Nurture Nebraska partners interview attendees about children’s social and emotional development at the CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s TransformED initiative was represented at the 2026 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit — sharing work focused on promoting young children’s social and emotional development by enhancing early childhood education services, strengthening connections across systems and supporting the workforce.
The April 28 event, presented by the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS) in partnership with the Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research, showcased the latest research from across the University of Nebraska system and brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to explore solutions that support young children, families and educators.
Through facilitated discussions and informal conversations, TransformED team members, including students from UNL’s Jacht Ad Agency, invited attendees to share their perspectives on supporting social and emotional development in early childhood.
Practitioners, policymakers and community members shared their experiences and priorities for fostering strong social-emotional skills in children’s earliest years. Their insights will help inform future research and community engagement in this area.
Key Insights
The following insights emerged from TransformED-led conversations at the summit:
- Self-regulation and emotional literacy are important.
- Relationships and responsive teaching practices matter.
- Punitive or shame-based responses are not helpful.
- Families and caregivers must be supported in children’s social and emotional development (e.g., family-centered interventions).
- Technology and artificial intelligence present opportunities.
- There is a gap between research and practice — and research needs to be conducted in real classrooms and environments where children learn and grow.
TransformED Presentations
“Iterative Development of an Interactive, Family-Inclusive Socio-Emotional Assessment System for Preschool-aged Children”
TransformED researchers shared details about Thriving Children, a new socio-emotional assessment system designed for early childhood educators to use with children ages 3 to 5. The presentation highlighted the team’s iterative approach to creating a tool that meets the needs of both early childhood programs and families. Attendees also learned about preliminary findings that support the tool’s effectiveness and acceptance among users.
Presenters:
- Carrie Clark, associate professor, educational psychology, UNL
- Jenna Finch, assistant professor, psychology, UNL
- Soo-Young Hong, professor, child, youth and family studies, UNL
- Julia Torquati, professor, child, youth and family studies, UNL
- Jennifer Leeper-Miller, master teacher, Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory and child, youth and family studies, UNL
- Jiabin Lyu, graduate research assistant, CYFS, UNL
- Amanda Prokasky, senior research specialist, CYFS, UNL
“Connect. Feel. Belong.: Igniting Statewide Social and Emotional Development Conversations”
TransformED researchers presented findings from Nurture Nebraska, a statewide campaign designed to increase awareness of social and emotional development among children from birth to age 5. Developed through community focus groups and expert input, the campaign launched in two phases — first through organic user-generated storytelling and then through a statewide rollout. The session explored evaluation findings, including web analytics and engagement data, that provide key insights into awareness and adoption patterns across Nebraska communities.
Presenters:
- Changmin Yan, associate professor, advertising and public relations, UNL
- Jemalyn Griffin, executive director, Jacht; acting associate dean for Academic Programs and associate professor of practice, advertising and public relations, UNL
Nurture Nebraska Showcase
Jacht students hosted a booth at the summit to showcase and share information about the Nurture Nebraska public awareness campaign and ongoing efforts to build capacity within communities to foster children’s social and emotional skills. The students also conducted video interviews with attendees to capture how early childhood social and emotional development influences their lives and promotes positive outcomes.
To learn more about this year’s summit, visit cyfs.unl.edu/ecs/2026.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s TransformED is a collaborative research initiative that promotes children’s social and emotional development by enhancing early childhood education services, strengthening connections across systems and supporting the workforce. TransformED is funded by a Grand Challenges Catalyst grant from the UNL Office of Research and Innovation.