3C Institute

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3C Institute is a private, for-profit research and development company based in Durham, North Carolina [1] which develops "web- and game-based applications and technology solutions designed to improve the health and well-being of youth and families." [2] The company partners with researchers, program providers, non-profits, and companies to develop customized digital information delivery systems, such as personalized games, e-training courses, and web-based assessments. [3] 3C Institute also develops evidence-based social emotional learning products for children, adolescents, and parents. [4]

Contents

Background

3-C Institute for Social Development was founded in 2001 by clinical psychologist Dr. Melissa DeRosier. [5] The organization changed its name to 3C Institute in 2013. [6] Dr. DeRosier received her doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1992 and completed a two-year fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. [3] She then worked on a five-year federal grant examining bullying and violence prevention in the Wake County Public School System. [3] She observed that teachers and schools were using non-evidence-based programs to improve social and emotional skills and founded the company to address this research-to-practice gap. [4] The company sought Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding for the development of its products. [7] Since 2001, the company has expanded to 75 employees [5] and received $25 million in SBIR funding from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [8] A corporate spin-off, Personalized Learning Games, was founded in 2014 to commercialize 3C Institute's social-emotional learning games. [9]

Awards

3C Institute was recognized with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Tibbetts Award in 2011 [10] and received a special Award of Excellence for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in 2014 from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which highlights entrepreneurs who find unique and novel solutions to social problems. [3]

Products and Services

3C Institute has developed web- and game-based interventions to address children and adolescents’ behavioral and social problems. [5] The company’s flagship product, Social Skills Group Intervention (S.S.GRIN), received recognition from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a mental health promotion winner in 2010. [11] The effectiveness of S.S.GRIN was proven by tracking 1,500 students over three years in 10 schools. [11] S.S.GRIN for High-Functioning Autism is listed in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices [12] and the National Autism Network. [13]

In November 2014, the company released Zoo U, an evidence-based social-emotional learning and assessment game for elementary school students. [14] The game was developed with SBIR funding [15] [16] and received a Games for Change nomination for "Most Significant Impact" in 2015. [17]

3C Institute is developing other social-emotional learning games including Stories in Motion, intended for elementary school students with high-functioning autism, [18] and Hall of Heroes, intended for middle school students. [19]

3C Institute also works with outside clients to develop programs to help researchers collect and translate data better. [1] 3C has developed training models for school psychologists and others to help them apply the interventions more accurately and effectively. [1] A notable project has been the Student Curriculum on Resilience Education (SCoRE), which helps first-year college students adjust to the unique stresses of college life and was created in partnership with Leading Education and Awareness for Depression (LEAD). [20] [21] [22]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 deBruyn, Jason (August 3, 2012). "With tricky name, 3-C ISD hauls in grants for growth". Triangle Business Journal.
  2. ↑ "3C Institute". NC SBTDC. 2014-02-13. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bridges, Virginia (March 10, 2014). "Cary Company Uses Federal Grants and Research to Improve Lives". The Raleigh News & Observer.
  4. 1 2 "SBIR Leading the way in Social Development with 3C Institute". Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer.
  5. 1 2 3 "3C Institute". Small Business and Technology Development Center.
  6. ↑ "3-C ISD Changes Name to "3C Institute"". 3C Institute.
  7. ↑ Wagner, Michael (January 16, 2006). "Social Studies Lesson". Triangle Business Journal.
  8. ↑ "SBA Region 4 News To Share". U.S. Small Business Administration.
  9. ↑ Huffman, Amy (April 27, 2015). "Gaming Startup Brings in the Big Guns, Changes Its Name". ExitEvent.
  10. ↑ Byrne, Dennis. "SBA Announces Winners of 2011 Tibbetts Awards". U.S. Small Business Administration.
  11. 1 2 deBruyn, Jason (May 17, 2012). "3-C Institute moving education tools to classroom with help from SBIR grants". Triangle Business Journal.
  12. ↑ "Social Skills Group Intervention (S.S.GRIN) 3-5". National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. Archived from the original on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  13. ↑ "3C Institute". National Autism Network. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  14. ↑ Svoboda, Elizabeth (June 7, 2015). "The Rise of the 'Gaming for Good' Movement". Newsweek.
  15. ↑ Sparks, Sarah (June 5, 2013). "Education Department Invests in Education Business Research". Education Week.
  16. ↑ Metz, Edward. "Connected Educator Month: Game-Based Learning". U.S. Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  17. ↑ "BBC World Business Report". BBC World Service. May 1, 2015.
  18. ↑ Vander Ark, Tom (September 4, 2012). "It's Time for a Special Needs App Fund". Education Week.
  19. ↑ Lee Ark, Ellen (May 18, 2015). "Building Social Skills, Alone at a Computer". Bright.
  20. ↑ Gordon, Samantha (May 16, 2013). "Stress Plagues Millennials in College". U.S. News University Directory.
  21. ↑ Bill, Zlatos (April 28, 2013). "Colleges address depression, stress with curriculum aimed at emotional health". Pittsburgh Tribune.
  22. ↑ "SCoRE Gets Online Press". 3C Institute.
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