Strategic Planning Update: Young Scholars Program
The Foundation for Child Development has endured for over 100 years as a result of the constancy of its commitment to promoting the well-being of children and the flexibility with which it evolves with the times, embracing new strategies as children’s needs, our society, and research knowledge have changed. The Foundation’s Young Scholars Program (YSP) is no exception to this process of renewal. We remain steadfastly committed to this flagship program aimed at developing the next generation of developmental scientists who are equipped to advance policy and practice on behalf of the nation’s children. But it is also an opportune moment to refresh how we address this goal in light of decision-makers’ knowledge needs and scientific advancements.
We want to share with you that FCD is committed to the following issues in developing the next generation of the YSP:
(a) empirical and professional mentoring, (b) recruiting scholars from underrepresented groups, notably scholars of color, (c) creating a community of interdisciplinary scholars and supporting collaboration among them, (d) ensuring that pressing policy and practice challenges inform the work of the scholars, (e) fostering the scholars’ capacity to translate their work for policy and practice audiences, and (f) expanding opportunities for the young scholars to engage with other FCD grantees by, in part, creating greater thematic coherence across all of FCD’s strategic initiatives.
More information about our new vision for the YSP will be available by Spring 2014. Until then, new fellowship proposals are not being accepted at this time. To receive future updates about the YSP, please email ysp@fcd-us.org to be added to our mailing list.