The Center for Children and Childhood Studies promotes understanding, enrichment and the recognition of the significance of the experiences of childhood through:

• Support of interdisciplinary inquiry into the lives of children in the city of Camden, US and abroad;
• Development and evaluation of service and outreach programs for children;
• Dissemination of knowledge to those directly responsible for ministering to children's needs and to those formulating policies affecting their lives and futures;
• Development of innovative research and service internships that equip university students and the public to make informed decisions concerning children and youth.

There are a number of faculty on the Camden campus from a wide variety of fields -anthropology, psychology, sociology, history, literature, criminal justice, nursing, law, religion- involved in research on children and childhood in the city of Camden, US and abroad. At the Center these individuals come together to exchange ideas, share expertise and develop joint research projects with faculty from this campus as well as with fellows from other parts of the University and outside Rutgers University (Childhood Studies Fellowship Program).

With funding from individuals, private foundations and federal agencies the center:

• Establishes, develops and maintains a Childhood Studies Fellowship Program for junior and senior scholars from the US and abroad.
• Provides space for scholars, special collections (see below) and monthly seminars for center faculty, fellows and students. Offers support for individual faculty and center fellows' projects. Support may range from seed money for pilot studies to technical support for grant development.

Service and Outreach

Integrated into the program are a number of service and outreach programs that have a major impact on the lives of children and their futures. Faculty, students and staff are involved in programs in art, science, health care, and recreation.

There is a need to bring the individuals involved in these projects together to:

• Coordinate these diverse efforts so as better to utilize scarce resources and more effectively evaluate and disseminate the results of these programs;
• Expand the number of outreach initiatives faculty, staff and students are involved in;
• Engage in dialogue with members of the community and other agencies on the needs of children, and how they might best be addressed. (Community Roundtable Program).

Education

The Center assist students in preparing for careers that directly affect the lives of children. The opportunities that the Center offers take students beyond the classroom -some into ongoing research, others into clinical, service and outreach situations. The Center provides students with skills that they would only encounter in post-graduate experiences or education. The Center provides students the opportunity to:

• Gain greater insight into the nature of childhood, childhood experience and the issues children face;
• Participate in Center research, service and outreach programs.

For students interested in childhood studies Rutgers-Camden offers a minor or B.A.. at the undergraduate level or an M.A., or Ph.D. on the graduate level through the Department of Childhood Studies.

• Designated space for offices, projects, conferences, seminars and informal gatherings of center faculty, fellows, students and staff;
• Film and video collections for use in classes and community centers;
• Primary source collections (e.g., children's letters, diaries and drawings, photography and artwork about children) available for study and exhibition;
• Quarterly newsletter covering the research, service and educational activities of the Center;
• Annual conference on a timely topic of interest to scholars and practitioners (e.g., Children and the Media; Children, War and Violence: A Global Perspective). Speakers come from both within and outside the Rutgers University community.  

Dan Hart Distinguished Professor of Psychology Director email: daniel.hart@rutgers.edu