Young Scholars Program (YSP)

Overview

<p>The Foundation for Child Development is currently accepting proposals for its 2022 Young Scholars Program (YSP). YSP supports scholarship for early-career researchers. The program funds implementation research that is policy- and practice-relevant, and that examines the preparation, competency, compensation, well-being, and ongoing professional learning of the early care and education (ECE) workforce. Research awards are up to $225,000 for primary research and up to $180,000 for secondary data analysis.</p> <p>Three specific goals frame the Foundation's current programmatic priority to strengthen the ECE workforce:</p> <ol> <li>Professionalize the early childhood field and build greater awareness of the status of the early childhood workforce.</li> <li>Enhance the quality of professional practice.</li> <li>Improve teacher preparation and ongoing professional learning, with special attention to the influence and role of institutions of higher education.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Research Focus</strong></p> <p>All proposed research must have primary questions that are relevant to the ECE workforce. All proposed research questions must support scientific inquiry into the implementation of specific ECE programs, policies, or practices. Implementation research provides the opportunity to engage in meaningful exploration of what works (or not), for whom, and under what conditions using a variety of methodological approaches and research designs. The Foundation highly recommends reviewing Getting it Right: Using Implementation Research to Improve Outcomes in Early Care and Education, as it explains the Foundation’s perspective on the value of implementation research and provides guidance on various implementation research approaches and methods. Finally, all supported research must have a clear connection to policies and practices that have the potential to result in a positive impact on the ECE workforce and on the young children in YSP’s priority populations.</p> <p><em><strong>Who Should Apply?</strong></em><br>YSP is an open competition; applicants need not be nominated to apply. The Foundation regards diversity as an asset for building a strong and productive society and is committed to diversity and equity in scholarship and through our grantees. To increase the diversity of research perspectives, the Foundation encourages applications from: </p> <ul> <li>Scholars who are from underrepresented groups that have historically experienced poverty, racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Such groups include, but are not limited to, researchers of color, first-generation college graduates, culturally and linguistically diverse scholars, and researchers from low-income communities</li> <li>Scholars who represent a variety of disciplines and methodological approaches</li> </ul> <p></p>