Current Projects

School Readiness and Family Life among Head Start Parents

The transition to kindergarten is widely recognized as a critical developmental period for children, as it influences children’s academic trajectories and future life chances. Research documents that low-income African-American and Latino children are disproportionately at risk of being unready for the transition to kindergarten. Using a family resilience framework and qualitative methods, this project seeks to understand the beliefs and practices of families and teachers as they support children’s transition to kindergarten. Promoting a successful start to school requires that we focus on the perspectives, experiences, and expectations of all involved in the process – children included. Thus, this project also includes children’s voices and acknowledges their right to be heard, highlighting their views and experiences. Overall, this project seeks to contribute to the limited research on school readiness among African American and Latino families through a resilience, rather than deficit lens.

Study of Families’ Opportunities & Choices after Children’s Early Exclusion (FOCCEE)

In collaboration with Dr. Kate Zinsser, this mixed-method project is aimed at understanding families’ experiences with their child’s exclusions and transitions following the passage of IL 100-0105. Each day, approximately 250 children are expelled from U.S. preschools and child care programs. Expelled children, who are disproportionately children of color, are denied the opportunity to acquire the pre-academic and social-emotional skills they'll need for successful school entry. To date, the voices of parents and a recognition of the ripple effects a child’s exclusion from Early Childhood Education programs can have on families and communities have not been heard. Findings from this study will provide critical information to policymakers, programs, and family advocates about the multiple ways families navigate exclusions and transitions.

This project is graciously funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: For more than 45 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

Supporting Sleep Behaviors & Routines among Racially & Linguistically Diverse Preschoolers

For preschool-aged children, sleep is necessary for brain growth, physical health, and behavioral outcomes, particularly for ethnic minority children who are less likely to sleep the necessary 10-13 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation than their White counterparts. Inadequate sleep has been found to increase racial disparities in education, with Latino and African-American children being at risk for school failure. In collaboration with Dr. Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, this mixed-method project examines environmental influences on sleep among African-American and Latino children and their families in Head Start.

Publications and Presentations

Selected Publications

Selected Presentations