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CYFS releases 2019-20 Annual Report

View the 2019-20 CYFS Annual Report: Interactive or PDF

In a year unlike any other, CYFS and its diverse partners in research, practice and policy have continued work to impact lives through research that advances learning and development.

The CYFS annual report for the 2020 fiscal year, which ran from July 2019 to June 2020, is now available — highlighting efforts to address social, behavioral and educational challenges facing society, both amid and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Article

Maker space project helps build future engineering foundation

Students strategize the best way forward on their project during the Maker Friday engineering courses at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, in fall 2018.

It’s Friday morning in the Maker Space Lab at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, and the room is abuzz — literally and figuratively.

One group of students is hard at work on the 3D printer. Other students collaborate on a computer aided design (CAD) project. Another group concentrates on woodworking with power tools. Full Article

‘The Story of SEEDs’ shared in Oct. 19 webinar

About 200 practitioners, advocates, students and policymakers attended an Oct. 19 webinar, “The Story of SEEDs,” which outlined the history, success and challenges of the Support, Education, Empowerment and Directions (SEEDs) program.

The virtual event discussed the trauma-informed, gender-responsive, sober living home program for women with histories of substance abuse and domestic and/or sexual violence. Discussion topics included costs associated with running SEEDs, program implementation barriers, lessons learned and next steps for continued sustainability. Full Article

Research explores ways to bolster early childhood numeracy skills

Keting Chen, human sciences doctoral student in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, is exploring how home and childcare environments affect preschool-aged children’s numeracy skills — the ability to understand and work with numbers. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

For some young children, learning the basics of 1-2-3 can be easy as A-B-C.

But because early numeracy skills often receive less attention than early literacy skills, children who lag in number comprehension may fall behind academically in kindergarten and beyond. Full Article

Study aims to address time crunch among early childhood educators

Early childhood teachers’ non-contact time — time away from students in the classroom — enables them to address other work demands, such as building instruction plans, assessing children’s development and communicating with families. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Much attention is paid to the work early childhood teachers do in the classroom. But their tasks away from their students are just as essential to children’s learning and development.

Unlike their K-12 counterparts, early childhood teachers lack dedicated time to address work demands beyond the direct care of children. Without formalized supports, out-of-classroom time may be scarified or interrupted as unexpected issues arise throughout the day. Full Article

SEEDs program promotes healing among women with past addiction, victimization

Current and former SEEDs participants develop job skills and enhance their work history while working at Cup O’Karma. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

The definition of “home” means different things to different people.

A comfy sofa. A warm bed. A cat lounging in the sun on the windowsill. Kids playing in the other room. An animated discussion of the day’s events during family mealtime.

For many, home is a sanctuary from busy schedules and hectic lives. But for women participating in the Support, Education, Empowerment and Directions (SEEDs) program, home can be a life-saver. Full Article

Project’s photos give voice to refugee population

A Yazidi woman shows off a large batch of naan, a round, flat, leavened bread. In keeping with cultural traditions, many women share freshly prepared naan with their neighbors, including Americans. (Photo courtesy of Zozan Bashar) Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

In August 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attacked Sinjar Province in northwestern Iraq. About 5,000 Yazidi civilians were killed, and the genocide led to the expulsion of thousands more from their ancestral lands. Additionally, thousands of women and girls were abducted. Full Article

Research reveals children’s early adversity, neighborhood have lasting impacts

Data from a recent Nebraska study finds that early childhood experiences — particularly adverse events and activities, and neighborhood disadvantages — can generate long-term behavioral and social impacts. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Where you come from plays a key role in predicting where you are going.

For children, the neighborhood in which they grow up significantly affects their healthy development in later years, according to findings from a recent University of Nebraska–Lincoln research project. Full Article