Building Futures Sandbox Society Here!

CCF Corporate and Community Partners Appreciation Brunch

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the CCF Corporate and Community Partners Appreciation Brunch! This event celebrated the power of collaboration and the vital role partnerships play in advancing our mission: delivering research-based initiatives to support communities and creating hands-on learning opportunities for students.

Visit our CCF LinkedIn page to read more about this wonderful event!

Holiday Fun at CCF

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Santa Sighting event in partnership with UTD Development and Alumni Relations! It was wonderful to see families come together for festive crafts, holiday cheer, and a special visit from Santa himself. Celebrating the season with our community brought so much joy, and we’re excited for more events in the new year! See our Instagram for more photos!

From the Director

This season, we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating students. We are so proud of their success and look forward to their bright futures! We're also excited to welcome new students into our Play with Me and Grow with Me programs, research team and social media teams, continuing our mission to providing real-world experiences for our students.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled to launch our Play with Me and Grow with Me programs in Mandarin this spring. These new initiatives reflect our commitment to advance the healthy development of all children in our community and nation.

I'd like to also express a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our Corporate and Community Partners Appreciation Brunch. Your ongoing support is the foundation of all we do, and we are deeply grateful for your partnership.

Happy Holidays from all of us at CCF!

-Mandy Maguire, PhD, Robinson Family Professor, Director, Center for Children and Families, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

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