SRCD and TrestleLink Partner to Advance Evidence-Based Child Policy
Published February 24, 2025
Washington, D.C. – 2/24/25 – The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) has partnered with TrestleLink to enhance its Child Policy Connect program, designed to connect researchers with policymakers and improve evidence-based policymaking for children and families.
“Ever since we learned in an experimental trial that this model was valued and useful to Congressional staff, we’ve been imagining the role of professional societies for replicating and sustaining it within their existing policy infrastructure” – Taylor Scott, President of TrestleLink
This collaboration promotes researcher-policymaker partnerships, fostering long-term relationships to enhance the mutual sharing of expertise. By integrating TrestleLink’s nonpartisan honest brokerage approach, the initiative ensures that evidence-based research is shared without lobbying, helping policymakers make informed decisions based on clear, actionable insights.
The program focuses on providing timely and relevant evidence, ensuring that research aligns with policy windows of opportunity. Scholars and policymakers engage in face-to-face dialogue, offering a platform for direct communication to find common ground and explore policy implications. This partnership also emphasizes continuous quality improvement, using internal data to refine research translation and enhance the impact of policymaking for the public good.
For participating researchers: This is a boost to child and family disciplines’ capacity for real world research impact. Participants can participate in multiple RPC related infrastructures. For instance, both SRCD and the Penn State Research Translation Platform. These projects involve different legislators, different levels of government, different topics, different timelines, and different organizational staff who connect policymakers with researchers. Ultimately, we anticipate minimal overlap between RPC implementation teams because the legislative demand for independent research evidence remains consistently high across levels of government.
In the current effort, SRCD members have the potential to be matched with Congressional staff who share interests. This project will culminate in a unique kind of Capitol Hill event, designed to support ongoing collaborations between researchers and policymaking staff. Travel awards for Capitol Hill meetings are available through the W.T. Grant Foundation.
For more information, visit https://www.srcd.org/child-policy-hub/child-policy-connect
About SRCD
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is a professional organization dedicated to advancing developmental science and its application to policies that improve children’s and families’ well-being.
About TrestleLink
TrestleLink connects research and policy communities through nonpartisan, evidence-driven engagement. Founded in 2021, TrestleLink strengthens the infrastructure needed to ensure research serves the public good.
SRCD and TrestleLink Partner to Advance Evidence-Based Child Policy
Published February 24, 2025
Washington, D.C. – 2/24/25 – The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) has partnered with TrestleLink to enhance its Child Policy Connect program, designed to connect researchers with policymakers and improve evidence-based policymaking for children and families.
“Ever since we learned in an experimental trial that this model was valued and useful to Congressional staff, we’ve been imagining the role of professional societies for replicating and sustaining it within their existing policy infrastructure” – Taylor Scott, President of TrestleLink
This collaboration promotes researcher-policymaker partnerships, fostering long-term relationships to enhance the mutual sharing of expertise. By integrating TrestleLink’s nonpartisan honest brokerage approach, the initiative ensures that evidence-based research is shared without lobbying, helping policymakers make informed decisions based on clear, actionable insights.
The program focuses on providing timely and relevant evidence, ensuring that research aligns with policy windows of opportunity. Scholars and policymakers engage in face-to-face dialogue, offering a platform for direct communication to find common ground and explore policy implications. This partnership also emphasizes continuous quality improvement, using internal data to refine research translation and enhance the impact of policymaking for the public good.
For participating researchers: This is a boost to child and family disciplines’ capacity for real world research impact. Participants can participate in multiple RPC related infrastructures. For instance, both SRCD and the Penn State Research Translation Platform. These projects involve different legislators, different levels of government, different topics, different timelines, and different organizational staff who connect policymakers with researchers. Ultimately, we anticipate minimal overlap between RPC implementation teams because the legislative demand for independent research evidence remains consistently high across levels of government.
In the current effort, SRCD members have the potential to be matched with Congressional staff who share interests. This project will culminate in a unique kind of Capitol Hill event, designed to support ongoing collaborations between researchers and policymaking staff. Travel awards for Capitol Hill meetings are available through the W.T. Grant Foundation.
For more information, visit https://www.srcd.org/child-policy-hub/child-policy-connect
About SRCD
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is a professional organization dedicated to advancing developmental science and its application to policies that improve children’s and families’ well-being.
About TrestleLink
TrestleLink connects research and policy communities through nonpartisan, evidence-driven engagement. Founded in 2021, TrestleLink strengthens the infrastructure needed to ensure research serves the public good.