Human Development
and Family Studies

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CENTERS and OUTREACH

Center for Children and Families Across Cultures

The Center for Children and Families Across Cultures (CFAC) is the first center designed to foster research, outreach, and training activities that further our understanding of children and families from different cultures. The center will be a venue for multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts that bring together interested scholars focused on studying children and families of diverse backgrounds within the U.S. and across nations. A central tenet of CFAC is a strengths-based, positive development approach to developing models, conducting research, and providing outreach that benefit such populations.

Center for Family Policy and Research

The Center for Family Policy and Research (CFPR) was established in 1997 to serve as a resources for the development of effective public policies relating to children, youth and families. With a focus on integration of research, policy and practice, CFPR:

• conducts research and disseminates evidence-based findings to inform policy makers and to enhance program development;
• facilitates collaboration and provides leadership for systems-building efforts at the local, state and national levels; and
• works in communities to provide education and support services to programs that serve children, youth and families.

Child Development Lab

The Child Development Lab provides exemplary care and education for infants and young children. It is not, however, simply a service that MU provides to parents. Several HDFS courses, and at least one course from Education, utilize the CDL as a teacher-training site. These courses serve students from HDFS, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy, which utilizes the lab for child observations.

Focus on Kids

Focus on Kids is a program for separating and divorcing parents that was developed by MU faculty.

• It is offered in more than 50 Missouri counties (highlighted in yellow on the map)
• Over 32,000 Missouri parents have attended FOK since 1996
• It is conducted in cooperation with circuit courts
• An online version of Focus on Kids was launched in 2010

Institute for Professional Development

The Institute for Professional Development (IPD) serves early childhood and school-age professionals. The IPD provides training and technical assistance related to social and emotional development of young children (DECA) and curriculum for preschoolers (ELLC).