A Leadership Hub for Child and Family Policy
The Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Boston College is a cross-disciplinary effort between the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and the School of Social Work. Led by Professors Rebekah Levine Coley and Summer Sherburne Hawkins, along with affiliated faculty, the center expands research, training, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of child and family policy.
The CCFP offers a graduate Certificate in Child Policy and Leadership, open to students from across the university. Applications for the next cohort of Child Policy and Leadership scholars will open in September 2025.
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What We Do
The Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) conducts cutting edge research, shapes policies, trains students, and engages in robust collaborations among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. It is anchored by three strategic pillars: research, training, and collaboration.
The CCFP serves as a hub to coordinate and expand the robust interdisciplinary research that Boston College faculty and graduate students are conducting in the field of child and family policy. This work utilizes an array of theoretical frameworks and methodologies to develop a stronger understanding of how local, national, and international policies and programs can be optimized to promote children’s development, family wellbeing, and supportive communities and organizations. The CCFP works with a broad set of stakeholders to develop and apply new scientific knowledge to evaluate and inform policies and practices that improve the health and well-being of children and families across the world.
The center serves as the base for an interdisciplinary certificate in Child Policy and Leadership (CPL). This program utilizes a cohort training model to expand the expertise of master’s and doctoral students in understanding the needs of children and families; the policies and programs which seek to support them; and the policy and advocacy leadership skills necessary to improve these systems and outcomes. As fellows of the center, students are supported by faculty mentors and complete one-and-a-half years of rigorous training that will prepare them to conduct cutting edge research, analyze policies, and translate scientific findings into practice in the child and family policy field. Fellows will be part of a robust and expanding regional, national, and international network of child and family-related researchers, practitioners, and policy leaders, which will lay a strong foundation on which to build their careers. The program requires students to accomplish four objectives:
- Complete a three-course certificate in Child Policy and Leadership, including courses in the science of childhood development; program and policy development and evaluation; and leadership, advocacy, and partnerships.
- Participate in a monthly seminar, targeting key issues related to child and family research, practice, policy, advocacy, and leadership.
- Complete a three-month paid internship in a local, national, or international setting to solidify skills in research, research translation, program development, leadership, or policy analysis in the child policy field.
- Translate learning from the internship and certificate courses by completing a capstone project, such as a policy brief, academic paper, or policy analysis.
This four-pronged approach aims to expand the capacity, diversity, and strength of scholars and practitioners in the child and family field, preparing students for professional careers in government, policy analysis, program leadership, research, and practice fields. Fellows will develop leadership skills to make sustainable change in the discipline.
The Center for Child and Family Policy serves as a vibrant hub for collaboration that cuts across disciplines ranging from psychology and social work to public health, medicine, and law. Informed by scholarship and training, students and scholars at Boston College will partner with researchers, policymakers, and practitioners outside the University.
The center seeks to marshal the expertise of alumni and tap into relationships within key research, policy, advocacy, and educational organizations to:
- Train future leaders in child and family policy
- Support innovative research on child and family wellbeing, policies, and programs
- Enhance the translation of knowledge to advance evidence-based policy and practice