Center Goals

The Center has three major goals:

* The facilitation of collaborative, longitudinal, national and cross-cultural research projects on connections between children, social relationships, and culture.

 
* The offering of graduate and post-doctoral training related to research on children, relationships and culture.

 
* The availability of a Resource Facility containing scholarly information that may help produce policy initiatives and improvements in practice related to strengthening of families and child development.



Advanced Learning Opportunities

* The Center offers doctoral and postdoctoral specialization in the study of children,               relationships, and culture.

* The Center offers a seminar in both the Spring and Fall semesters (EDHD 613 & 615) in which student and post-doctoral affiliates and faculty participate. The seminar provides students with opportunities to discuss, with leading figures in the field, central issues in the study of child development. In addition, collaborative research opportunities are encouraged by these meetings of Center members and student affiliates.

* The Center provides professional development opportunities based on the knowledge base accrued from its research efforts. Teachers, education administrators, student services personnel, social workers, family counselors and practicing psychologists participate in continuing education seminars, courses and symposia. For example, beginning in 1997, Center personnel met, on a regular basis, with middle school counselors from Montgomery County Public Schools to discuss issues pertaining to social and emotional difficulties of young adolescents.  In addition, Center faculty have been consulting on a Fair Housing curriculum currently being implemented in all 23 high schools in Montgomery County Maryland.
 
* The Center will host an annual symposium series on given topics related to its goals.            Eminent scholars will be invited to deliver addresses and conduct seminars and workshops over a four-day period. The first symposium is planned for 1999.



The Center Resource Facility
The Resource Facility has been established to facilitate scholarly training, research projects and policy initiatives. The facility includes a conference/seminar room for meetings and seminars, and classes; offices for visiting researchers and educators, Center faculty, postdocs and graduate fellows, and staff; and space for a computer system and small reference library.

The Resource Facility currently hosts the office of President for the International Society for the Studyof Behavioral Development as well as the office of an Associate Editor for Child Development and an Associate Editor for Early Education and Development.