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Integrated Research & Policy Fellowship

Program Overview

Program Overview

The Integrated Research & Policy Fellowship was a 12-month paid program designed to support the leadership development of early care and education (ECE) professionals. The program provided an opportunity for emerging leaders to build their expertise on the ECE workforce while gaining skills to effectively bridge research and policy/practice. Fellows learned about key issues across the National ECE Workforce Center’s five policy areas and about the history underlying the structure and challenges of the current ECE system. The fellowship culminated with the completion of a capstone project on a topic of high importance to the workforce that showcased the fellows’ ability to translate research to policy/practice.

The program graduated its final cohort in December 2025.

Past Policy & Research Fellows

2025–2026 Policy Fellows

Headshot of Kristy DeGraaf, family child care provider, advocate, and trainer. Headshot of Casi York, infant and toddler Early Head Start educator.

Fellowship Activities

  • Kristy DeGraaf: Kristy’s fellowship capstone explored policies with the potential to strengthen the well-being and stability of Utah’s family child care providers. She produced a policy brief, which described current policies and programs aimed at supporting family child care providers, and recommended increasing funding for specific programs in the future.
  • Casi York: Casi’s fellowship activities centered on supporting the early childhood workforce through federal programs like Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

2025–2026 Research Fellows

Headshot of Heather Valentine, doctoral student in Education Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Headshot of Flora Ziprin, doctoral student in Human Development and Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Fellowship Activities

  • Heather Valentine: Heather conducted a review of policies aimed at increasing early educator compensation across the U.S., highlighting in two infographics promising strategies being used in states like Washington, DC and Alabama.
  • Flora Ziprin: Flora examined how work environment standards were articulated and captured across early childhood education systems. She produced a “crosswalk” of standards from various data sources including New York’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), National Accreditation Organizations (e.g., NAEYC), and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

2024–2025 Policy Fellows

Headshot of Alyssa Fortner, policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy. Headshot of Colleen Walling, lead infant/toddler teacher in an Oklahoma Head Start classroom.

Fellowship Activities

  • Alyssa Fortner: This project examined how participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program can support programs’ financial health and the quality of care they provide. Alyssa uncovered barriers to educators’ use of the program and based on these findings, outlined recommendations for federal and state leaders to support greater use of the program.  
  • Colleen Walling: Through examining variations in state policy and speaking with early educators, Colleen found that state regulations that are typically beneficial to children—such as smaller classroom sizes and required daily outdoor time—also positively impact educator stress levels and well-being.

2024–2025 Research Fellows

Headshot of Liran Laor, PhD student in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Headshot of Melanie Seyarto, doctoral candidate in human development and psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Fellowship Activities

  • Liran Laor: By examining the efforts of Oklahoma’s Professional Development Registry to collect high-quality workforce data, Liran highlighted the benefits of workforce registries in informing policy and supporting educators and families. She developed recommendations for others looking to create or enhance a registry.   
  • Melanie Seyarto: Melanie used data from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education to gain a better understanding of union membership among early educators. The findings underscored the need for strategies educators can use to build collective voice to improve working conditions.

What Past Fellows Are Saying

“Wonderful – empowering, energizing and helpful in identifying my next career steps.” – Liran Laor, Research Fellow

“The mentorship experience was one of the highlights of the fellowship! I had incredibly supportive mentors who helped me think of new possibilities for the direction of my research and career.” – Melanie Seyarto, Research Fellow

“My policy work will now better meet the needs and perspectives of the early care and education workforce. I know that moving forward I have gained confidence and skills to strengthen the work I do.” – Alyssa Fortner, Policy Fellow

“During the fellowship I learned how research and policy are woven together in different ways. I also appreciated the focus on the educator/workforce voice when collecting research and making policy decisions.” – Colleen Walling, Policy Fellow