Early Childhood Research Summit

Call for Faculty Research Presentations



Please submit research proposals by February 23, 2026.

Instructions for Faculty ProposalsSubmit Proposal



Presentation Requirements:

  • Presentations must be grounded in research. Quantitative, qualitative, single-case and mixed-methods research designs are welcome.
  • Presentations must include a specific focus on the application of research findings to practice, policy or both.
  • Featured research must include or apply to children birth to 8 years of age.

The summit encourages submissions that (a) offer various perspectives on critical and timely issues in early childhood; (b) highlight innovative research being conducted by faculty within the University of Nebraska system; (c) identify extensions of research to practice; and (d) examine how research findings may relate to public policies that affect young children and their families. 

Selected presentations will represent a range of early childhood issues and topics, with time and space considerations limiting the number of presentations that can be accepted.

Notification of selection will be sent to the submitting author by March 4, 2026. Registration for the summit will open in January 2026.



Presentation Formats:

There are two types of concurrent research sessions: Research Exchange Sessions and Early Childhood Ignite Sessions. Both types are 45 minutes in length and include a 15-minute interactive discussion. Presenters may also participate in the Discovery Showcase, an interactive research poster session at the end of the day.

Selected presentations must be delivered by faculty in the University of Nebraska system. Assistant, Associate, or Full Professors and equivalent-rank faculty and staff with formal research apportionments employed by any NU campus are eligible to submit. Participation of members from the practice or policy community as co-presenters is encouraged and welcomed.



Research Exchange Session
Morning & Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

In these sessions, individual researchers/teams will have 30 minutes to share their findings, following a pre-determined format. The session will conclude with a 15-minute facilitated discussion of applications to practice and policy. This session type allows researchers to share more detailed information.



Early Childhood Ignite Session
Morning & Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Each session will include two different, thematically linked research presentations. Each researcher will have 10 minutes and six slides to share their findings, followed by 5 minutes for questions. The session will conclude with a 15-minute facilitated discussion. This session type allows researchers to share high-level information.



Discovery Showcase
4:00-5:00 p.m.

New this year, the Discovery Showcase is a research poster session that will feature research posters from University of Nebraska faculty, research teams, or graduate students presented alongside community partner posters. Selected posters must be led by faculty or graduate students in the University of Nebraska system.

Faculty lead authors, submit your posters below. Graduate student lead authors must submit their posters here.

Presentation Submission Form:

Complete and submit Sections I, II and III. All information must be completed for this proposal to be considered. Submissions are due by February 23, 2026.


SECTION I: Rules of Participation (*Required Field)

  • To offset expenses, Summit organizers will be charging a $50 registration fee for non-students and a $25 registration fee for students to attend the conference. Please note that the conference does NOT pay the expenses of presenters accepted through this call. All presenters accepted from the call who will be attending the Summit must register and pay the registration fee. Registration for the summit opens in January 2026.
  • Persons whose presentations are accepted must participate at the time scheduled by the Summit Planning Committee. Any special scheduling requests must be made at the time of acceptance and will be accommodated to the extent feasible.
  • Those with submissions accepted through the call are not precluded from publishing and/or presenting their material elsewhere. Posters previously presented at professional venues may be submitted for consideration.
*


SECTION II: PRESENTER INFORMATION (*Required Field)


Lead Presenter Contact Information:

The lead presenter is the person with whom summit organizers will communicate and is responsible for sharing information with any co-presenters. The lead presenter must be a faculty member in the University of Nebraska system.
Name*
Role*
Job Title/Position*
Email Address*
Phone*
Campus*
Department*


Additional Presenters:
Name
Role
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Phone
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Department
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Role
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Name
Role
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Name
Role
Job Title/Position
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SECTION III: PRESENTATION DETAILS (*Required Fields)

We recommend preparing responses in advance using a word processing program, then copying into the online proposal submission form. The online submission form will not time out, but if the page is refreshed or reloaded, entered information will be lost.

Suggested Title of Presentation* (fewer than 10 words)
Abstract* In 75 or fewer words, provide a brief description of the session's content, including the implications of featured research.
Description* In 300 or fewer words, provide a brief introduction to the presentation topic, research questions, methods, findings and significance/innovation of the work (key references may be included, but do not count toward word limit).
Application to Practice and/or Policy*
The results of this research relate to: (Check all that apply.)



Specify at least two ways that the results of this research relate to practice and/or policy:
Do you have a co-presenter from the policy or practice community who will be attending the Summit?*

If yes, please specify the co-presenter’s name:
Please indicate the target developmental period(s) of this research.*(Check all that apply.)



Please describe the research content of your presentation.*(Check all that apply.)






Please identify two to three keywords related to the presentation.*
All proposals will be considered for the following session types. Please rank the session types in order of your preference.*
Research Exchange Session: Research exchange sessions will take place during the morning or afternoon concurrent sessions. In these sessions, individual researchers/teams will have 30 minutes to share their findings, following a pre-determined format. The session will conclude with a 15-minute facilitated discussion of applications to practice and policy. This session type allows researchers to share more detailed information.
Early Childhood Ignite Session: Ignite sessions will take place during the morning or afternoon concurrent sessions. Each session will include two different, thematically linked research presentations. Each researcher will have 10 minutes and six slides to share their findings, followed by 5 minutes for questions. The session will conclude with a 15-minute facilitated discussion. This session type allows researchers to share high-level information.
Discovery Showcase: TThe Discovery Showcase is a research poster session that will take place from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. and feature research from NU faculty, graduate students, or research teams presented alongside community partner posters. The lead presenter must be present for the entire showcase to share information on their findings. Only one poster per lead presenter will be accepted.