Human Capital Research Collaborative
The Human Capital Research Collaborative (HCRC) is a unique partnership that brings together prominent researchers and faculty members in a variety of disciplines at the University with economists at the Federal Reserve to develop and synthesize research on cost-effective investments in early childhood.
The Collaborative's mission is to foster multidisciplinary research on early development from birth to age 8 on topics such as the impact and cost-effectiveness of preschool and family support programs; family, school, and community influences on child development; and psychological and biological foundations of child health and well being.
To accomplish this, the Collaborative conducts research and policy analyses, disseminates research through discussion papers and other reports, convenes forums and conferences, provides web resources, and helps coordinate early childhood research activities around campus and in the community. The National Advisory Committee includes, among others, James Heckman of the University of Chicago, Jack Shonkoff of Harvard University, and University of Minnesota Professors Megan Gunnar and V.V. Chari.
The papers posted on the HCRC website focus on effective programs and practices from preschool to third grade (PK-3), the productivity argument for investing in young children, developing high quality PK-3 classrooms, the long-term effects of Child-Parent Center early childhood intervention, and the role of cooperative behavior in preschoolers' social development.
Co-directed by Arthur Reynolds, Professor of Child Development and Fellow of CEED, and Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the HCRC is funded in part by University President Robert Bruininks' Interdisciplinary Academic Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families.
"We want to conduct and promote research that is policy-relevant as well as based on a thorough understanding of child development and of how early experiences influence later development," says Reynolds.
Visit the HCRC Website
Related Resources
- HCRC 2010 Fall Conference, October 14-15, 2010: Health and Early Childhood Development: The Impact of Health on School Readiness and Other Education Outcomes (include video stream of event)
- HCRC Mini-Conference, April 27, 2009: Promoting Child Health and Well Being, Birth to Age Five
- Human Capital Conference Series on Early Childhood Development, December 7-8, 2007: Critical Issues in Cost Effectiveness in Children's First Decade
Project Staff
Arthur Reynolds, Co-Director
Suh-Ruu Ou