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NCFR Weekly Zippy News
Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
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• NCFR and Minneapolis
• Family Life Education Month
• Vote in NCFR Elections Feb. 1
• Deadline Extended: JFTR Call
• Call for Proposals: Illinois Council
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View this email in your browser |
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• CFLE Conversation: Feb. 25
• New JMF Issue Out Now
• Grant Proposals Accepted March 1
• Red Sand Service Project
• >> Job Opportunities << |
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NCFR and Minneapolis
To Our NCFR Family:
Minneapolis and its surrounding community have experienced profound disruption from increased operations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this month. The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) grieves the death of Renée Good, a Minneapolis resident fatally shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, 2026, and is saddened by the harm and distress affecting Minnesota families and the broader community.
Minnesota and NCFR are deeply intertwined. The state is home to NCFR headquarters, staff, NCFR members, and CFLEs. Minneapolis is also the site of the 2026 NCFR Annual Conference.
Planning for this year’s conference in November continues. Recent events in Minneapolis underscore the need to plan for the care, safety, and security of attendees. NCFR is proactively taking steps now with the hotel and our business partners to address these concerns. Our goal is to create a conference that is responsive, rigorous, relevant, and inclusive. We will continue to monitor developments in Minnesota and be ready to make adjustments if needed.
Each year’s conference offers an opportunity to engage with our host city by elevating issues affecting families while also supporting and giving back to the broader community. 2026 is no different. As we prepare to release the 2026 call for proposals and plan the conference schedule, we encourage NCFR members to consider how they can make a lasting impact in Minneapolis following this year’s conference.
In moments of uncertainty, belonging to the NCFR family is more important than ever. Remember you can reach out to your colleagues and support one another in challenging times.
Thank you to everyone who has already reached out to NCFR staff. |
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Coming Soon!
Family Life Education Month Starts Feb. 1
NCFR will celebrate Family Life Education (FLE) month all of February 2026! Join us in highlighting the importance of Certified Family Life Educators (CFLEs).
Take this time to recognize and thank a CFLE for the work they do with families and the community, to connect with employers about the importance of employing CFLEs, to share a “Day in Their Life (DITL)” as an FLE student, and more!
This month, we encourage you to use #FamilyLifeEd to bring to attention the amazing work done by CFLEs!
LEARN MORE |
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CFLE Conversation
Supporting Basic Needs in Family Life Education
Feb. 25, 2026 / Noon - 1 p.m. CT / Free for CFLEs
Facilitator: Barbara Sweeney, MSW, MPH, CFLE, LCSW
Are you a CFLE supporting families' basic needs such as food, housing, health care, education, or transportation? Join this active conversation to engage in discussion with other CFLEs doing similar work!
Ms. Sweeney is the Coordinator of Food Security Outreach at the University of Rhode Island (URI). In her role, she manages the university’s basic needs pantries, serves as a case manager on the Student Support and Advocacy team in the Dean of Students office, and works to enhance food security policy throughout URI.
LEARN MORE & RESERVE YOUR SEAT
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NCFR Resources
Family Separation Resources
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has greatly increased operations in major cities to identify violations of U.S. immigration law, potentially separating individuals on the path to citizenship from their families.
Research published and cited by NCFR finds that families experiencing separation are at risk of lasting harm to their well-being. Research suggests that removing barriers to pursuing permanent status and removing policies that negatively impact immigrant families supports immigrant mental health and the quality of parent-child relationships. View our resource collection on family separation.
NCFR has also gathered resources to help families, educators, and family practitioners talk to children about tragedy and violence.
SEE ALL RESOURCE COLLECTIONS |
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NCFR MEMBER NEWS |
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NCFR Elections
VOTE in NCFR's 2026 Elections Beginning Feb. 1
The Elections Council wants to encourage ALL members to vote in February 2026. We have submitted a nomination slate (ballots will be emailed to members in February 2026) for terms that will be filled at the end of the national meeting in November 2026.
On this year's ballot members will also be able to vote on proposed amendments to the NCFR Bylaws.
NCFR members will receive a link to this year's 2026 NCFR election ballots in their email on Feb. 1, 2026. Check your junk mail, spam, or clutter folders.
VIEW NOMINEES AND BALLOT INFO
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NCFR Grants
Research Grant Proposals Accepted Beginning March 1
NCFR will open the submission period for its two grants on March 1, 2026. All proposals are due by April 1, 2026.
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NCFR Olson Grant: Bridging Research, Theory, and Practice: $10,000 annual grant available to NCFR members working to creatively contribute to the discipline of Family Science by bridging research, theory, and practice in their work. Learn more.
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NCFR Darling Family Life Education Research Initiative Grant: $5,000 biennial grant available to NCFR members and Certified Family Life Educators with the purpose of integrating Family Science research into the practice of Family Life Education. Learn more.
