Welcome to the CRCW

The Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing (CRCW) is an interdisciplinary center at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. Our mission is to stimulate basic research, educate faculty and students about issues related to children's policies, and influence policymakers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels. read more

In the News

Millions of Americans Live in Extreme Poverty. Here's How They Get By.
The Washington Post highlights research by Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer which investigates the prevalence of extreme poverty in the US, defined as living on less than $2 a day per person. Findings will be published in Social Service Review.

Is the 'Go to College' Message Overdone?
Research by Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill is cited in the Wall Street Journal. Sawhill finds that on average, going to college does pay off, "but if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don't graduate, that is a very bad situation."

Improving College Prep for Low-Income Students
The Brookings Institution highlights a policy brief for the latest issue of the Future of Children, Postsecondary Education in the United States. Ron Haskins and Cecilia Rouse review evaluations of federal programs aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who graduate college.

Is There a Better Way to Prepare Disadvantaged Students for College?
The federal government has funded several programs to help students from low-income families to be more prepared for college, but research suggests these initiatives have had little success. On May 7, CRCW and the Brookings Institution released the newest issue of the Future of Children, Postsecondary Education in the United States.

What's Happening at CRCW

See below for upcoming CRCW events at Princeton University.