Sam Odom, PhD, a senior research scientist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, has been awarded the Kaufman-Hallahan-Pullen Distinguished Researcher Award, which is conferred by the Division for Research of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC-DR), and recognizes individuals or research teams whose research has resulted in more effective services or education for exceptional individuals.

Racism is one of the most destructive and trauma-causing factors affecting the healthy development of children in the United States. This knowledge provides the underpinning for "Effects of Racism on Child Development: Advancing Antiracist Developmental Science" a recent publication from FPG Faculty Fellow Iheoma Iruka, and colleagues, in Annual Review of Developmental Psychology.

Several colleagues within FPG are collaborating on a new series of resources designed for early interventionists working with caregivers (e.g., parents, child care providers) of toddlers. Researchers from the Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules: AFIRM project and technical assistance specialists from the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center partnered to produce the AFIRM for Toddler modules, of which there are currently four.

Throughout his long and storied career, Dick Clifford, PhD, senior scientist emeritus at FPG has made a profound difference in the field of early education. He continues to impact the field, with one of his more recent contributions being the creation at FPG of the Richard M. Clifford Fund for International Collaboration on Early Learning Environments.

More than 200 people help carry out the mission of FPG. Our FPG Profile series aims to introduce you to these amazing people and the incredible work they're doing here at the Institute to fulfill both our vision to be a hub of excellence for understanding and impacting child development and our mission to transform children's lives through innovation in research, practice, and policy.

Through the OJJDP Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative, the Impact Center at FPG’s Robin Jenkins and Renée Boothroyd are helping the Nebraska Administrative Offices of Courts and Probation create readiness for, and capacities to, effectively implement Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice recommendations stemming from a comprehensive statewide system review.

As the Educare Learning Network’s National Evaluation Partner, FPG serves as the consortium’s research and evaluation data center. FPG researchers, programmers and statisticians provide day-to-day technical assistance for local evaluation partners (LEPs) working with each Educare school to collect and use data. Additionally, FPG, representatives from Educare partners Start Early and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, and LEPs meet annually to talk data (and more) – during “Data Camp.”

Throughout the year, FPG shares information about its people, projects, and publications on its website. As 2022 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of the news stories we’ve highlighted over the last 12 months.

In August 2022, Advanced Research Scientist Ximena Franco-Jenkins, PhD, helped launch an evaluation study of the MECK Pre-K Program, a longitudinal project expected to span 10 years. Franco-Jenkins, early childhood portfolio lead at the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at FPG, serves as co-principal investigator, alongside HighScope Educational Research Foundation, to conduct this independent and unbiased evaluation.