This long-term program brings together research on employment, work and family issues, and child care as a support for working families.
For more than 30 years, the Work, Families and Children research group (WFC) has studied the lives of children and adults, and the workplaces, early care and education programs and families in which they live, work and grow. Based on this research, WFC has developed innovative programs, including evaluation research and professional development.
Work. Research in this area has examined working conditions and adult wellbeing, and work and family issues across the lifespan.
Families. Research has examined the role of poverty, division of labor, parenting stress, and other aspects of the family environment in the lives of children and adults.
Children. Research has examined children’s development over time, as well the impact of early care and education programs on children. Research in this area also examines in detail the quality and costs of early care and education programs, an important context for young children’s development in the 21st century.
Intersections. The Work, Families and Children team has also conducted studies at the intersections of these domains, including the interface between work and family, the relative effects of families and early care and education environments on children’s development, and the working conditions and needs of the workforce of adults employed in early care and education programs.
The Work, Families and Children team receives funding from a variety of sources for this work, including federal grants, state grants and contracts, contracts with local communities or school systems, and grants from private foundations. The publications of the Work, Families and Children research group are available on this website, through WCW publications, article journals and books available online or in libraries, and through conference presentations and public speaking.
