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RESEARCH AREAS

Child Trends studies children at every stage of development. Important implications - and ultimately, we hope, new policies - come from our studies on the well-being of children and families.

• Child Poverty:  the effects of poverty on children’s development
• Child Welfare:  children and adoption, foster care, and kinship care
• Early Childhood Development:  children’s development from birth through early elementary school
• Education:  children's academic achievement (K-12) and behavior in school; how families, communities, and schools help support children
• Fatherhood & Parenting:  how involved parents effect their children and adolescents
• Health:  the physical and socio-emotional health of children and teens
• Evaluation:  the use of data to assess the strengths and weaknesses of programs and, policies to improve their effectiveness
• Indicators of Child Well-Being:  the use of trends information from infancy through early adulthood
• Marriage & Family:  sexual behavior, contraception, pregnancy, and childbearing
• Positive Development:  measurement of positive behaviors, relationships, and attitudes  
• Teen Sex & Pregnancy:  factors associated with risky adolescent sexual behavior and teen pregnancy
• Youth Development:  research and evaluation of out-of-school time programs