News and Announcements

We are excited to introduce the 2021 cohort of Early Career Scholars. These scholars represent a wide range of universities across New York City. Participation in the Research Network provides scholars with the opportunity to be a part of a community where they can collaborate and deepen their understanding of how research, practice, and policy intersect to influence New York City’s early childhood education system.

Each scholar will receive $5000 to support their work in applied research aimed at informing early childhood policy and practice. Scholars represent a variety of research interests and experiences that aim to advance equity and excellence for young children.

With generous support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Research Network is advancing its goal of developing the City’s group of scholars working to improve the quality of early childhood.

• Ashley Renaire Davis is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology at City University of New York’s (CUNY) Graduate Center. Ashley’s research on mathematics identity and mathematics socialization is informed by her experiences working as an early childhood educator and instructing pre-service elementary and early childhood teachers at Borough of Manhattan Community College and Queens College.
• Carolina Snaider is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, focusing on Early Childhood Policy. Carolina’s current research explores teachers' understandings and implementation of gender-inclusive policies and practices in kindergarten classrooms.
• Kimberly Vanderbilt is doctoral candidate in the Urban Education Policy and Leadership program at the City University of New York's Graduate center. She is also a full time lecturer and Professional Development Liaison in the Early Childhood/Childhood Education Department at CUNY/Lehman College in the Bronx. Kimberly's research focuses on the history of individual early childhood program and she is currently writing the history of the Amalgamated Workmen’s Circle Nursery School, an almost 100 year old school in the northwest Bronx.
• Maria Mavrides Calderon is a doctoral candidate at Hunter College CUNY's Instructional Leadership Program. She is also a full-time Clinical Lecturer at Hunter's Early Childhood Program and the Program's Student Teaching and Field Experiences Coordinator. Maria's focus is on investigating the impact of policy, particularly funding, compensation, and work conditions policies, on the ecological system of early childhood programs in New York City.
• Yudong Zhang is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Human Development and Social Change at New York University. Yudong's research focuses on the impacts of early life experiences and evaluations of school- and home-based early childhood interventions.

Congratulations Ashley, Maria, Carolina, Kimberly, and Yudong!