The Center for Families
The Center for Families empowers all families to thrive in nurturing environments that meet their essential needs, reduce their exposures to risk, and enhance their individual and collective strength and resilience.
Our Approach…
Discover
Promote the study of families from a multidisciplinary, life course perspective while also increasing the opportunity for new knowledge.
Connect
Foster collaboration among academics, policymakers, and practitioners to identify where research about families is needed.
Empower
Identify high-quality family research from around the world, used to inform decisions that impact families.
LATEST RESEARCH AND NEWS
- Research on Mothers’ Reluctance to Seek Help During Workforce Reentry Wins 2026 Kanter Award
The 2026 Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research has been awarded to Tian Yang and Hye Young Lee for their study examining why mothers returning to the workforce often hesitate to seek support from personal and professional networks. - From programs to practice, CFF Director Emerita reflects on creating lasting change for families
Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth reflects on a career dedicated to improving the lives of families through research, teaching, and community partnerships. She shares how evidence-based research can drive meaningful change, influencing programs, policies, and practices that support family well-being and resilience. - Working Parents Struggle to Balance Careers and Family Demands, New Pew Survey FindsEllen Ernst Kossek – A new Pew Research Center survey shows most working parents find it difficult to balance job responsibilities and family life, with many handling parenting tasks during work hours and work duties at home. Mothers report greater challenges than fathers as work-life boundaries continue to blur.
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CURRENT INITIATIVES
Families, in all their diverse forms, are the foundation of society. No culture has been able to provide anything better than the family for producing strong individuals for the journey of life.
—Dr. Donald Felker, Dean of School of Consumer and Family Science, 1987-1992
150+ Faculty Members
have engaged in projects that have added to the creation & dissemination of new knowledge
Who are our Faculty Partners?$750 Thousand+
of funding provided directly to support over 175 students, faculty, & educators & their research & programs
Read about funded research & programs30 Years
of harnessing the power of faculty, staff, students, alumni, & friends to improve our quality of life
Learn about Center milestonesYOUR SUPPORT MAKES AN IMPACT
Every gift, no matter how large or small, makes it possible for the center to be involved in innovative initiatives that impact individuals and families.
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