Since 2022, we have been in partnership with an elementary school in CPS. We have provided regular individual and group consultations with educators and professional development workshops around trauma-informed practices and evidence-based student behavior management strategies. Our ongoing research project with this community partner seeks to understand the culture and climate of the staff and their use of restorative practices with students in hopes to strengthen support for them.  ​

The Preschool Parents Project is an online research study that aims to better understand the experiences of children and families navigating the preschool and early childcare system. Specifically, we are interested in the interplay between various individual and ecological factors (e.g., children’s externalizing behaviors, parenting stress, and neighborhood opportunity) across children who have and have not experienced preschool exclusionary discipline. This is a mixed method study where eligible parents of preschoolers complete a 30-minute survey and a follow-up interview. ​

Kidz Express is an after-school program located in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago. Our collaboration with Kidz Express was born out of a need to address mental health disparities in the youth who attend the program. Our ongoing research project with Kidz Express seeks to develop a trauma-informed training for the program’s mentors. This training is a first step in improving the emotional well-being of the youth at the center through a sustainable community-academic partnership.  ​