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• Submit Your Proposals for NCFR 2026
• Seeking Half-Day Workshop Proposals
• Policy Highlights and Opportunities
• Social Science Advocacy Day
• Vote in NCFR Elections by March 1
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• Last Call: NCFR Spring Honors
• Faculty Reviewers Needed
• New NCFR Research
• Calls for Papers
• >> Job Opportunities << |
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2026 NCFR Annual Conference
Submit Your Conference Proposals by April 1
The proposal submission system is open for NCFR 2026 in Minneapolis. This year's theme is Families at the Nexus of Law and Policy: The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Legislating Families and Relationships.
Bring your research, teaching, and practice to the forefront of how law and policy shape families—and how Family Science can shape law and policy in return.
2026 Program Co-Chairs Brian G. Ogolsky, Ph.D., and Jennifer L. Hardesty, Ph.D., CFLE, are organizing each day of the conference around a subtheme and goals that build upon each other over the course of the week.
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Families at the Nexus of Law and Policy: Submit work that positions families within legal, policy, and structural systems, advancing theory, evidence, or practice that informs decision-making.
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Intended and Unintended Consequences: Share research or applied perspectives that examine how laws and policies help, or harm, families and relationships in complex, unexpected ways.
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Untended and Forgotten Issues: Highlight overlooked populations, underexamined policies, or marginalized family experiences that deserve greater scholarly and policy attention.
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Family Scholars as Change Agents: Propose sessions that build skills, models, or partnerships linking family science to advocacy, legislation, policy implementation, or professional practice.
New for 2026: We are seeking proposals for half-day workshops for Saturday at the conference. Learn more.
Proposal mentors are available! Email cindywinter@ncfr.org by March 11, 2026.
Submit your proposals by April 1, 2026.
GET STARTED HERE |
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NCFR MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
ENDING SOON |
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Graduating This Spring?
Students: Last Call to Apply for Spring NCFR Honors
Apply by Sunday, March 1, 2026
If you are an NCFR member graduating this spring from an undergraduate, master's or Ph.D. program, you may be eligible to apply for NCFR Honors Student Recognition!
Students awarded NCFR Honors will receive a graduation stole, a certificate, and recognition in our NCFR Report member magazine — and it's a great addition to your résumé or CV.
APPLY NOW |
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NCFR Volunteers
Faculty Reviewers Needed for NCFR Honors Program
NCFR's Honors Student Program recognizes the exceptional academic, service, and leadership accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate students in the Family Science discipline.
NCFR seeks member volunteers to serve on a panel and review applications submitted by students in the final term of their degree program. Reviewers must currently serve as faculty in university family programs.
SIGN UP HERE |
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NCFR Elections
Last Chance to Vote: NCFR 2026 Elections
Make your voice heard at NCFR! Sunday, March 1, 2026, at noon CT is the deadline to vote in this year's NCFR elections. (A reminder with a link to the ballot was emailed to members on Feb. 25, 2026.)
On this year's ballot members may vote on proposed amendments to the NCFR Bylaws.
There is one open member-at-large position for the NCFR Fellows Committee. The nominees are:
- Jenifer McGuire
- Elizabeth Sharp
- Yan Ruth Xia
There is one open position for the Student and New Professional representative of the NCFR Annual Conference Program Committee. The nominees are:
- Haiden Hice
- August Jenkins
- Janeal White
MEET THE CANDIDATES
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POLICY |
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NCFR Policy Corner
This Week's Policy Highlights
Feb. 26, 2026 | Four-Minute Read
Restructuring of OPRE: NCFR, alongside 140 organizations and more than 650 individuals, signed a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding the restructuring of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) at HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
Read the full letter.
Action Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) January 2026 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Reimagining and Improving Student Education proposes changes to federal student loans, with proposed changes taking effect July 1, 2026. The public is invited to comment by March 2, 2026.
Submit a comment.
