Newsletter, January 2022
Recruiting for Play With Me Programs Spring 2022
We are now recruiting children ages 0-3 and their parents for virtual and in-person Play With Me program classes! The 10-week program begins the week of February 14th and features parenting conversations and toys, music, and movement activities to strengthen parent-child relationships and children's developmental foundations! See the schedule of classes here and register by February 7th to attend!
REU Students on the Importance of Representation in Research
One of the main goals of the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the Center for Children and Families is to diversify the scientists and the science in developmental research. "It's important to have researchers from underrepresented groups in the early childhood development field because they're asking a different set of questions--research questions that impact a huge number of children who have largely been left out of the literature," said one REU Fellow. Read here as REU Fellows discuss what representation in research means to them.
Save the Date for CCF's Spring Lecture Series
Save the date for CCF's 14th Annual Spring Lecture Series on "Fostering Resilience in the Face of Adversity." Talks will be held virtually and in-person if the COVID-19 situation allows, from 9:30am - 10:30am.


  • Friday, April 15th, Taylor Toynes (For Oak Cliff) on how this organization addresses the needs of children and adults in South Oak Cliff

  • Keynote Event: Friday, April 29th, Kim Noble, MD, PhD (Columbia University) on the impact of poverty reduction on children's brain and behavioral development
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you to all of our donors who supported our ImpactUTD campaign and Fall fundraising efforts. Your gifts provide playful development classes, developmental screenings, and training for future developmental experts engaged in their communities.

From the Director
The spring semester has begun and we have been very busy prepping for classes, recruiting children and parents for our outreach programs, and preparing for our REU students' research training and professional development. In the Fall semester, we provided hands-on training for the REU students in working with children and parents and learning about developmental science. The program now shifts to the students working in research labs, learning research skills, and implementing these in their research projects, as well as thinking through future career possibilities. We're excited to see where the REU program will lead them.