What Child Trends does

Child Trends is a U.S. non-profit research organization founded in 1979 and headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, that conducts applied research and evaluation on child, youth, and family wellbeing. Its work spans child welfare, early childhood, K-12 education, juvenile justice, family economic wellbeing, and population-focused research on Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities. The organization delivers outputs through peer-reviewed publications, validated measurement instruments (e.g., the Adapted Measure of Math Engagement, State of Student Voice Practices Survey), community-engaged research frameworks (the 5Rs Framework and a comprehensive CEnR resource library), policy briefs, data visualizations, and structured technical assistance to agencies implementing evidence-based programs.

The technology base is research methodology rather than software: Child Trends maintains expertise in mixed-methods and community-engaged research, program evaluation, federal administrative data analysis (notably Title IV-E, IV-B, TANF, Medicaid, and AFCARS foster care datasets), and validated measurement development. It distributes outputs through a multi-channel open-access model — website, topic-specific newsletters, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, Instagram, podcast (Vida de PhD), webinars (e.g., Syphilis Solutions Summit), and conference presentations at venues such as the American Education Research Association Convention and American Evaluation Association Conference. Sub-brands such as Black Families Flourishing, Breakthrough Accelerator, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, and Activate extend the portfolio into targeted communities of practice.

The business model is contract and grant funded rather than commercial. Revenue is generated through federal government contracts (primarily the Administration for Children and Families and state agencies including the Maryland State Department of Education, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, and Vermont early childhood programs) and foundation grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Endowment for Health. Research outputs are provided at no cost to practitioners, policymakers, and the public, and the organization maintains formal research independence policies. Named research partners include Search Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Villanova University, and Conscious Discipline.

Name

Child Trends

Legal name

Child Trends

Website

https://childtrends.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Child Trends is a U.S. non-profit research organization founded in 1979 that conducts applied research and evaluation on child, youth, and family wellbeing for federal and state agencies, foundations, and practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Child & Youth Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood & Child Development Policy Research (EDADADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA), Assessment, Screening & Progress Monitoring Tools (0–5) (EDACANAI)

Keywords

• Child welfare research
• Youth development research
• Early childhood research
• Community-engaged research
• Policy research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Child Trends receives government contracts from federal agencies such as the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to conduct child welfare, early childhood, and youth research. These contracts fund specific research projects and technical assistance.
2. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grant funding from philanthropic foundations including the National Science Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for specific research initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Child Trends is a private nonprofit research organization that conducts rigorous applied research, program evaluation, and technical assistance focused on improving the lives of children, youth, and families. Its work covers child welfare, early childhood education, families, schools, health, juvenile justice, and population-specific research, delivered through publications, validated measurement tools, data visualizations, and contracted research services to government agencies, foundations, and educational institutions.

Product overview

Child Trends is a research organization (not a product company) that provides research publications, tools, and services focused on children and youth well-being. Its portfolio includes research measurement tools (Adapted Measure of Math Engagement, Student Voice Survey), educational resources (Community-Engaged Research Library, Practical Guides), policy initiatives (Creating Healthy Schools Through State Policy), and data visualization tools (Maryland Child Care Map). These offerings are organized around research focus areas including Child Welfare, Early Childhood, Families, Health, Schools, and Youth & Young Adults, delivered through publications, newsletters, technical assistance, and strategic partnerships rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Families Flourishing: A project focused on understanding and promoting Black family flourishing through research and data insights.
• Breakthrough Accelerator
• Early Childhood Data Collaborative (ECDC)
• Activate

