SRCD Seeks Letters of Intent for Two New Programs Focusing on State Early Childhood Policy
Call for Letters of Intent for Two New Programs Focusing on State Early Childhood Policy
Being Piloted by SRCD
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is seeking letters of intent for two new State Policy Programs that it will be piloting in 2017-2018: the Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholars Program in Early Learning, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Post-doctoral State Policy Fellowship in Early Childhood, funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation. Planning for these pilot programs has been carried out by SRCD's Committee for Policy and Communications in collaboration with the University-Based Child and Family Policy Consortium (CFP Consortium). This work reflects the newly formalized collaboration between SRCD and the CFP Consortium.
Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholars Program in Early Learning
Beginning September 1st, 2017, SRCD will be supporting up to four part-time, year-long Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholars with placements in state Executive Branch offices that work on state pre-kindergarten programs.This Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholars Program is intended to be a part-time immersion experience in which graduate students will build skills in policy research and program implementation and develop a greater understanding of the interplay of science and policy. SRCD would expect academic mentors in the students’ home institutions and policy mentors in their placements to provide guidance to the State Policy Scholars. It is SRCD’s intent that academic mentors will benefit from closer ties with a state policy office and greater understanding of the research and program issues of highest priority to the office, and that state Executive Branch offices will benefit from the expertise of child development researchers. Mentors are not asked to design a project with the Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholar in advance, but to support the scholar as the immersion experience proceeds and the potential for bringing research and developmental expertise to the placement is clarified.
Program Requirements: Candidates must have completed two years of coursework in a doctoral program with a focus on child development, and must be in good academic standing. Coursework should include a focus on early learning and education, preferably including the development of dual language learners. Candidates must confirm with their academic advisors that participation in the program would be in keeping with the requirements of their doctoral program and would not impede progress towards the degree. Participation in the program requires a commitment to participate in a placement in a state Executive Branch agency for an average of 20 hours per week for one year. Hours per week can vary across the academic year and summer as long as this variation is mutually agreed upon and the average is 20 hours per week over the course of the year. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and SRCD members. A brief letter of intent of no more than three pages single-spaced is required as a first step. A letter of intent may be submitted jointly by a graduate student and an interested professor or university-based researcher, or may be submitted by a professor or university-based researcher interested in serving as the academic mentor for a Pre-doctoral State Policy Scholar. If submitted by an interested professor or university-based researcher alone, a specific pre-doctoral candidate does not yet need to be identified in the letter of intent. A selection committee will follow up with invitations for full applications. Among the requirements for the full application will be a letter of commitment from a state Executive Branch agency confirming that it will provide a placement. More information about the program and submission of letters of intent is available here.
Post-doctoral State Policy Fellowship in Early Childhood
Beginning September 1st, 2017, SRCD will be supporting full-time, year-long positions for two Post-doctoral State Policy Fellows with placements in state Executive Branch offices that focus on early childhood. This post-doctoral fellowship is intended to be an immersion experience in which child development scientists have the opportunity to build skills in policy research and implementation and develop a greater understanding of the interplay of science and policy. SRCD would expect academic mentors in the students’ home institutions and policy mentors in their placements to provide guidance to the State Policy Scholars. It is SRCD’s intent for academic mentors to benefit from closer ties with a state policy office and develop greater understanding of the research and policymaking issues of highest priority to the office, and for state agencies focused on early childhood to benefit from the expertise of a child development researcher. Academic mentors are not asked to design a project with the fellow in advance, but to support the fellow as the immersion experience proceeds and the potential for bringing child development and research expertise to the placement office is clarified.
Program Requirements: Applicants must have a doctoral-level degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D.) in a discipline involving child development research. Candidates with expertise in family engagement, early math skills, and/or the development of dual language learners in early childhood will be prioritized, but placement activities may focus on early childhood policy more broadly. Candidates must have completed their doctorate no more than two years before the start of the fellowship, must be U.S. citizens, and must be members of SRCD. A brief letter of intent of no more than three pages single-spaced is requested as a first step. Letters of intent should be submitted jointly by a post-doctoral candidate and a professor or senior researcher (at a university center or research organization) interested in serving as the academic mentor for the Post-doctoral State Policy Fellow. A selection committee will follow up with invitations for full applications. Among the requirements for the full application will be a letter of commitment from a state Executive Branch agency confirming that it will provide a placement. More information about the program and submission of letters of intent is available here.
Deadline to submit letters of intent: December 19, 2016
More information about the pilot State Policy Programs is available online at http://srcd.org/policy-media/state-policy-programs. For questions, please email policyfellowships@srcd.org.