The group, which included John Coie (psychology), Phil Costanzo (psychology), Philip J. Cook (public policy and economics), Jane Costello (psychiatry), and Alan Kerckhoff (sociology), among others, approached William Chafe, then dean of the faculty of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, who agreed to support the launching of a new center dedicated to child and family policy.
In 1998, Kenneth Dodge, a clinical and developmental psychologist from Vanderbilt University who had earned his Ph.D. at Duke in 1978, was recruited to lead the venture.
It is affiliated with Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy[4] and Social Science Research Institute.
[12] Center faculty and staff consult with policymakers and practitioners, responding to requests for research,[13] information, and program evaluation.
Center staff members have presented educational seminars for North Carolina lawmakers on issues such as childhood obesity and juvenile justice.