Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant For Global Early Child Development

The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant provides support for students interested in a career in global early child development who are from or doing research in low- or middle-income countries. The Grant includes US $5,000 to support dissertation research and a 2-year student membership to SRCD. For details and application procedures, please see http://www.srcd.org/advancing-field/srcd-awards-research-grants/patrice-l-engle-grant
The 2015 Deadline for the Application is April 30th, 2015. Applications must be sent via email to Patrice.Engle.Grant@SRCD.ORG. Applicants will be notified of decisions by June 30, 2015.

Questions can be directed to Patrice.Engle.Grant@SRCD.ORG

The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant was established by generous donations from the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and Pat’s family and friends. To inquire about making a donation, please contact Patrice.Engle.Grant@SRCD.ORG 

Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant
For Global Early Child Development
The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant provides support for students interested in a career in global early child development who are from or doing research in low- or middle-income countries. The Grant includes US $5,000 to support dissertation research and a 2-year student membership to SRCD.

SRCD is a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, professional association with a membership of approximately 5,500 researchers, practitioners, and human development professionals from over 50 countries. The purposes of SRCD are to promote multidisciplinary research in human development, to foster the exchange of information among scientists and other professionals, and to encourage applications of research findings. Administration of the Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child Development is consistent with SRCD’s strategic plan to promote global child development and to support junior scholars. SRCD will support the Grant by advertising it, publicizing the names of the Grant recipients, managing the funds (including acknowledgement for the tax-free donations), and providing an annual financial report to the Patrice L. Engle Grant Committee. The Patrice L. Engle Grant Committee (comprised of 3-5 members with expertise in global child development and representing academia and international agencies/foundations) will manage the Grant by advertising the Grant, selecting Grantees, requesting release of funds through SRCD, involving Grantees in the biennial SRCD meeting, receiving interim and final reports from Grantees, and providing SRCD with an annual report of activities. Announcements regarding the Grant will include information on how to make donations to the Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant for Global Early Child Development Research.

Patrice L. Engle, Ph.D. (1944-2012) was a pioneer and leader in global early child development. Following formal training in psychology at Stanford University, she launched a highly productive career that included positions in academia and international agencies. She worked to ensure that children throughout the world received the health care, nutrition, nurturance, and early learning opportunities they needed to be successful. Recognizing that disparities early in life (even before birth) often interfere with children’s ability to reach their developmental potential, she sought to evaluate and identify effective intervention programs that could be integrated with other systems and scaled up. Pat’s contributions included hands-on programmatic work with field staff, scholarly analyses with interdisciplinary colleagues, and advocacy with country-level policy makers. The best legacy to Pat is to ensure that junior scholars are well trained in the science-to-policy model that guided her work in global early child development.

The Grant began in 2013 and will terminate when the funds are spent. The Grant will be announced annually in January with a due date of April 30. Grantee(s) will be selected by June 30.

The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child Development supports:
1. Dissertation research in global early child development with a one-year Grant for $5,000. The developmental focus of the research should include children, prenatal to 6 years of age living in low- or middle- income countries, as defined by the World Bank. Potential topics could include (but are not limited to):

 The effectiveness of different models of parenting support on early child development. 

•   Examination of how child care programs promote child development and family involvement.
  
•   The effectiveness of 2-generation programs that provide maternal and child support.
  
•   Innovative strategies to integrate programs that promote early child development with
  health or nutritional services for young children.
  
•   Innovative strategies to integrate child development interventions with social protection
  services or programs to promote maternal mental health or education.
  
•   Innovative strategies to involve fathers and other extended family members in early
  child development programs.
  
•   Development of measurement strategies, indicators, and assessment tools for children
  and family interactions that can be implemented with reliability in low resource settings.
  
•   Strategies for effective scale-up of demonstration programs.
  

2. 2-year student membership to SRCD.
   
3. Grantees are encouraged to submit an abstract to the SRCD Biennial meeting following the completion of their research. Grantees from low- or middle-income countries are encouraged to apply to SRCD for international travel funds to attend the SRCD Biennial meeting.
   

