Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center

Partnering to Achieve Equity and Well-Being

Mission: The mission of the Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center (PECF) aims to use developmental and educational science to promote equity and enhance the well-being of young children and families facing systemic injustice and disadvantage. PECF brings researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and local community members to a common table to engage in problem-solving partnerships around these issues. PECF’s distinctive research-practice-public-partnership approach integrates rigorous science with partners’ perspectives to generate usable knowledge that can improve policies and programs. 

Vision: The vision of PECF is to create an innovative model for university-based research centered on partnerships with policymakers, practitioners, and members of the communities they serve. The PECF team envisions a future in which researchers partner with stakeholders to produce knowledge for the benefit of young children and families facing systemic injustice and disadvantage.