News Archive

June 18, 2025
The Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute recently produced a series of stories that highlight the impact some of its recent efforts are making in early childhood special education as states support children and families. Keep reading to see the difference ECTA's work makes.

June 16, 2025
FPG's scientists, specialists, scholars, staff, and faculty fellows produce numerous new publications each year—including books and book chapters, journal articles, online learning publications, reports and policy briefs, technical assistance guides, and other resources. In this article, find a listing of some of our more recent publications.

June 11, 2025
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute's Early Childhood Inclusion Institute—an annual event dedicated to improving outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families—join us for a global conversation on advancing inclusion for young children with disabilities.
June 10, 2025
In partnership with UNC's Fulbright Scholarship Program FPG is pleased to welcome Szu-Yin Chu to FPG, a Fulbright senior researcher, who will be working with FPG Director, Brian Boyd. We recently spoke with Chu to learn more about work and her journey to Chapel Hill with the Fulbright Program.

June 5, 2025
The PriCARE study (short for "Child Adult Relationship Enhancement in Pediatric Primary Care"), led by Samantha Schilling, a pediatrician at the UNC School of Medicine and a faculty fellow at FPG, is trying to help parents navigate the challenges of parenthood through evidence-based workshops.

June 3, 2025
Deepening her commitment to support families and professionals in maximizing children’s learning potential through interventions and resources, Hsiu-Wen Yang, PhD, a research investigator/technical assistance specialist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, recently led a project focused on advancing outcomes for multi-language learners in rural, agricultural communities.

May 27, 2025
After reading about research showing the incidence rate of diagnosable psychiatric disorders in adults was lower in those who grew up near green spaces as children, FPG's Nissa Towe-Goodman became interested in exploring how the availability of natural areas could offset the development of those disorders.

May 21, 2025
"These newly funded projects are exciting,” said Noreen Yazejian, FPG's interim associate director for research, “not only for the knowledge they will generate in the short term but also for their potential to spark further discovery, improve outcomes for children and families, and bring tangible benefits to North Carolina and beyond through innovative practices.”

May 19, 2025
Teresa Taylor, MEd, is an intervention specialist with the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) team at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). As part of our FPG profile series, we recently spoke with Taylor to learn more about her work at FPG.

May 12, 2025
The UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute is excited to welcome its fifth cohort of Marvin H. McKinney Scholars, which includes Aerryan Bentley from Johnson C. Smith University, Kamora Coleman from North Carolina Central University, and Kyleigh Creighton and Amaya Jeffers from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.

May 5, 2025
Research is at the heart of all that we do at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). Through rigorous study design, data collection, and analysis, we seek to improve children's lives, support families, and inform public policy. Visit our impact page for spotlights on some of our 60+ current projects to learn more about the reach and impact of our work.

April 30, 2025
In April, FPG's Award Selection Committee named Jani Kozlowski, as this year’s recipient of the Richard M. Clifford Fund for International Collaboration on Early Learning Environments award. Kozlowski, a technical assistance specialist with the Trohanis Technical Assistance Projects at FPG, was chosen because her work reflects Clifford’s passion for fostering international collaborations among researchers to further understanding of quality in early learning environments.

April 28, 2025
Katy McCullough, MA, is a co-principal investigator and an associate director with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center within the Trohanis Technical Assistance Projects at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). As part of our FPG profile series, we recently spoke with McCullough to learn more about her work at FPG. Here’s what she had to say.

April 23, 2025
Mia Alto, a UNC student majoring in psychology and management and society with a minor in Spanish, has been involved in many service opportunities in the community. For the past year, she's been working with FPG's autism team and is this year's recipient of the Barbara Davis Goldman Award.

April 21, 2025
Amelia Krysinski is a project manager with the National Implementation Research Network at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. She has experience in project management, coordinating participants and data collection for research studies, event planning, providing technical assistance, and more.

April 16, 2025
PBS NC will hold its fourth annual Impact Early Childhood Education Summit Saturday, June 7. This full-day conference aims to empower educators, childcare providers, parents and caregivers to lay a strong foundation for young learners. FPG is partnering with PBS for the event to host sessions focused on North Carolina pre-K.

April 14, 2025
Ping Chen is an advanced research scientist and social science research methodologist at FPG. With interdisciplinary experience in social science and epidemiology, she specializes in conducting research to understand social, environmental, behavioral, and biological linkages in developmental and long-term health trajectories.

April 10, 2025
FPG's Wendy Morgan provides strategic and scalable infrastructure for the ITTI Care Project. Funded by the NCDCDEE and housed at Duke University, the project offers professional development for the infant/toddler child care workforce across the state of North Carolina to support the provision of trauma-informed child care.

April 7, 2025
Yolanda Perkins, EdS, is an implementation specialist at FPG. With more than 20 years of experience in K-12 and post-secondary education, her work focuses on expanding the use of evidence-based practices to reduce disparities in education, learning, and social outcomes. As part of our FPG profile series, we recently spoke with Perkins to learn more about her work at FPG. Here’s what she had to say.

April 2, 2025
For the past 10 years, members of the autism team, including Ann Sam, Victoria Waters, and Sam Odom, at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute have provided Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules, offering evidence-based practices to support learners on the spectrum from birth to 22 years of age. To celebrate this decade milestone and April’s Autism Acceptance Month, the AFIRM team launched its new website this week.