Applicant Eligibility:

•   Any field of study that links to global early child development is acceptable;
  
•   Attend a recognized university in the United States or a recognized non-US university that is
  able to receive and process grant Grants from the United States, with preference given to
  students from low- or middle income countries;
  
•   Be enrolled and in good standing in a doctoral program at a degree-granting university, and
  have advanced to candidacy and completed required coursework;
  
•   Be committed to completing a dissertation in global early child development, as demonstrated
  by approval from a dissertation committee;
  
•   Agree to report progress to the Grant Committee by submitting an interim report 6 months
  following the receipt of funds, a final report at 12 months, and notice of delays or irregularities;
  
•   An applicant in a high-income country who proposes to conduct a secondary data analysis with
  no involvement in a low or middle-income country would not be viewed as responsive;
  
•   Advisor must agree that the applicant is in good standing, is ready to complete the dissertation,
  and that the advisor will supervise the applicant and ensure that the reports are submitted.
  Selection Criteria:
  

•   Career and project relevance to global child development;
  
•   Promise of research plan in terms of creativity, innovation, significance, and intellectual rigor;
  
•   Need for funds to conduct the research;
  
•   Likelihood for success including advisor support.
  Grantee Commitment:
  

•   Acknowledge support from the Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child
  Development within the dissertation and in publications that result from the Grant;
  
•   Secure Human Subjects approval (or exemption) if any portion of the project involves human
  subjects and provide the Grant Committee with a copy of the approval (or exemption);
  

Application Instructions
The dissertation application is for one year and should be able to document measurable results by the end of the Grant period. The application should address global early child development, with an emphasis on low-middle income countries. Applicants may be from any country and only one proposal will be accepted from any student. Budgets may not exceed US $5,000. The applications will be reviewed by The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant Committee. The number of applications approved depends on the amount of funding available.

The annual deadline for the Application is April 30th. Applications must be sent via email to Patrice.Engle.Grant@SRCD.ORG. Applicants will be notified of decisions by June 30. Funds will be disbursed after Grantees have met the commitments outlined above.

Application Format
The application should not exceed 6 single-spaced, typed pages with font size no smaller than 11. Proposals not sent in this 6-page format or received after the deadline will not be considered. Applications must be submitted by email and will be acknowledged upon receipt. Previous Grant winners are not eligible for a second Grant.
Cover page must include: (1 page)

•   Institutional Assurance – including institutional signature (i.e., Grants & Contracts/Sponsored
  Research Office), signifying the institution’s acceptance of guidelines and acknowledgement of
  application.
  
•   Name and contact information (email, fax, phone, address) for applicant; name and contact
  email of advisor
  
•   Title, 2-3 sentence description of the proposed project
  
•   Anticipated date of graduation, discipline, and degree
  Application narrative: (2-3 pages)
  All of the following points must be presented and discussed:
  

•   Title and abstract
  
•   Background of the project and conceptual frame
  
•   Aims /objectives and significance
  
•   Methods
  
•   Data analysis plan
  
•   Timeline
  
•   Implications of the project
  
•   Applicant’s future goals
  
•   Brief paragraph summarizing the applicant’s past educational/professional history
  
•   Assurance that the applicant will submit an interim report (6 months after initial receipt of
  funds) and final report (12 months after receiving funds) to The Patrice L. Engle Grant Committee and that the applicants will inform the Committee of any delays or irregularities
  Advisor’s statement (1 page)
  The Advisor should address the following points:
  

 Advisor’s name and contact information (email, fax, phone, address, department)

•   Applicant’s anticipated date of graduation and degree
  
•   Assurance that the applicant is in good standing within the university
  
•   Assurance that the university is able to accept funds and use them to support the applicant’s
  project
  
•   Assurance that the project has been reviewed and accepted by the applicant’s dissertation
  committee
  
•   Assurance that the Advisor will oversee the proposed project
  
•   Assurance that the Advisor will work with the applicant to submit an interim report (6 months
  after initial receipt of funds) and final report (12 months after receiving funds) to The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant Committee. The report should include products resulting from the project (e.g., presentations, papers, etc.), a brief statement on the progress that the applicant has made, and future goals related to the project.
  