Please note: Application for IRB approval must be submitted prior to submitting the grant application and match the project name. |
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NCFR JOURNALS |
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NCFR Journals
New February Issue of JMF Published
Plus Articles Published Jan. 11–17
Catch up on the latest research from NCFR's scholarly journals — Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF), Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR), and Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR).
In addition to new early-view articles published last week, the February issue of JMF is now available, featuring articles on families and incarceration, partnered relationship dynamics, parenting and coparenting, and much more.
SEE ALL NEW NCFR RESEARCH
If you are an NCFR member subscribed to one of our journals, you can access articles by logging into your NCFR account. You can also sign up for email alerts. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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NCFR Affiliates
Illinois Council on Family Relations Annual Conference
Friday, April 24, 2026 / 9 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. CT / Northern Illinois University / Naperville, Illinois
Please join the Illinois Council on Family Relations (ILCFR) for its 2026 annual conference on Friday, April 24, at Northern Illinois University.
Keynote Speaker Dan Wuori, Ph.D., is an expert on early childhood and author of The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It)! Please share with your colleagues, students, and all who may be interested in submitting proposals and joining us!
Submit a Proposal
Register to Attend
ILCFR will be accepting proposals until Friday, Feb. 27, and will notify presenters by Friday, March 13.
There will also be a pre-conference dinner on Thursday, April 23, from 6 - 8 p.m. in the NIU Naperville Atrium. Come for food, drinks, and networking!
LEARN MORE & REGISTER |
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CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS |
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NCFR Journals
Deadline Extended to March 15 for JFTR Special Issue
Theme: "Theorizing Families & the State"
The manuscript submission deadline has been extended to March 15, 2026, for a special issue of NCFR's Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR) themed "Theorizing Families and the State." Special issue editors are Bethany Letiecq, Ph.D., Deadric Williams, Ph.D., and Caroline Sanner, Ph.D.
Manuscripts are sought that further delineate the ways in which family privilege and oppression are socially structured and reproduced by the state via laws, policies, rules, and regulations in the modern era and how marriage fundamentalism, in particular, operates alongside structural racism, nationalism, sexism, and heterosexism as an axis of power and control.
SEE CALL FOR PAPERS |
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NCFR Nexus
Call for Articles: Exploring Shifts in Work and Education for Family Professionals
Submission deadline: Feb. 1
The spring 2026 issue of NCFR Nexus will examine ongoing changes in work and education and the impacts on individuals and families.
Potential topics include:
- Research about changing trends in work and education
- What support families need as they navigate work, education, and caregiving
- How higher education is preparing family professionals to serve people in this changing landscape.
- Practitioner experiences on how Family Life Education is changing.
NCFR Nexus invites articles from researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Submissions are due Feb. 1, 2026, via the NCFR Nexus Article Submission Form.
READ MORE
Questions or ideas? Contact editor Beth Magistad, Ph.D., CFLE, at nexuseditor@ncfr.org. |
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NCFR PUBLICATIONS |
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NCFR Publications
Second Editions of 2 NCFR Books Available for Purchase
Edited by Wm. Michael Fleming, Ph.D., CFLE; and Michael J. Walcheski, Ph.D., CFLE
$79.99 retail. $69.99 for NCFR members and CFLEs
Useful and informative for seasoned and emerging professionals, as well as for students, this textbook provides a comprehensive examination of the profession from the perspectives of many leading family scholars and educators.
The second edition includes four sections that consider the knowledge and skills needed for the effective practice of Family Life Education (FLE) and chapters on FLE with various populations and relevant issues.
Learn more & purchase >
Wisdom for Parents. Key Ideas from Parent Educators
Edited by Elizabeth A. Ramsey, Ph.D., CFLE
$29.95 retail. $25.95 for CFLEs
Family Science professionals from across the discipline share stories, reflection, and poems in this extensive collection of parenting knowledge that can benefit anyone— teachers, researchers, students, and parents!
A variety of relevant topics on the joys and challenges of parenting are woven together to create a valuable resource both in and out of the classroom setting. This second edition includes updated entries, new contributions, and discussion questions.
Learn more & purchase > |
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SERVICE PROJECT |
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Human Trafficking Awareness
Red Sand Project Update
Globally, an estimated 50 million individuals are being trafficked or living in modern slavery, whether in forced marriages, forced labor, or for sexual exploitation. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and you can help raise awareness of this issue by participating in the Red Sand Project.
Pouring red sand into sidewalk cracks signifies those who have slipped through the cracks and a commitment to no longer tolerate the exploitation.
Attendees at the 2025 NCFR Annual Conference were invited to participate and bags of red sand were distributed during the Affiliate Councils panel session. If you received your red sand, create your sidewalk installation and take photos. Share your images to social media and include a hashtag for your NCFR affiliate or organization, #RedSandProject and #ncfr2026.
If you did not receive a bag of red sand, it is free to order online. You only need to pay for shipping.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
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NCFR JOBS CENTER |
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Employment Opportunities
Employers: Get your job opening included in Zippy News by posting it in
NCFR's online Jobs Center! Get started here.
No new job postings this week. |
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