Products and services

• Comprehensive Library of Community-Engaged Research Resources A dynamic collection of templates, guides, and protocols from real-world CEnR projects that helps researchers design and implement community-engaged studies, provided free of charge to practitioners.
• Practical Guide to Getting Started With Community-Engaged Research An introductory guide that walks researchers through foundational CEnR concepts, the dynamic spectrum of engagement, the 5Rs Framework, and the five stages of community-engaged research.
• Adapted Measure of Math Engagement (AM-ME) A validated measurement instrument developed through participatory research that captures math engagement among Black and Latino middle and high school students.
• Student Voice Toolkit A toolkit providing research, tools, and resources to help K-12 educators develop and refine student voice practices in classrooms and schools so students can more effectively participate in decision making.
• State of Student Voice Practices in Schools Survey Two validated assessment scales used by K-12 schools and researchers to measure the quality of student voice practices at the school and classroom levels.
• Community-Engaged Research Services A contracted service line that supports clients in designing and conducting community-engaged research using the 5Rs Framework and the CEnR Resource Library, available to research partners across all five stages of CEnR.
• Technical Assistance Services A contracted service that helps government agencies, foundations, and partner organizations implement evidence-based approaches and translate Child Trends research into field practice.
• Strategic Communications Services A contracted communications service that helps research partners translate evidence-based findings into accessible content for policymakers, practitioners, and the public.
• AI, Data Collection, and Advanced Methods Services A contracted service line that provides AI, data collection, and advanced analytical methods support to research projects, including support for community-engaged research.
• Early Childhood System Building Strategies Services A contracted research and technical assistance service supporting state policymakers and partners to build coordinated early care and education data systems.
• Creating Healthy Schools Through State Policy Initiative A policy initiative delivering curated data, research, technical assistance, and policy updates that help state officials integrate Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) elements into state education policy.
• Maryland Child Care Scholarship Interactive Map An interactive data visualization tool that maps how Maryland families use the state's Child Care Scholarship subsidy to enroll in quality-rated child care programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Decreased use of harsh discipline techniques among parents after Conscious Discipline parenting class series
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Maryland State Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Research partnership to analyze families' use of Maryland's Child Care Scholarship (CCS) subsidy program. Produced an interactive map showing how approximately 30,000 Maryland families used subsidies to enroll in quality-rated child care as of March 2025. Funded by federal Administration for Children and Families.
• Search InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the Student Voice to Student Outcomes Study, contributing expertise in youth development and student engagement research.
• Pennsylvania State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in the Student Voice to Student Outcomes Study, led by Dana Mitra from Penn State's education department.
• Villanova UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in the Student Voice to Student Outcomes Study, led by Jerusha Conner from Villanova's education school.
• Conscious DisciplinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild Trends has served as strategic planning and research partner to Conscious Discipline since 2017, an adult-focused social-emotional learning and classroom management program. Supports research, program evaluation, and evidence-based registry inclusion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Abt Associates: Research and consulting firm with significant education, early childhood, and social policy research practices; comparable business model bidding into similar federal and philanthropic funding pools.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large nonprofit behavioral and social science research firm with overlapping work in education, child development, and program evaluation; competes for similar federal RFPs and foundation awards.
• MDRC: Social policy research organization focused on education, employment, and family wellbeing; competes directly with Child Trends for federal and foundation contracts on program evaluation and evidence-based policy research.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Independent research and evaluation firm with very similar social policy, education, and child welfare research portfolio; competes for many of the same federal contracts (e.g., ACF, ED) and foundation funding.
• Urban Institute: Nonprofit research organization with substantial child welfare, family wellbeing, and education research portfolios; directly comparable mission and funding mix of government contracts and foundation grants.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization conducting social science research across health, education, and child wellbeing; directly comparable in scale, methodology portfolio, and funder base.
• Westat: Employee-owned research firm with major education, child welfare, and health research practices bidding into the same federal contract vehicles as Child Trends.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Research center producing applied child welfare, child poverty, and youth justice research using federal administrative data; similar methodological strengths and likely funder overlap with Child Trends.
• National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP): Columbia University-affiliated research center focused on early childhood, family economic wellbeing, and child poverty; directly comparable in topic focus and policy research mission.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Much larger, broader-policy think tank that does significant child/youth research among a wide defense, health, and education portfolio; overlaps with Child Trends' policy research work but at far greater scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childtrends
• YouTubeyoutube.com/childtrends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/child-trends
• Instagraminstagram.com/childtrends_research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child Trends