Professor Kim Gans’ poster, “Family Child Care Home Provider Attitudes and Practices Related to Feeding, Physical Activity and Screen Time of 2-5 Year Old Children in their Care,” won first place from the Early Care and Education Special Interest Group at the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition (ISBN) and Physical Activity conference in Victoria, Canada.
Author: Janice Berriault
Preston Britner speaker at congressional briefing on family homelessness
Professor Preston Britner was one of the featured speakers at a recent congressional briefing on family homelessness. Read the article from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). It’s a great example of how the research we do has the potential to influence national policy.
Alaina Brenick receives Human Rights Institute Faculty Research Grant
Assistant Professor Alaina Brenick recently received a Human Rights Institute Faculty Research Grant for her project, Evaluations of school-based rights violations of transgender and gender non-conforming youth: A social ecological perspective.
Ryan Watson recently quoted in USA Today
Assistant Professor Ryan Watson was recently quoted in a USA Today article that provides a glossary of LGBTQ terminology. Click here to read the article.
Joy Heafner receives award from National Council on Family Relations
Congratulations to graduate student Joy Heafner, who is the 2017 Jessie Bernard Outstanding Research Proposal from a Feminist Perspective winner from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). According to NCFR, “This award recognizes a graduate student/new professional who has demonstrated excellence in research and potential contribution to feminist scholarship.”
Kim Gans receives InCHIP seed grant
Professor Kim Gans recently received an InCHIP Office of Public Engagement seed grant. The proposal, “Formative research to inform interventions for Latino parents of young children,” is in collaboration with Leslie Gell from Ready to Learn Providence.
Ryan Watson and Rebecca Puhl receive Research Excellence Program award
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Ryan Watson and Professor Rebecca Puhl who were recently awarded a Research Excellence Program award from the Office of the Vice President of Research (OVPR) for a project entitled, An Intersectional Approach to Advance Understanding of School Achievement, Health Behaviors, and Family Experiences of LGBTQ Youth.
Also, Rebecca and Ryan have a newly launched project in collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign. Read the blog entitled HRC Launches Major New Survey of LGBTQ Teens on the HRC website.
Rebecca Puhl’s recent work featured in UConn Today article
A new study finds that adolescents who are teased about their weight are more likely to have weight-related health consequences as adults. Read about Rebecca Puhl’s research in the article Weight-Based Teasing Has Long-Term Impact, in UConn Today.
Alumni Wheeler DeAngelis featured in Eye on Education blog
HDFS and Early Childhood alum Wheeler DeAngelis (2015) discusses his experiences as an early childhood educator and emphasizes the importance of infant-toddler teachers. The post appears on a blog sponsored by the MA Association for the Education of Young Children, which highlights the strong training he received as an ECDE and HDFS student.
Op-Ed article by Preston Britner and Michael Ego published


Funds for Research at UConn Pay Big Dividends, is the article written by Professors Preston A. Britner and Michael M. Ego. The Op-Ed was published by various media such as, CT Mirror, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time, UConn AAUP, and social media sites.