The Center for Children and Families (CCF) works to promote optimal family and child development through research, training, and outreach. With support from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas, CCF is home to 12 core faculty who engage in research ranging from parent-child relationships to social-emotional health, language development, children's critical thinking, and connections among the contexts of children’s lives.
Translating research to practice, CCF’s community-based Play With Me program provides a free 12-week experience for at-risk children ages 0-3 and their families to foster and support healthy brain development and strong parent-child relationships through semi-structured play sessions. In this informal environment, bilingual developmental specialists share information and facilitate play and learning activities in English and Spanish using toys, music, and movement to promote sensitive, stimulating parent-child interaction and provide important supports for school readiness.
We need your support to bring the Play With Me program to more local communities. Over the next five years, we plan to DOUBLE the number of Play With Me locations, from 5 to 10, serving 500+ children and their caregivers annually. With this expansion, we’ll also provide workforce development training for an additional 135 new students, with opportunities for multi-semester training for 135 other students to deepen knowledge and expertise. Your support will help us provide toys and materials for the new sites, local travel support, and stipends for students to engage in community-based learning.
How you can help!
- $10 buys supplies used for program activities
- $25 buys one set of developmentally-appropriate toys
- $50 buys one set of imaginative play materials
- $200 buys foam mats for new program sites
- $500 supports ongoing Play With Me needs (training, staffing, stipends, and transportation)
