Comets Giving Days 2021

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) works to promote optimal family and child development through research, practice and outreach. Housed in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas, CCF is home to 22 Center-affiliated faculty researchers who examine a wide range of important and cutting-edge issues related to biological, psychological, social and cultural foundations of development as well as their implications for families. Translating research to practice, CCF’s community-based Play With Me program provides a 12-week experience for at-risk children ages 0-3, together with their parents, to foster and support children’s healthy brain development and strong parent-child relationships. In our Grow With Me program, we provide developmental screenings for Play With Me and other children ages 0-5, to screen for delays in children’s development across 5 domains and to provide referrals, support and guidance in connecting with intervention services when such needs are identified.

New to CCF in 2021 will be a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project, Culturally Responsive Research in Developmental Science, funded by a 3-year grant from the National Science Foundation. With this 3-year NSF grant, UT Dallas will contribute to the diversification of developmental science through paid internships for 10 qualified students per year from traditionally underrepresented groups. The REU students will study and work with CCF in our Play With Me program and with many our faculty affiliates. The students’ goal will be to learn to develop and disseminate high quality developmental research from underserved and understudied populations. The grant from NSF provides stipend support for the student trainees, but we need your support to solidify the backbone of their experience. Your gift will support the Play With Me program and the opportunities it provides to learn from families and conduct this important research. 

***Interested in having a little fun? Bring your babies and toddlers, ages 0-3, and join us online from 10am - 10:30am on May 26th and 27th for music and movement activities and child development tips! The sessions are free to attend and open to the public. Register here (for Wednesday 5/26) or here (for Thursday, 5/27) to receive a link to attend. We look forward to seeing you!