Laura Hawkinson

Dr. Laura Hawkinson, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Director of the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED) at Boston University. Dr. Hawkinson has over 20 years of experience conducting applied research and is a nationally recognized expert in early childhood systems. Her work focuses on the child care workforce, measurement of program quality, culturally and linguistically responsive approaches, and the outcomes of publicly funded early childhood programs. She has expertise in research design and methods.

Dr. Hawkinson has led research funded by the U.S. Department of Education and numerous state and county agencies, including the Indiana Department of Education, the Montgomery County Maryland Department of Health and Human Services, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the Vermont Department of Human Services, and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. She has served in advisory roles on studies funded by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and several other government agencies and foundations. Her work has been published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly and Early Education and Development.

Prior to joining CEED, Dr. Hawkinson was Vice President for Research and Evaluation at School Readiness Consulting. She previously held research positions at the American Institutes for Research, the National Institute for Early Education Research, and Mathematica Policy Research. She began her career teaching toddlers at Our Place Day Care, a shelter-based program in Cambridge that serves families experiencing homelessness. Dr. Hawkinson holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.P.A. from Columbia University.

Pronouns: she/her/hers