Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth records, 1972-1994

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Summary

Creators:
Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth
Abstract:
Records pertaining to the administration of the center and its programs.
Extent:
5 Linear Feet
Language:
Undetermined .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth records (SC0482). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

These records, dating from 1972 to 1994, pertain largely to the administration of the Center and include correspondence of the Directors, contracts and legal records from the agreement with Boys' Town, annual reports, financial records, sponsored project files, and miscellaneous records.

Directors Albert Hastorf, 1975-80, and J. Merrill Carlsmith, 1980-84, are most heavily represented in the correspondence files. There are significantly fewer files for directors Michael Wald, 1985, Sanford Dornbusch, 1987-88, Shirley Feldman, 1993, and Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, 1994.

Projects headed by Sanford Dornbusch that are included in the sponsored project files include "Education for Parenting," "Homeless Families, Children and Youth," "Family and Peer Influences on High School Performance," and "Barriers to Hispanic Participation and Performance in High School Mathematics and Science Courses." Eleanor Maccoby's projects include "Adolescent Children of Recently Divorced Families" and "Child Custody: Contact, Conflict and Continutity." Shirley Feldman's projects include "Family Influences on Health" and "Normal Adolescent Development."

Biographical / historical:

The Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children and Youth was established in 1974 with support from Father Flanagan's Boys' Town. The Center, known then as the Boys' Town Center for the Study of Youth Development at Stanford, sponsored interdisciplinary research on the effects of deprivation and neglect on the life chances of children. Professor Robert Sears was appointed interim Director during the organization of the Center, with Professor Al Hastorf appointed its first Director. Subsequent directors included Merrill Carlsmith, Michael Wald, and Sanford Dornbusch.

After the contract with Boys' Town was dissolved in 1986, the Center changed its name to the Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children and Youth and broadened its focus from children aged 7 to 19 to encompass families and childhood concerns. Topics researched by its members have included the impact of daycare on a child's social development, effects of divorce and custody arrangements, how family variables affect school performance, minorities in the schools, and homelessness. Due to funding difficulties, the Center was dissolved in June 1994.

Acquisition information:
Administrative transfer, 1994.
Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While University Archives is the owner of the physical and/or digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth records (SC0482). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Stanford University Archives, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
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