NCCF
advances the policy, education, and development of children and their families. Housed at Teachers College, Columbia University, the Center produces and applies interdisciplinary research to improve practice and to raise public awareness of social issues that affect the well-being of children and families in the United States and around the world.
New Release
Early Advantage
As educators and policymakers around the globe grapple with how to best serve their youngest learners, a few systems are taking the lead. A new, groundbreaking study, The Early Advantage, finds that Australia, England, Finland, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea and Singapore are pioneering new but remarkably different visions for early childhood education and care (ECEC).
Our Goals
NCCF’s extensive research programs benefit multiple constituents, including researchers, policy-makers, early childhood teacher educators, Head Start teachers and directors, practitioners, families, and the general public. From inner-city neighborhoods to rural preschools and public schools, from state capitals throughout the U.S. to ministries of education in developing nations, our work has three primary goals:
- the production of the highest quality and most relevant policy research;
- the preparation of the next generation of leaders, through training and fellowship opportunities; and
- the construction of effective social policy.
Working with NCCF’s two co-directors, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D., and Sharon Lynn Kagan, Ed.D., the organization is made up of dedicated, creative individuals, among them research scientists, graduate fellows (doctoral students), graduate students (master’s candidates), research assistants, and administrative staff.