Skip to main content
News Home

Swiss researcher visits CYFS to observe TAPP for implementation in Switzerland

A Swiss researcher is spending the spring in Lincoln to learn more about an innovative program designed to improve children’s academic, social and behavioral outcomes while building stronger, more effective relationships among parents and teachers.

Caroline Villiger, professor and head of the “Family–Education–School” research program at the University of Teacher Education in Bern, Switzerland, arrived in Lincoln April 14 to study the Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) program, which was developed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and supports school-age children who are struggling with a variety of behavioral, social and academic challenges. Full Article

New database streamlines data collection, support for Nebraska deafblind students, educators

Deafblindness is a combination of vision loss and hearing difference that makes accessing the environment, language and communication more complex. It varies in severity and type and can be present at birth or acquired at any age.

With both vision and hearing impacted, access to the world often requires individualized supports for independent living, education and social interaction. Full Article

Program expands emotional regulation support for autistic students

A large proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder often struggle with irritability and behavior challenges stemming from emotional dysregulation —  the inability to manage emotional responses. These struggles can include intense, prolonged anger, anxiety, sadness that are disproportionate to situations. Full Article

Research uncovers financial stress as a key challenge for Nebraska mental health practitioners

Like other states, Nebraska faces a critical shortage of mental health practitioners. That shortage that may limit some communities’ access to mental health care.

Shortages in rural areas are sometimes due to practitioners seeking larger communities in which to practice, but other causes statewide include burnout and work-related stress — common challenges among those in health care professions. Full Article

Connections for Kids training prepares students for early childhood careers

University of Nebraska–Lincoln students will soon have access to new online courses designed to provide career-ready training in early childhood care and education.

Starting in the 2026–27 academic year, undergraduates in all majors can enroll in Connections for Kids — a series of five online courses focused on preparing them to promote young children’s social and emotional development through innovative, evidence-based practices. Full Article

NAECR Knowledge event focuses on data repository selection

What factors should you consider when selecting a data repository?

The March 9 NAECR Knowledge event was led by Amanda Prokasky, senior research specialist at the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics & Psychometrics (MAP Academy), who outlined best practices for data repository selection and offered guidance for multiple points of the research cycle. Full Article

Welcome to the team, Kristin Moilanen

Name: Kristin Moilanen

Title: Proposal Development Coordinator

Hometown: Fenton, Michigan

Where did you work prior to joining CYFS? What was your role there, and what did it entail?

“After completing my Ph.D. in developmental psychology at UNL in 2005, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh prior to stepping into a faculty role as an assistant (and later associate) professor in Child Development and Family Studies at West Virginia University. I was also an associate editor, then later became the editor-in-chief, of the “Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.” I left WVU in 2022 for a remote visiting research specialist position in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois–Chicago. I wore many hats in this role, in which I was the project manager and lead data analyst for a NIH-funded study on health in middle adulthood. Full Article