History of the CtLC

Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) is a human-centric framework that supports good lives for people of all ages and circumstances. While widely used today across disability, education, aging, foster care, and other human service systems, LifeCourse grew through decades of family leadership, field-driven innovation, national collaboration, and intentional stewardship.

Its evolution reflects a continuous learning journey, from Missouri-based family initiatives to a national agenda on family support, then to implementation through communities of practice, and ultimately to sustained, cross-system transformation through the LifeCourse Nexus.

The Charting the LifeCourse framework has evolved within a collaborative process led by the Institute for Human Development at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, a University Center for Excellence (UCEDD) in partnership with many different national and statewide stakeholders.