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Recent Blog Posts

image of a group of diverse elementary students playing happily together

Friendships That Build Belonging for Every Child

By Health and Well-Being

Friendship in the elementary years is more than just playing together; it is the foundation of feeling included and valued. Research shows that intentional opportunities for connection help all children, including neurodiverse students, build friendships while developing socially and academically (Biggs et al., 2023, 2025; McFadden et al., 2014).

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Youth Sexting and the Changing Landscape of Teen Dating Culture

By Community Engagement

As the landscape of youth dating culture continues to shift, sexting has become an increasingly prevalent practice amongst adolescents (Madigan et al., 2018). As sexting becomes more common practice among younger groups, it is important to note that associations between sexting, sexual behavior, and other mental health vulnerability factors were stronger in younger ages compared to older adolescents (Mori et al., 2019). Thus, early education around healthy technology use is an important preventative measure to cultivate safety across the span of child to youth development. Factors for providers to consider include technology use trends, risks of technology use, and how to promote healthy youth use of and experiences with technology.

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Unlocking Global Talent: Empowering Foreign-Born & OCONUS Military Spouses in Today’s Workforce

By Military Service and Family Life

Military spouses stationed overseas or navigating life in a new country face complex, often overlooked employment barriers. With the proper tools, strong partnerships, and effective programming, we can turn these trends around and create clear pathways to career success for every military spouse. Seize this chance to play a role in creating meaningful change.

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Unraveling Correlation, Causation, and Autism

By Health and Well-Being

Conversations around autism and neurodiversity continue to take place among researchers, practitioners, family members and the broader community. With this comes increased interest in having information that is thoughtful, accurate, and grounded in research. Over the years, we have highlighted different aspects of autism, and in this blog post we share resources and recommendations from leading scholars.

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Strengthening Military-Connected Teens Through 4-H and DOD Partnerships

By Health and Well-Being

Military-connected youth face unique challenges that can hinder their growth—but with the right support, they can thrive. Through a powerful partnership between 4-H and the Department of Defense, these young people are gaining consistent, research-based opportunities to build resilience, develop leadership skills, and shape their futures with confidence—no matter where military life takes them.

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gas can, first aid kit, water, cans, cash

Financial Preparedness is Disaster Preparedness

By Health and Well-Being

One important aspect of financial readiness is being prepared for the unexpected, and that includes natural disasters. With frequent relocations to diverse locations both within the continental United States (CONUS) and outside the continental United States (OCONUS), military families make homes in a variety of locales, each with potential for severe weather and natural disasters.

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