Tribal early childhood and family economic well-being research center (TRC) - the tribal early childhood and family economic well-being research center (TRC04) will leverage the collective skills…

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska a $250,000 cooperative agreement on September 30, 2026, under the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program (CFDA 93.872) to establish and operate the Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-Being Research Center (TRC).

The center will advance actionable research, evaluation, and measurement relevant to ACF-funded Tribal early childhood and family economic well-being programs, with emphasis on community-grounded and community-adapted measurement, secondary data analysis, and emergent activities. The TRC will function as a hub for information and peer exchange, summarizing existing measures and providing frameworks for adaptation, enhancement, or development of curricula, assessments, and staff qualifications and credentialing. The center will host forums to share methodologies, planning tools, and approaches to honoring tribal data sovereignty.

The University of Nebraska leads a collaborative consortium including the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, the University of Colorado Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Child Trends, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Michigan State University, and the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Boston Children's Hospital. All activities employ an active engagement approach centered on meaningful and authentic partnership, Native leadership, principles from Native research paradigms, building the next generation of tribal early childhood scholars, and upholding tribal sovereignty.

Performance occurs in Nebraska with a period of performance from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031.

Tribal early childhood and family economic well-being research center (TRC) - the tribal early childhood and family economic well-being research center (TRC04) will leverage the collective skills and expertise of leading scholars at the buffett early childhood institute at the university of nebraska, the university of colorado centers for american indian and alaska native health, child trends, the johns hopkins bloomberg school of public health, michigan state university, and the brazelton touchpoints center at boston children's hospital to: 1) advance actionable research, evaluation, and measurement relevant to ACF-funded tribal early childhood and family economic wellbeing programs with a focus on community-grounded and -adapted measurement, secondary data analysis, and emergent activities; and 2) serve as a hub for information and peer exchange that summarizes existing measures; summarizes practices and provides frameworks for adaptation, enhancement, or development of curricula, assessments, and staff qualifications/credentialing; and hosts forums to share methodologies, planning tools, and approaches to honoring tribal data sovereignty. Across all activities, the TRC will employ an active engagement approach that works in meaningful and authentic partnership as a community of learning, centers native leadership, is guided by principles from native research paradigms, builds the next generation of tribal early childhood scholars, honors tribal sovereignty, and upholds the cooperative agreement with the federal sponsor.