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ittle girl with Down syndrome learns to assemble an intricate pyramid using multicolored geometric shapes
April 17, 2023
Researchers at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) within the STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education Center (STEMIE) recently examined the perceptions and beliefs of early childhood practitioners and directors related to STEM and inclusion in early childhood settings.
Lena Harris; woman in navy blazer and pink blouse smiles at camera
April 10, 2023
Lena Harris, MSW, is an implementation specialist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). She is currently working on the Build Up project, which is part of The Impact Center at FPG. The Impact Center is a collection of people and projects dedicated to supporting the use of effective implementation practices with a focus on prevention and well-being strategies for children, youth, and families.
Kellen Reid; man with short auburn hair wearing white collared shirt stands in front of trees
April 6, 2023
Kellen Reid is a technical assistance specialist with the Early Childhood TA (ECTA) Center within the Trohanis Technical Assistance (TA) Projects at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. As part of our FPG profile series, we recently spoke with him to learn more about his work here at the Institute.
SRCD society for research in child development, 2023 biennial meeting, salt lake city, utah, usa, march 23-25, #SRCD23
April 4, 2023
Recently, several FPG researchers, specialists, and faculty fellows attended the Society for Research in Child Development 2023 Biennial Meeting, which took place in Salt Lake City (#SRCD23), participating in more than 20 panel, paper, and poster presentations. After the conference, we checked in with some of them to hear about the event.
Denise Bennett stands in front of dark purple shrubbery
March 30, 2023
Denise J. Bennett, MA, is a technical assistance (TA) specialist and a member of the web team with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center within the Trohanis Technical Assistance Projects at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). We recently spoke with Bennett about her work at FPG―find out what she had to say.
Nicole Telfer presents poster during Eastern Psychological Association Conference; woman with long braids wearing white blouse and tan vest stands beside large presentation poster
March 27, 2023
Nicole Telfer, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar working with Noreen Yazejian, PhD, Rachel Kaplan, PhD, and Iheoma Iruka, PhD, at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, recently presented a poster titled, "Identifying Gaps and Equity Challenges in ECERS-3, an Early Childhood Education Tool, through Focus Groups" during the Eastern Psychological Association Conference.
African American Family playing and laughing with their daughter.
March 20, 2023
FPG Faculty Fellow Iheoma Iruka was lead author on Black Parents and Their Babies: The Dual Pandemic of Racism and COVID-19, 2019–2022, a report which found that while Black families and their babies have survived the last few years of the pandemic, they continue to experience the negative impact of racism, discrimination, economic strain, and other inequities, compounded by the global event.
Work Together NC logo with magnifying glass; two people working together at a table
March 13, 2023
An interdisciplinary team across multiple departments at UNC-Chapel Hill, led by FPG Faculty Fellow Brianne Tomaszewski, created Work Together NC in partnership with adults with ID/DD and their families, organizations, employers, agencies, allies, and self-advocates. This five-year project, which began in 2021, recently launched a new website.
young girl with blond hair and glasses with Down syndrome sorts geometric shapes
March 8, 2023
FPG's Hsiu-Wen Yang and Chi-Ing Lim highlight the importance including young children with disabilities in STEM learning opportunities early on in the article, "Supporting STEM Learning Within Routines for Infants and Toddlers with Developmental Delays," which was featured in the December 2022 issue of Young Exceptional Children.
robin jenkins; man in light blue shirt stands in office hallway with bank of windows along the side
March 6, 2023
FPG's Robin Jenkins recently appeared as part of a panel on PBS’s ncIMPACT during an episode focused on community violence. During the roundtable discussion, the panelists discussed the issue of community violence and successful programs and initiatives around the state that are helping to make communities safer.
congratulations! fpg's sam odom has received the Kaufman-Hallahan-Pullen Distinguished Researcher Award; man in suit and tie smiles at camera
March 2, 2023
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.
NIRN National Implementation Research Network logo with blue swirl above photo of five young children sitting outside and smiling
February 27, 2023
The National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) recently joined more than 55 other organizations, research centers, and nonprofits as an affiliate of the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL).
iheoma iruka; woman with long braided hair smiles at camera
February 23, 2023
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.
robin jenkins; man in light blue shirt stands in office hallway with bank of windows along the side
February 20, 2023
The NYT recent shared a story pointing out the lack of data around fatal shootings in the US. As an implementation specialist and a former chief deputy secretary in the state’s juvenile justice system, FPG's Robin Jenkins contributed practical experience to “A Blueprint for a U.S. Firearms Data Infrastructure,” 2020 report of expert recommendations on how to improve the collection of data about gun violence.
woman holds two toddlers in her lap while reading a book to them
February 13, 2023
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.
Brian Boyd; man wearing light blue button up shirt stands outside on UNC's campus, smiling at camera
February 10, 2023
Penny Gordon-Larsen, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research has appointed Brian Boyd to serve as interim director of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. For more than 55 years, FPG has been a leader in generating knowledge, informing policies, and supporting practices to promote positive developmental and educational outcomes for children of all backgrounds and all abilities from the earliest years.
Richard M. Clifford Fund for International Collaboration on Early Learning Environments on orange background with decorative leaves in bottom right corner
February 6, 2023
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.
STEMIE logo card; STEMIE innovation for inclusion in early education
February 1, 2023
More than 350 early childhood professionals and parents gathered online on December 8, 2022 for STEMIEFest, a conference designed to support practitioners in fostering STEM and computational thinking for all young children, including those with disabilities. The event was organized by Chih-Ing Lim, co-director of the STEMIE Center, and Megan Vinh, principal investigator at STEMIE.
green background with white text that reads FPG Profile Series Roundup; light orange and light blue decorative leaves in bottom right corner
January 30, 2023
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.
International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute written on navy box over purple background with photo of father reading to son to the right
January 24, 2023
Registration is now open for the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute's 23rd annual International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute.

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