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Dear MCLS community,
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<div>Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen (University of Missouri - Columbia) and Melissa Libertus (University of Pittsburgh) are editing a <b>special section of <i>Child Development</i> entitled \u201cFrom Lab to Life: Broadening the Impact of Research in Early Childhood Development\u201d</b></div>
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<div>Developmental science has long informed theory and practice related to early learning, health, and well-being. Increasingly, scholars are called upon to articulate and <em>demonstrate</em> the broader impacts of their work\u2014how research can directly influence
policies, programs, practices, technologies, and public understanding to improve developmental outcomes and reduce inequities (Barbot et al., 2020; Shonkoff, 2020).<em> </em></div>
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<p><em>Child Development</em> invites submissions for a special section focused on broader impacts research targeting early childhood development<strong> </strong>(prenatal through age 8). This section seeks to advance understanding of how developmental science
can be intentionally designed, implemented, evaluated, and scaled to generate meaningful societal benefits for young children, their families, and the systems that serve them. By foregrounding broader impacts as a central concern of developmental science (Hassinger-Das
et al., 2021; Pesch et al., 2022), this special section aims to highlight rigorous, impact-oriented scholarship that seeks to meaningfully improve early childhood outcomes and produce tangible benefits for the communities it seeks to understand and support.
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<p>We encourage submissions that push the field to think creatively and critically about how early childhood research can achieve sustained, equitable, and scalable impact. Papers should reflect innovative, actionable approaches to addressing real-world problems
relevant to early childhood development, as critical foundations for future development are laid during this period, and interventions tend to show a higher payoff than those in later stages of development (Garcia et al., 2020; Jeong et al., 2021; Reynolds
et al., 2011). The special section will consider <em>empirical articles</em> presenting original quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research demonstrating broader impacts; <em>methodological contributions</em> that introduce or refine tools and approaches
for studying broader impacts; and <em>integrative reviews or meta-analyses</em> that synthesize evidence on pathways from research to impact.</p>
<p><b>For more information visit: https://www.srcd.org/call-papers-special-section-child-development-lab-life-broadening-impact-research-early-childhood</b></p>
<p>Letters of intent are due <b>Monday, June 1, 2026</b></p>
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Melissa Libertus, PhD (she/her)<br>
Professor, Dept. of Psychology</div>
<div>Director of Graduate Studies, Dept. of Psychology<br>
Research Scientist, Learning Research and Development Center<br>
University of Pittsburgh<br>
626 Murdoch<br>
3420 Forbes Avenue<br>
Pittsburgh, PA 15260<br>
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Email: libertus@pitt.edu<br>
Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/my/melissa.libertus<br>
Phone: (412) 624-7457<br>
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