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Our Mission

The mission of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute is to cultivate and share knowledge that enhances child development and family well-being.

For the past 45 years, our research, outreach, technical assistance, and service have shaped how the nation cares for and educates young children.

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Advancing knowledge. Enhancing lives.

Since 1966, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute has helped to shape how the nation cares for and educates young children. About 300 researchers, implementation and technical assistance specialists, staff, and students work on over 80 projects related to young children, individuals with disabilities, and their families. Our dedication to research and outreach is embodied in our motto: Advancing knowledge. Enhancing lives.

Patricia Garrett-Peters Studies the Impact of Poverty on Families

FPG Scientist Dr. Patricia Garrett-Peters is committed to understanding relations between poverty and child and family functioning. She is the Project Co-Director of the Family Life Project, a multi-site longitudinal study of 1,292 poor rural children and their families. Her current research focuses on understanding the role of poverty in producing conditions of uncertainty and unpredictability, as well as how these conditions can create household chaos that adversely affects children and their families.

National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute

Over 400 people from across the country and around the world attended the 2013 National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute in May. The program and many presentation materials are now available on the National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute website. Mark your calendar for the 2014 Inclusion Institute to be held May 12-14, in Chapel Hill, NC.

Emphasis Areas

Developmental Disabilities

Diversity

Early Care and Education

International Initiative

Physical and Social Health

Professional Development

Public Policy and Evaluation

Featured Projects

Family Life Project

The purpose of this project is to understand the early development trajectories in both poor and non poor young children growing up in rural areas characterized by high poverty. An interdisciplinary team of investigators has been following children from birth with measurement of child, family, and school functioning, observed mother and father sensitivity and language input in the home setting, observed quality of instruction in child care and elementary school, characteristics of the community, and biomarkers of child and maternal stress.
Supporting Change and Reform in Preservice Teaching in North Carolina (SCRIPT-NC)

Early childhood educators (ECE) work with young children with disabilities as well as children from diverse backgrounds to support learning and development. It is critical for ECEs to be adequately prepared to serve children who are linguistically, culturally, and ability-diverse. The purpose of this project is to work with early childhood community college programs in North Carolina to enhance and redesign courses to better prepare ECEs to work with children with disabilities and children from diverse backgrounds.
The Role of Behavioral and Instructional Match in the Prediction of Early Classroom Engagement and Academic Achievement

In this project, we will examine teacher instructional strategies as a moderator of child grade entry skills in predicting literacy achievement at 2nd and 3rd grade. We will also examine how variations in the match between teacher instructional strategies and child grade entry skills are associated with children's engagement in the classroom and literacy achievement.

Emphasis Areas

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