•   Assurance that the Advisor will inform The Patrice L. Engle Grant Committee of any delays or irregularities in the progress of the project
  
•   Brief statement about the student and why the student would make good use of this Grant.
  Budget: (1 page and not to exceed $5,000)
  

•   Detailed categories and justification of how funds will be used to support the dissertation
  
•   Allowable expenses include:
  
  •   Domestic and international travel for field, laboratory and archival research; data collection; and meetings. Funds must be directly related to completing the dissertation. Conference attendance is given low priority and must be directly related to the dissertation research.
    
  •   Computing, equipment, or supplies needed to carry out the proposed research lab analyses, and other costs necessary to the research.
    
  •   Payment for field or research assistants, if well justified as to why this work could not be done by the applicant.
    
  •   Stipends for periods of field and archival research if well justified and when no other source of support is available.
    
•   Expenses that are not allowed include:
  
  •   Salaries, tuition, or associated academic/educational fees.
    
  •   Secretarial/administrative support.
    
  •   Indirect costs or institutional overhead assessments.
    
  •   Reimbursement for activities that occur before the project period begins or after the project
    period ends.
    To contribute to the Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant For Global Early Child Development:
    1. Checks: Send to: SRCD
    2950 S. State Street, Suite 40; Ann Arbor MI 48104
    Write “Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant” in the memo portion
    

2. Credit Card donations: http://srcd.org/about-us/contribute-srcd Select Engle Fund Donation.
   
3. Electronic/wire transfers: Contact Rburd@SRCD.ORG
   

Award winners of the 2014 Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child Development: Ana Maria Nieto and Laurent Gabriel Ndijuye

Ana María Nieto is currently working towards a Doctor in Education (Ed.D) degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), United States. Her advisors are Professors Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Paola Uccelli, and Karen Mapp. Her project will be conducted in Guatemala and is entitled, “Supporting indigenous children’s early literacy through family and community engagement: A theory- based process evaluation of the community-based component of Save the Children’s Leer Juntos, Aprender Juntos intervention in the Quiché region of Guatemala.” Before moving to the United States for her Master’s degree in education at HGSE, Ana María obtained two bachelor’s degrees from Los Andes University in Colombia in Psychology and Anthropology and worked at the Early Childhood Division of the National Ministry of Education. Ana María hopes that her dissertation work will inform the implementation of this particular program in Guatemala and in other Latin American countries, as well as advance our understanding of how to design educational interventions that involve families and communities as partners to support children’s early learning in multicultural and multilingual contexts.

Laurent Gabriel Ndijuye is working towards his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Education at the University of Hong Kong,. His supervisors are Professor Nirmala Rao and Dr Liz Jackson. His research project will be conducted in Tanzania and is titled “Achieving Social Justice in Pre-primary Educational Policy and Practice: Observations from Newly Arrived Refugees in Rural Tanzania”. Laurent attended the University of Dodoma- Tanzania where he graduated summa cum laude in 2010 and received a scholarship to complete an M.Ed. His research was entitled “Strategies for the development of conflict resolution skills among pre-schoolers: Observations from rural and urban districts in Tanzania.” Before joining the University of Dodoma, Laurent worked as a licensed teacher and head-teacher at pre-primary, primary and secondary school levels; and as zonal academic secretary for the Ahadi Institute which is committed to delivering distance education for refugees or former refugees. He coordinated all academic-related activities in Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. His future plans are to promote new and promising opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in sub-Saharan Africa by conducting research in social justice in policy and practice related to early childhood education and to collaborate with organizations who provide services for children.
The Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child Development is hosted by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and supported through generous gifts from the Bernard van Leer Foundation and Pat’s family and friends. 

Contributions to the Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant in Global Early Child Development can be made at http://www.srcd.org/about-us/contribute-srcd.
Select Engle Fund Donation.

Application procedures are available at http://www.srcd.org/advancing-field/srcd-awards-research- grants/patrice-l-engle-grant. Deadline for the 2015 award is April 30, 2015.