Duke Center for Child and Family Policy

“We are proud that our affiliated faculty are partnering on this incredibly important work to strengthen how families connect to vital care and support across North Carolina,” said Jennifer Lansford, Ph.D., director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy.

A research team co-led by our Lisa Gennetian, Ph.D, an applied economist, with colleagues Rushina Cholera, M.D., Ph.D, a pediatrician and epidemiologist, and Sarahn Wheeler, M.D., M.H.S., an OB-GYN who is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, has received a grant from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative to improve maternal and early childhood health across North Carolina. Learn more: https://madeforthis.duke.edu/stories/transformative-grant-empowers-duke-to-launch-statewide-maternal-and-child-health-initiative/
Sanford School of Public Policy

📢 Attention researchers and scholars! Headed to the 2026 Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Biennial Meeting next week?

If so, be sure to check out these poster presentations on Friday, April 17 and meet our colleagues Laura Gorla, Ph.D., Ann T. Skinner, Ph.D., and Jennifer Lansford, Ph.D.!

Adolescents’ future orientation across low, middle, and high-income countries: The role of parenting
(Poster Session 5, Poster No. 26, 12:30pm ET)

The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Activity Patterns and Anxiety in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
(Poster Session 7, Poster No. 18, 4pm ET)

Mother, father, and youth perspectives on defining adulthood in 9 countries
(Poster Session 7, Poster No. 25, 4pm ET)

Cohort 8 of the Early Childhood Policy Academy has concluded, but the conversations and collaboration sparked over the past few days will continue to shape policy conversations across states.

Participants explored strategies to strengthen early childhood systems, support educators, and expand access to high-quality care — grounded in research, real-world experience, and shared commitment to children and families.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this convening meaningful and impactful. We look forward to continuing this work together.

Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy

The Duke Center for Child and Family Policy is thrilled to announce a transformative $10.5 million gift from Bukhman Philanthropies to support new center-based research on some of the most pressing issues facing children and families today: https://madeforthis.duke.edu/stories/duke-university-receives-10-5-million-to-fund-groundbreaking-child-and-family-policy-research/

Duke University
Sanford School of Public Policy

Duke Sanford students worked with NC Public Schools on a visionary mission: to make North Carolina’s public schools the nation’s best by 2030. Professor Jenni Owen’s public policy students worked with NC Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green, his team, and other partners throughout the fall semester to advance the NC Department of Public Instruction’s Achieving Educational Excellence strategic plan.

Not just an academic group project, this was a collaborative opportunity to solicit input, conduct policy analysis, and generate recommendations for a state government agency that is striving to improve the lives of children across N.C. One Sanford student reflected that “this course showed me that thoughtful teamwork is not just an academic requirement but a core professional skill.”

"It was an honor to work with Duke University Masters of Public Policy students on their research projects to support Achieving Educational Excellence, the strategic plan for North Carolina's public schools to be the best in the nation by 2030," said Superintendent Mo Green. "The learning went both ways--the students identified valuable potential policies and initiatives and peer-reviewed research to support the action items in the plan, while they learned how their efforts can directly inform our state's education agency decision-making."

Thanks to Superintendent Green and the NCDPI team for their mentoring and guidance and to the Sanford Master of Public Policy students for their hard work and real-world policy insights.

Attention Duke University students with an interest in child and family policy! 📢

We're kicking off our Careers in Child and Family Policy series for spring 2026 with an alumni panel! Join us Wednesday, January 28 at 11am EST (via Zoom) to hear from graduates of the Child Policy Research Certificate program as they share their experiences and career insights. Learn more and register: https://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/blog/event/career-series-professional-directions-of-cpr-alumni/

Sanford School of Public Policy

💙❄️ Happy Holidays from CCFP❄️💙

Congratulations to our Kenneth Dodge, founder and former director of CCFP, on being named the 2026 recipient of the prestigious American Psychological Association Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society! Dodge is known for his impactful research in early childhood development, specifically in the development and prevention of aggressive and violent behaviors. Read more: https://sanford.duke.edu/story/kenneth-dodge-receives-lifetime-contribution-award-apa/

Meet our 2025-2026 Jacqueline A. Morris Fellows! These nine Duke undergraduate students will receive funding in research support for a mentored project in the area of child and family policy. Learn more about our new fellows and their research: https://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/education/undergraduate-opportunities/research-fellowships-and-independent-study/