The Nurture Science Program at Columbia University Medical Center is a unique research program rooted in a new, evidence-based understanding of the critical role emotional connection plays in healthy child development.
Our multidisciplinary team is committed to rigorous research, and continues to develop and test nurture-based therapies that support emotional connection to help children and families address, and even avoid, emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges.
What We Hope to Achieve
Millions of children suffer from emotional, behavioral, and developmental disorders that can be addressed or prevented. Current treatment strategies often are not effective. The Nurture Science Program’s work can help children and their families.
Over the past 10 years, the Nurture Science Program has amassed considerable evidence to support interventions that advance the child-family emotional connection that is critical to healthy child development. Imagine the possibilities when all children and families have this kind of support.
Seven Ways to Make Family Movie Night Good For Everyone
Watching TV or a movie together can be a wonderful opportunity to co-regulate, especially for families! It’s something many of us already do on a regular basis, so why not get the most out of it that we can?
How Chores Make Kids Resilient
If we make chores activities of connection, we can turn the mundane into something meaningful, while protecting our children’s futures.
Improving Childhood Development Through Play: It’s Not Just About the Brain
We hear a lot about why play is good for children’s brains, but something is going on inside children’s bodies when they’re in a playful state that has phenomenal impacts on their health. Playful interactions can also promote empathy, deepen their capacity to learn, and set them up for healthy future relating.
The Tantrum Cycle (and How to Get Out of It)
Tantrums alert us to our child’s need for more connection, more feelings of calm and regulation. This Nurture Science lens offers a simple approach to tantrums that not only helps children potentially avoid a meltdown altogether, but also helps adults in the process.