The Center for Evidence-based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs to raise the awareness and implementation of positive, evidence-based practices, and to build an enhanced and more accessible data base to support those practices.

Collaborators
The Center brings together the research, training, and technical assistance expertise of faculty and family leaders from the University of South Florida, University of Colorado-Denver, Lehigh University, Pyramid Parent Training, University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Illinois, and Tennessee Voices for Children. Personnel associated with the Center include: Glen Dunlap, Lise Fox, Barbara Smith, Phillip Strain, Lee Kern, George DuPaul, Ursula Markey, DJ Markey, Maureen Conroy, Judith Carta, AnnTurnbull, Wayne Sailor, Charles Greenwood, Eva Horn, Jean Ann Summers, Barbara Thompson, Amy Santos, Mary Louise Hemmeter, Michaelene Ostrosky, and Matt Timm.

Activities
The Center will:

• Engage in a comprehensive and collaborative process for identifying evidence-based practices;
• Develop partnerships with national early childhood organizations and other dissemination networks to ensure a widespread campaign of awareness and system enhancement;
• Develop materials and implementation strategies to impact personnel preparation;
• Implement a national research program to address critical issues for young children and their families affected by challenging behavior.

Target Populations
Dissemination activities will be conducted to reach early educators, families, and other professionals. Research participants will be recruited by each collaborator and will include young children who are at-risk or developmentally delayed, and who are participating in established intervention programs.

Training and Dissemination Partners

The Center is pleased to work in partnership with the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and the National Head Start Association in training and dissemination activities.

For more information
Maureen Sampson; DARES/CFS/FMHI/MHC2-113A; University of South Florida; 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.; Tampa, FL 33612-3899. 813-974-8587. http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/challenging