Policies and programs for children, youth, and families are of critical importance TO THE UNITED STATES AT THE PRESENT TIME.  Social and economic conditions have changed markedly in the post-World War II era and many of these changes have placed stresses on families and their children.  More women work, even those with preschool children; over a third of infants are born to single mothers; an increasingly large percentage of children live in families in which one or both parents were not born in the United States and for whom English is not their primary language; and poverty among children is on the increase.  Clearly policies and programs must be developed that will assist children who experience one - or often more than one - of these problems to overcome them and to reach their maximum capability.

The need to mobilize resources for children, particularly disadvantaged children, is made more urgent because this country will rely on today's children to support the growing number of elderly.  Maintaining the Social Security and Medicare programs depends on a generation of adults who are employed in positions from which payments to these funds can be obtained.  If today's children are not physically and emotionally healthy and educated to the extent of their capacities, they will not be able to provide the financial underpinning that an aging population will require.

The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (ICYFP) focuses on population groups that may need effective social programs in order to reach their maximum productivity.  This includes children and adolescents in the child welfare system, children with physical and intellectual disabilities, immigrant children, teenage parents, and similar vulnerable groups.  The Institute brings together faculty, research staff, and students in activities that foster the well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. The Institute is interdisciplinary in its focus with representation from psychology, public health, social policy, and social work.