The Children, Youth and Family Consortium is celebrating 20 years of integrating research and practice for kids and families.  We are pleased to partner in an exciting evening on June 7, 2012 for our final lecture of the Wonder Years Forum series. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek will examine the importance of free play and playful learning as a catalyst for success and a means of bringing innovation, flexible thinking, and creative innovation into the global world. CYFC is hosting a celebratory reception prior to the forum with food, beverages, and lively interaction. Join us at the Minnesota Children's Museum where some galleries will be open for reception guests. The event and reception are free but space is limited and registration is required.

CYFC Director Honored
Cathy Jordan, Director of CYFC, is a recipient of the University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award. This award, established in 1999 by President Robert H. Bruininks, honors community outreach and service activities of the University of Minnesota community. The award recognizes members of the University community who have devoted their time and talent to make substantial, enduring contributions to the community and to improving public life and the well-being of society. Their contributions and accomplishments have resulted in long-term and lasting changes for the public good and demonstrate an unusual commitment to the University and the greater community. 

Dr. Jordan pursues community-engaged scholarship which improves conditions in the community and enhances the rigor of academic research. She is the founding editor of CES4Health.info, a mechanism for the peer review and online publication of community-focused products resulting from community-engaged scholarly endeavors, such as documentaries, toolkits and policy briefs. Her research has focused on developmental neurotoxicology and her efforts have been concentrated on two large community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects: the Phillips Lead Poisoning Prevention Project and the Developmental Research on Early Attention and Memory Skills (DREAMS) Project. These projects have been funded by three grants totaling $3 million in federal monies. Her roles in these projects have included grant writer, project director, community member trainer, and manager of a community-based research office. These projects led her to become intensely interested in models of research that aim to address community-defined needs and contribute to social and political change while enhancing scientific methodology and enlarging the academic knowledge base. Her experience in the Minneapolis Phillips neighborhood highlighted the multiple barriers that researchers and community members face in conducting collaborative research, as well as the powerful role collaborative research can play in effecting real change in communities. Her research and community efforts have taught hundreds of families to live lead-safe and have saved families from home eviction by changing city lead contamination housing policies.