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Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research
August 10, 2020
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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.
IES Education/Special Education Research Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has issued a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 2021 for the Education Research and Special Education Research Grant Programs.

Proposals are due Aug. 20, 2020.


OSERS Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities — Improving Retention of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is accepting proposals that increase the capacity of state, regional and local systems to develop, implement, evaluate, scale-up and sustain comprehensive retention plans that use evidence-based policies to address factors contributing to low retention of special education teachers and early intervention personnel; increase capacity to evaluate comprehensive retention plans and how they are implemented; increase capacity to effectively partner with a broad range of stakeholder groups to sustain retention plans; and improve the retention of special education teachers and early intervention personnel.

Proposals are due Aug. 17, 2020.

AHRQ Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is accepting proposals to improve postpartum mental health care for rural American families. The purpose of this challenge is to elicit narratives and proposals regarding solutions to address postpartum mental health diagnosis and treatment in rural communities for AHRQ to share with healthcare systems, healthcare professionals, local and state policymakers, federal partners and the public. Two proposal types will be accepted: Success Story and Program Proposal.

Success Story award amount: $15,000

Program Proposal award amount: $50,000

Proposals are due Sept. 15, 2020.

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 age 7, 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, 2020.

National Science Foundation Discovery Research PreK-12

The Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) by PreK-12 students and teachers through research and development of STEM education innovations and approaches. The DRK-12 program invites proposals that address immediate challenges that are facing PreK-12 STEM education, as well as those that anticipate radically different structures and functions of PreK-12 teaching and learning.

Anticipated award amounts are as follows: (1) Level I projects up to $450,000 with a duration of up to three years; (2) Level II projects up to $3,000,000 with a duration of up to four years; and (3) Level III projects up to $5,000,000 with a duration of up to five years.

Proposals are due Oct. 7, 2020.

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.

Deadline for proposals has been extended to Nov. 2, 2020.

National Science Foundation Social Psychology

The Social Psychology Program at NSF supports research and research infrastructure to advance basic knowledge in social psychology. Proposed research should carry strong potential for creating transformative advances in the basic understanding of human social behavior. Among the many research topics supported are: social cognition, attitudes, social and cultural influence, stereotypes, motivation, decision-making, group dynamics, aggression, close relationships, social and affective neuroscience, social psychophysiology, emotions, prosocial behavior, health-related behavior, and personality and individual differences. 

Proposals are due Jan. 15, 2021.

Nebraska Data Users Virtual Conference 2020

Aug. 19-20, 2020

Registration is now open for the 31st Annual Nebraska Data Users Conference, conducted by the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The conference will include recorded and live Zoom sessions covering information on 2020 Census activities and its data release next spring; Nebraska state and local population trends; economic data and tools, including the recently released Economic Census and the new COVID-related Pulse survey; COVID-related impacts on communities of color and state and local finances; and an interactive social event for networking.

Thriving Children, Families and Communities Conference

Sept. 14, 2020

Hosted by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, the Thriving Children, Families and Communities Conference brings together community leaders from across Nebraska to focus on high-quality early childhood education and its connection to economic development and community vitality.

This year's conference will feature both live-streamed presentations and local watch parties where participants can come together to discuss challenges, share success stories, learn from one another and develop plans for implementing and sustaining high-quality birth-to-Grade 3 care and education.

Nebraska watch party sites include Alliance, Columbus, Grand Island, Kearney, McCook, Norfolk, North Platte, Scottsbluff and more. Additional sites will be posted online.

The Ounce National Home Visiting Virtual Summit

Feb. 22-26, 2021
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The 2021 National Home Visiting Virtual Summit is accepting proposals that advance the home visiting field and connected systems of care through innovations, diverse perspectives and a focus on impact.

The Summit will virtually connect home visiting advocates, practitioners, researchers and systems leaders.

Proposals are due Aug. 21, 2020.

Society for Research in Child Development
2021 Biennial Meeting

April 8-10, 2021
Minneapolis, Minnesota

SRCD will begin accepting submissions for the 2021 Biennial Meeting in early July 2020. Empirical, theoretical, historical, methodological, policy, application and translational submissions from investigators around the globe in all disciplines related to the field of child development are welcomed.

The Society encourages submissions from researchers at all career stages including graduate and undergraduate students.

Proposals are due Sept. 2, 2020.

American Educational Research Association
2021 Annual Meeting

April 9-12, 2021
Orlando, Florida

AERA has announced the theme for its 2021 annual meeting: Accepting Educational Responsibility. Attendees will be inspired to collaboratively take evidence-based action to correct educational and social injustices, to use data to counter misinterpretations, and to initiate cross-division and interdisciplinary collaborations with other scholars.

Proposals are due Aug. 14, 2020.

New! NAECR Announces Combined Knowledge/Networking Events
for Fall 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused early childhood researchers to face many new challenges and explore new approaches to their research. To help address these issues, NAECR is adapting its event series for fall 2020.

We will offer two combined NAECR Knowledge/Networking conversations to explore how to initiate, conduct and sustain early childhood research in the age of COVID-19. These virtual events will include time for breakout sessions to allow for more in-depth discussion and networking among participants.
NAECR Knowledge & Networking: Creative Data Collection

As researchers face the challenges that come with COVID-19, what are some creative data collection methods when working with children, families and early childhood practitioners?

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual

More information coming soon.
NAECR Knowledge & Networking: Research Partnerships

How is COVID-19 reshaping how researchers initiate, maintain and address research partnerships?

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual

More information coming soon.
Is there an upcoming conference you want to publicize? A new publication you would like to share? Let us know!
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