PROJECT HISTORY
The work of Strengthening Future Families began in 2015 when members of Early Education Research Foundation and United Way of Northern New Jersey circulated a white paper about teaching parenting in our school systems. Throughout the remainder of 2015 and 2016 Bruce Meyer of EERF and Kathy Kwasnik of UWNNJ continued considering possibilities for strengthening early childhood education and care through teaching parenting and received much appreciated interest from John Franklin, Kiran Gaudioso and Michelle Roers of UWNNJ; Cynthia Rice at Advocates for Children of New Jersey; Steven Barnett and Valerie Werstler of the National Institute for Early Education Research; Ellen Galinsky of Families and Work Institute; Richard De Lisi of Rutgers Graduate School of Education, and others.
Thank YouIn late 2016 Meyer and Kwasnik connected with Meredith Rowe of Harvard’s GSE and in 2018 Rowe and her graduate student, Nell O’Donnell Weber, began studying what American high school students know and believe about parenting and child development. They developed, validated, and administered a survey of 1,044 students from across the United States in proportions reflecting the composition and distribution of young people in America. The results of this study are currently under review for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
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In 2019 we developed a curriculum framework of the essential knowledge for high school students about how young children learn and the best ways to foster their development. This was based on the results of the survey and the latest research on what knowledge and attitudes are most strongly associated with optimal outcomes for young children. We are currently seeking high schools to pilot this curriculum with their students.
Today, we invite researchers, schools, districts, teachers, parents, and students to join us in this work. Together, we can have a significant impact helping the next generation of parents prepare for their important work.
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