Kara Ulmen is a senior research analyst in the early childhood program area at the Minneapolis office. Kara has expertise in state quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), child care subsidy funding streams, home visiting quality, and topics related to the child care and early education provider field. She has been honored to build her knowledge and expertise around Minnesota’s child care providers and child care subsidy system landscapes, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Ulmen is experienced in a variety of data collection methods and analysis, including software to aid in this work, but is always excited to work directly with research participants to dive deeper into topics and bring research findings alive with qualitative work.

Kara completed her MPH in maternal and child health along with a program evaluation minor from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In her spare time, Kara loves to snowboard in the winter and garden in the spring/summer. She enjoys seeking out new Twin Cities restaurants and cooking, especially when it’s vegan, and spending time with friends and family (including her six nieces)!