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The National African American Child and Family Research Center (NAACFRC)
2025 Community-Engaged Research (CER) Conference:
Laboring Together – CER for Economic Success

June 12, 2025 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET
Shirley Massey Executive Conference Center
Morehouse College
Atlanta, GA

Registration is now open for the
NAACFRC 2025 Community-Engaged Research (CER) Conference!

The 2025 conference will showcase innovative research approaches and share stories of successful research collaborations in:

Early care and education 
Social and economic mobility 

The National African American Child and Family Research Center’s (NAACFRC) annual CER conference helps build community-engaged research capacity. Community-engaged research is defined, “not by the methods used, but the principles that guide the research and the relationships between researchers and the community.” This research may range from involving community members in an advisory capacity to community members serving as leads or equal partners in the research.

NAACFRC 2025 registration is free and open to the public. This will be an in-person-only event at the Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.

Benefits of Attending

Build your network

Build your network

Engage and ideate

Engage and ideate

Learn about timely research

Learn about timely research

Create partnerships

Create partnerships

Share knowledge and experience

Share knowledge and experience

Conference Topics

Community-engaged research on:

  • Early care and education & economic mobility
  • Early care and education & mental health
  • Poverty alleviation
  • Economic self-sufficiency & fatherhood
  • Improvements to early care and education, led by parents

Keynote Address

Community-Engaged Research to Advance Economic Success for African American Children and Families


Joseph T. Jones, Jr.
Center for Urban Families (CFUF)
Founder & President, Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Jones is a national leader in workforce development and fatherhood and family services programming, and through his professional and civic involvement, he influences policy direction nationwide. He established the Center for Urban Families (CFUF) to empower low-income families by enhancing both the ability of women and men to contribute to their families as wage earners and of men to fulfill their roles as fathers.

Conference Showcases

NAACFRC 2024-2025 Community Pilot Project Program Awardees

NAACFRC 2024-2025 Emerging Scholars Cohort

Sylvia Annan

Sylvia Annan, LCSW

Pursuing Ph.D.
Doreek Charles

Doreek Charles, M.S.W.

Pursuing Ph.D.
Kelley Hollie

Kelley Hollie, M.S.W.

Pursuing Ph.D.
Heather A. Jones

Heather A. Jones, M.S.W., LCSW

Pursuing Ph.D.

Conference Logistics

Conference Location

Shirley Massey Executive Conference Center at Morehouse College
830 Westview Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30314

Conference Hotel

Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park
190 Marietta St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303 

Discounted room rate available as a part of the NAACFRC room block on a first come, first served basis. Must book by May 21, 2025 to secure rate.

Parking

Complimentary parking during conference hours is available across the street from the conference center in the Morehouse School of Medicine Lee Street parking deck.

436 Lee St. SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

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Learn more about how we are providing national leadership and excellence in community-engaged research to better serve African American children and families by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

National African American Child and Family Research Center

720 Westview Drive SW 
Atlanta, Georgia 30310
Contact email: info@naacfrc.org

This website is supported by grant #90PH0031 from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation.

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