Policy Efforts in 2024
SRCD works for our members to advance science and social policies at the U.S. federal level, including in Congress and executive agencies. Our goal is to enable SRCD members to conduct research and create a healthy, diverse, and vibrant child development discipline.
How We Serve Our Members
We do that by working with dozens of other societies and organizations, in coalition. We regularly meet with U.S. federal officials and members of U.S. Congress. We sign on to letters, respond to federal-level calls for information, nominate SRCD members to federal positions and more.
Our Priorities
Our members helped identify our top policy priority areas for policy, which include:
- Science funding: Promote robust and sustained funding for scientific and research programs, allocated by Congress and administered by the Institute for Education Sciences, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and other agencies that support child development research.
- Scientific workforce: Strengthen federal legislation, policies, and regulations that will enable the scientific workforce to operate, with a particular focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
- Early Care and Education: Support evidence-based federal legislation, policies, and regulation in Early Care and Education that impact children zero to five.
- Child and adolescent mental health: Support evidence-based federal legislation, policies, and regulations that impact child and adolescent mental health.
Here Are Our 2024 Public Letters:
Request and Support for Federal Funding
- Coalition Letter in Support of Funding for Non-Defense Programs in Final FY24
NDD Programs for FY24 (January 8)
- Coalition Letter to Reauthorize and Include PREEMIE Act & PMDA in Final FY24
PREEMIE Act & PMDA in FY24 (January 17)
- Friends of IES Letter Coalition Letter in Support of IES Funding for in Final FY24
Friends of IES in Support of IES Funding FY24 (February 5)
- Coalition Letter in Support of Funding for NIJ and BJS in Final FY24
Support of Funding for NIJ and BJS FY24 (February 7)
- Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) letter to House leadership regarding FY25 National Science Foundation funding request
CNSF FY25 House Letter (March 8)
- Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) letter to Senate leadership regarding FY25 National Science Foundation funding request
CNSF FY25 Senate Letter (March 8)
- Coalition Letter in Support of Funding for IES for FY25
Friends of IES Appropriations Letter (April 8)
- Coalition Letter in Support of FY25 Funding Request for BJS and NIJ, housed under the Department of Justice
FY2025 Funding Support for BJS and NIJ (April 19)
- Ad Hoc Group Coalition Letter in Support of FY25 Funding Request for the National Insitute of Health (NIH)
Ad Hoc Group FY25 Request for NIH (March 13)
- Coalition Letter in Support of Funding for the BLS, CPS program on final FY25
FY25 Funding Support for BLS, CPS Program (September 24)
Changes to Federal Programs
- Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programing
SRCD's Response to OHS NPRM on Head Start (January 19)
Responses to Specific Programs and Policies
- Amicus Brief, Texas vs. United States
TX v. US Amicus Brief (February 1)
- Coalition Letter Sharing Opposition to the FY25 L-HHS bill that restructures the National Institute of Health (NIH)
L-HHS SY25 Restructure Language for the NIH (July 9)
- SRCD Letter - NIH Reform - RFI House Energy & Commerce
Reforming the National Institutes of Health (August 16)
Federal Appointments
- Requesting the Administration to Prioritize Filling the IES Director Position
IES Director Letter (March 26)
Check back for updates and more sign on letters regarding policies and practices impacting our scientific community's ability to fund, conduct, publish, and disseminate its research.
You can find the 2023 sign on letters here.
Our Coalitions and Friends Groups:
SRCD is part of the following coalition groups, and we bring our members news, updates, and actions from these partnerships:
- Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)
- Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)’s Science and Human Rights Coalition
- Research America
- Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)
- Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research
- Friends of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Friends of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Friends of Institute for Education Sciences (IES)
For questions and concerns, please contact the Policy Department at policy@srcd.org.
Last updated January 26, 2024.