Dayne Ornelas Gonzalez is a senior research analyst for Child Trends. In this capacity, she leads and supports the qualitative data collection and analysis for projects related to access to early care and education for families and communities historically marginalized in the U.S. and improving the compensation and well-being of the early childhood workforce. Dayne is bilingual in Spanish and English and is skilled in synthesizing research findings for multiple stakeholders, including federal, state, and community partners. Her research interests include the development of immigrant-origin children and how early care and education programs and services can support integrating immigrant children and families into their communities.

Dayne has expertise in early childhood development, program evaluation, and collaborating with community-based organizations to understand families’ access to early care and education. Prior to joining Child Trends, Dayne worked as a clinical research coordinator for Seattle Children’s Research Institute, implementing a culturally adapted obesity prevention intervention for Latino preschoolers enrolled in Head Start centers in Seattle, Houston, and the Central Valley of Washington.

She graduated from New York University with a Master of Arts in human development research and policy. She received her Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Washington, Seattle.