Julianna Carlson works in the early childhood development program area. She received her Master’s in Public Health, with a focus on Maternal & Child Health, from the University of Minnesota. There, her research focused on addressing health inequities for new mothers and their children from pre-conception through early childhood.

Julianna has over a decade of experience working with young children and families. She spent several years leading a toddler classroom in a Montessori preschool, and worked in both pre-k and special education settings in the public school system. Prior to joining Child Trends, she worked with a legal nonprofit to conduct research and policy analysis on behalf of children with incarcerated parents. This included translating and presenting research to a variety of stakeholders, ranging from county commissioners to Head Start staff.

Drawing on her experiences working in early childhood education (ECE) settings, Julianna’s research interests include early childhood workforce development, expanding access to infant/toddler care, classroom management practices, and racial equity. Her current work at Child Trends includes evaluations of state and local initiatives to strengthen the ECE workforce and increase access to quality infant/toddler care.