Our Mission The Children’s Environments Research Group (CERG) links university scholarship with the development of policies, environments, and programs to fulfill children’s rights and improve the quality of their lives. There are two major strands to our work. The first is a broad concern with the fulfillment of children’s rights. The second is a more specific focus on the planning, design and management of children’s physical environments. Following the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, we address children of all ages from birth to eighteen and so we also work a great deal with what some countries call “youth”. Our Vision Our vision is a just and inclusive world where children and youth, in partnership with their families, neighbors and communities, have the opportunity to participate in the creation of environments that support their right to live, learn and play. Our Research Our research focuses on understanding children’s lives and the conditions that influence them, with the goal of changing those conditions. To that end, we are equally concerned with the development of theory, policy, and practice. We have a particular commitment and expertise to understanding children’s own perspectives on their lives. CERG has a focus on children living in poverty and in low-income communities, both in New York City and overseas. We are a key institution of Childwatch, and we conduct much of our international work in partnership with this international network of child rights research organizations.