The Nebraska WORDS team includes, back row from left: Janet Bohaty, HyeonJin Yoon, Dawn Spurck, Kylee Rhamy, Jiabin Lyu, Jungwon Eum and Marc Goodrich. Front row, from left: Abby Burke, Jadyn Ehresman, Pam Bazis, Sara Wing, Sarah Zuckerman, Derek Rodgers and Carrie Sublette (Photo by Loren Rye, UNL Pixel Lab). Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
A student’s ability to read is a key predictor of academic and lifelong success. In Nebraska, the COVID-19 pandemic hit students with reading difficulties especially hard, particularly students attending rural schools.
Since then, Nebraska WORDS project — Workshops on Reading Development Strategies — has been a valuable resource for teachers by promoting effective strategies to deliver high-quality reading instruction and assessment. The research-based professional development program supports Nebraska’s targeted efforts to boost early literacy among K-3 students across the state.Full Article
Research team members include, from left, Kevin Pitt, Grace Fowler, Elena Butler and James Sawall. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
For children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI), the inability to share their thoughts and feelings can deeply affect their quality of life and well-being.
Researchers and engineers continue to seek new ways to help these children communicate, including an experimental technology that enables thoughts to control communication devices, known as communication brain-computer interfaces (cBCIs).Full Article
The NAECR Policy Fellows Program is designed to educate early childhood researchers on policy processes, impacts and relationships to research; to provide policymakers with insight into the latest early childhood research at the University of Nebraska; and to generate collaboration among researchers and policymakers to develop effective research agendas that enrich early childhood experiences.Full Article
Jaci Foged, Early Childhood Extension coordinator (left), works with educators at a KNEW workshop in Grand Island, Nebraska, in August. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
For many Nebraska families, finding affordable child care can seem like piecing together an impossible puzzle.
Parents juggle waitlists, long commutes and tough choices between work and staying home — all while early childhood teachers themselves face low pay, long hours and stress.Full Article
Ciara Ousley, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, is exploring the relationships between children with autism and their typically developing siblings. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
Autism is the fastest-growing disability category in Nebraska. About 30% of autistic children do not develop vocal speech by age 4 and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — non-verbal methods such as gestures, facial expressions, picture cards and tablets to communicate.Full Article
From left, Malone Maternal Wellness’ Jillian Boldt and Jordan Hardesty, and Nebraska researchers Patty Kuo and Alex Mason, check out the Malone Milk Mobile. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.
Children who are breastfed as infants are less likely to develop obesity. However, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 25% of infants in the U.S. are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
As many as 70% of mothers experience problems with breastfeeding, contributing to lower rates — particularly among Black Americans (17.2%) and rural residents (18%). Research suggests these low breastfeeding rates may compound potential nutrition-related health disparities from the start of life.Full Article
From left, Amanda Prokasky, MAP Academy senior research specialist, and Lorey Wheeler, MAP Academy director, are collaborating with five other universities to develop a data coordination center to provide methodological and analytic support to multiple universities. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
Because university researchers often use different methods and measures, it can be difficult to compare results across studies.
Amanda Prokasky, MAP Academy senior research specialist, and Lorey Wheeler, MAP Academy director, are collaborating with five other universities to develop a data coordination center to support cross-site analyses and help share findings more effectively.Full Article
The research team includes, front row from left: Sanya Tuncan-Minden, UNMC graduate research assistant; Kerry Miller, associate director of Munroe-Meyer’s Department of Education and Child Development and UNMC’s principal investigator; Laura Fritz, UNMC graduate research assistant; and Alexis Chavez, MAP Academy graduate research assistant. Back row, from left: Janella Kang, MAP Academy graduate research assistant; Amanda Prokasky, MAP Academy senior research specialist; Lorey Wheeler, MAP Academy director; and Charlie Lewis, project director at the Center on Children, Families and the Law. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.
Early screening and support are vital for healthy child development, especially for immigrant and refugee families navigating unfamiliar systems in the U.S.
A recent multi-campus study found that many immigrant and refugee families in Nebraska struggle to access services to address developmental delays or disabilities in children, particularly those age 3 and younger. Barriers include language differences, limited awareness of available services and discomfort with the health care system due to past discrimination or negative experiences.Full Article
