May 15 is the International Day of Families, observed each year at the United Nations. The 2021 observance was broadcast live on Facebook Friday, May 14 from 10-11:30 a.m. ET.

This year's focus is Families and New Technologies. The program features a keynote address by NCFR member Susan K. Walker, Ph.D., and NCFR member Jessica Navarro, M.S.W., will serve as a panelist. Dr. Walker's background paper, "Technology Use and Families: Implications for Work-Family Balance and Parenting Education" is available for PDF download.

Watch the recording below or watch on Facebook.

Dr. Walker is an associate professor of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. She earned her doctorate in child and family studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The emphasis of her teaching and research is on technology integration in family education, early childhood parenting and childcare policy, and parent learning through social interactions. At NCFR, Dr. Walker is a past chair of the Education and Enrichment Section and past chair of the Families and Technology Focus Group.

Ms. Navarro is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her B.A. in public health from Brown University and M.S.W. from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests center on families and technology, in particular the impact of technology on the parent-child relationship.

Further information on this year's program can be found in the links below:

• Full event information
• Background note
• 2021 Day of Families Program
• Biographies of Presenters
• Background on the International Day of Families

NCFR members who have questions about ongoing work with the U.N. and families are invited to reach out to NCFR's U.N. representatives, Mihaela Robila, Ph.D., CFLE, and Bahira Sherif Trask, Ph.D.