NCCF Co-directors featured in TC Today
NCCF co-directors, Dr. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan are featured in the Spring 2008 issue of TC Today, the magazine of Teachers College. "Team Pre-K," written by Jonathan Sapers, provides a detailed overview of Drs. Brooks-Gunn and Kagan's dedication to the early childhood field and highlights several NCCF projects and team members. Click here to read more about early childhood's "dynamic duo."

NCCF Graduate Research Fellow Wins Head Start Research Scholarship
NCCF graduate research fellow Katherine A. Beckmann recently won the Edward Zigler Research Scholarship on behalf of the National Head Start Association. The Edward Zigler Scholarship was established in 2003 to honor Dr. Zigler, who helped create the Head Start Program in 1964, for his dedication to Head Start children and families. The highly competitive award recognizes Ph.D. students with an emphasis on psychology, public policy, or education research who have demonstrated a commitment to children and families. Ms. Beckmann is the first student from Teacher's College to receive this scholarship!

NCCF Wins NAEYC Grant on the Early Childhood Workforce and Models of Individual Professional Certification
NCCF recently won a grant from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to research issues of the early childhood education workforce and models of professional certification. As part of the grant, NCCF is profiling the current early care and education workforce; examining existing public and private sector models that certify early childhood education personnel; evaluating various models of professional certification that could serve as examples for a new early childhood national certification program; and researching the managerial, legal and fiscal implications of implementing a credentialing program. Led by NCCF co-director Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan, the center will produce a final briefing paper with a comprehensive review of these workforce issues. NCCF’s project goal is to challenge the existing workforce conventions and to synthesize research and learning from the experiences of early childhood education professionals and other fields to help inform NAEYC’s deliberations about what workforce initiatives are most promising for the association’s future efforts.

NCCF Co-director Interviewed on the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet
NCCF co-director, Dr. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn was interviewed on the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet about designer babies—children conceived with advanced reproductive technologies that allow parents to modify or choose specific characteristics of their child. Dr. Brooks-Gunn discusses why creating the perfect baby using DNA is causing controversy, and the impact this can have on these children. The program is broadcast live from the FOX studios in New York. Click here to see Dr. Brooks-Gunn's television segment.

NCCF Graduate Research Fellow Honored by SRA
NCCF graduate research fellow R. Gabriela Barajas was selected to be a junior mentor for the 2008 Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Young Scholars Program. In this role, Ms. Barajas will mentor, encourage, and support junior and senior undergraduate students from underrepresented ethnic minority groups as they pursue graduate work and careers in adolescent development. Click here to learn more about the SRA Young Scholars Program.