Higher Education Update: On Feb. 10, 2026, PEN America and 36 of its Organizational Partners signed a letter — “Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies” — addressing two policies that they say resulted in censorship of academic courses across Texas A&M University.
Read the full letter.
Upcoming Opportunities:
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COSSA Social Science Advocacy Day (March 23-24): NCFR members are invited to join the NCFR delegation in Washington, D.C., to advocate for social science funding and increase visibility of Family Science! Registration is $125/members and $50/students. Learn more.
SEE FULL HIGHLIGHTS
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FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION |
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Family Life Education Month
3 Ways to Celebrate FLE Month in February
Each February, NCFR celebrates Family Life Education (FLE) Month, highlighting the impact of Family Life Educators who strengthen families and communities through evidence-based, preventive work.
Join the celebration by taking action:
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Send a Thank You to a Family Life Educator.
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Share a "Day in the Life" as an FLE student on social media.
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Tell employers about the value of hiring Family Life Educators.
Amplify the profession during FLE Month and all year long by sharing your stories with #FamilyLifeEd.
LEARN MORE |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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NCFR Affiliates
Southeastern Council on Family Relations Annual Conference
April 16-17, 2026 / Orange Beach, Alabama
Students: $145 / NCFR members: $200 / Non-member professional: $250
The Southeastern Council on Family Relations (SECFR) seeks proposals for its 2026 Annual Conference to be held in Orange Beach, Alabama, from April 16–17, 2026. The theme of this year’s conference is “Real Talk, Real Families: Elevating Every Voice.”
SEE FULL DETAILS |
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Upcoming Events & Webinars
The Importance of Engaging Caregivers in Clinical Services
Thursday, March 5, 2026 / 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Free to attend / Organized by OneOp
This webinar focuses on common factors that impact engagement for families in clinical services, from that critical first appointment through ongoing participation. The research by McKay et al. on caregiver engagement is discussed and applied to family advocacy settings.
LEARN MORE & REGISTER
And don't miss these upcoming events & webinars:
Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA) Annual Conference & Expo
Wednesday, March 11 / 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT
Key Ethical Implications of Substitute Decision-Making & Guardianship
Wednesday, March 18 / 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
All OneOp webinars are free and approved for CFLE continuing education credit. |
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RESEARCH |
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NCFR Journals
New NCFR Journal Research Is Online Now
Read Articles Published Feb. 15–21
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) — including these open-access articles addressing issues related to children or adolescents:
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JFTR: Vernacularizing the Best Interests of the Child: Comparative Insights From Three Legal Systems
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JMF: Parental Time Use and the Gendered Socialization of Adolescents' Housework in China: A Cumulative Perspective
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FR: Quality Time in Early Childhood: Eliciting Young Children's Perspectives
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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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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JFTR Special Issue Call for Papers
Theme: Theorizing Families and the State
Submit manuscripts by March 15 for a special issue of NCFR's Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR) themed "Theorizing Families and the State."
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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Family Relations Special Section Call for Papers
Theme: Ukrainian Forced Migrants' Transnational Families
Submit letters of intent by April 30 for a special section of NCFR's Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR) themed "Ukrainian Forced Migrants’ Transnational Families: New Relationality and Shared Agency."
The special section will provide a framework for understanding Ukrainian forced migrants’ transnational families; enable practitioners to learn about the specificities that matter in applied work; inform policy; and support intervention.
For authors invited to submit, manuscripts will be due Sept. 30, 2026.
SEE FULL CALL FOR PAPERS |
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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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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.
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Utah State University
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Utah State University seeks a clinical assistant professor position in family studies at the Roosevelt, Utah campus.This nine-month position focuses on teaching undergraduate family studies courses and supporting marriage and family therapy practicum. The role emphasizes building a strong regional family studies program through teaching, service, and community outreach.
Location: Roosevelt, Utah
Required Education: Doctorate
Application Deadline: March 8, 2026
SEE FULL DETAILS
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