Our Current Work

The REACH Center supports research that enhances the quality of life for children, youth, and families, and disseminates the benefits of this research to the public through outreach and professional development for staff and educators working with these audiences. Learn more About Us!

Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk (CYFAR)

The Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) is a national initiative that provides funding for Sustainable Community Projects (SCP). These projects are developed to meet locally identified needs, are research based, and provide quality programs for vulnerable, at-risk, low-income, and low-resource children, youth, and families to promote positive life outcomes. REACH Lab comprises one portion of the CYFAR Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Center (also includes the Pennsylvania State University and eight coaches representing 1890 and 1862 land-grant universities). Learn more about the CYFAR Initiative.

Positive Youth Development Training Modules – Behavior Management Series

Positive Youth Development (PYD) Training Modules are intended to help youth development professionals (including staff, managers, trainers, and evaluators) increase their knowledge and skills in working with and on behalf of youth and their families. The Behavior Management Series is a set of three modules, each focusing on a different content area: Emotion Regulation, Effective Communication, and Behavior Modification. The Emotion Regulation and Effective Communication modules are currently available, with Behavior Modification coming soon.

Stealth Wealth Study

Stealth Wealth is a project, in partnership with America Saves and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), which explored the financial habits and decisions of emerging adults. Some of the preliminary results indicated that emerging adults reported preferences in learning about financial matters from family, financial professionals, and friends, and 83% of young adults at least sometimes talk with their parents and other family members (e.g., siblings) about money. Results are discussed in the context of how organizations, financial education programs, and families can support emerging adults make healthier financial decisions. Stealth Wealth Literature Review