Dr. Lynne Kirk, widow of the late Dean Bert Moore, recently made a $50,000 gift to the Center for Children and Families in honor of her late husband. "Early childhood education is a cornerstone of a child's development, laying the foundation for lifelong learning and success," Kirk said. "CCF has demonstrated a commitment to engaging families with young children to create a supportive family environment for learning. In addition, they are immersed in training students to become professionals who may carry on this work. I am pleased to be able to continue my late husband's legacy in supporting CCF." Dr. Kirk's gift will be designated to the Bert S. Moore Center for Children and Families Opportunity Fund endowment, which was established by Drs. Margaret and Stuart Owen in 2016. The endowment provides unrestricted support for CCF.

Recently featured in the New York Times, CCF faculty member Dr. Candice Mills has new research that examines how children lose their belief in Santa Claus and whether any emotional aftermath lingers. “Although many children feel some sadness or anger when they find out the truth about Santa, others report happy feelings, like pride at figuring out the truth themselves or happiness that they can still get presents. Less than a third of participants reported feeling negative emotions for longer than a couple of weeks,” Mills said. Read more...

CCF undergraduate students initiated, and are leading, an ImpactUTD crowdfunding campaign to support the children and families served by CCF outreach programs. In collaboration with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the students organized a "Holiday Extravaganza Santa Sighting" event in support of the campaign, with dance performances, arts and crafts, and a Play With Me family graduation. The campaign runs until December 31st. Click here to support their efforts!

Join us for our 16th annual Spring Lecture Series entitled "The Owen Eras Tour." Honoring CCF Director Dr. Margaret T. Owen, the series will feature talks by local researchers working in language development, risk and resilience, and active playful learning--some of the many areas of work in Dr. Owen's career. Register to attend using the links on our website.

• Friday, January 26th, 9:30am - 10:30am, "The Effect of Infant-Directed Speech (Parentese) on Language Learning in Autistic Children and Bilingual Children” with Dr. Pumpki Lei Su
• Friday, February 23rd, 9:30am - 10:30am, “A Tale of Two Cities: Redressing Behavioral Health Disparities Through A Reimagined Workforce” with Dr. Camilo Ruggero
• Friday, March 8th, 9:30am - 10:30am, “Active Playful Learning in a Research to Practice Partnership” with Dr. Annie Wright

And, save the date for a culminating spring forum on school readiness on Friday, April 19th!

Our current cohort of students in our National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program site began their year-long experience with us in August. Throughout the Fall, they participated in our Play With Me program and in discussions with our faculty about developmental science. The students will now transition into faculty research labs to develop culturally responsive research questions and to participate in professional development in the spring semester.

I have been reminiscing on a lot of things lately and when I think of CCF I'm so grateful for the opportunity that the late Dean Moore gave me in running it. I'm incredibly thankful for Dr. Lynne Kirk in designating her gift to support the Center's work now and into the future. Everyone who has contributed--our students, staff, faculty, donors, and community partners---ought to be proud of the work we've accomplished in supporting and advancing the optimal growth of children and their families. In January, the official title of CCF director will be given to Dr. Mandy Maguire, but I will still be around in my role as interim dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences until August. I look forward to connecting with many of you at our spring lecture series and forum and in our work training students, conducting research, and providing outreach to our local community. It will be a celebratory time and I can't wait to see you!

-Margaret T. Owen, PhD, Robinson Family Professor, Director, Center for Children and Families, Interim Dean, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences