Positive teacher-child relationships, characterized by warmth and closeness, are associated with better behavioral and academic outcomes for children in preschool and elementary school (Hamre & Pianta, 2005). Supporting teachers to establish these positive relationships with children is important in all early care and education (ECE) programs. Head Start programs, designed...
The interactions young children have with teachers, peers, and tasks in early care and education (ECE) settings support development of social and academic skills. The degree to which families and teachers partner to support children’s development may contribute to child engagement. The current study aims to expand our understanding of...
Families and early care and education (ECE) programs are two important contexts in which young children develop (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Nearly half of all preschoolers are cared for in nonrelative care (e.g. child care center, preschool, Head Start, teacher’s home; Laughlin, 2013), and ECE programs have the potential to...
Adult development and social experiences are intertwined, which has implications for social policy, health, and well-being across the lifespan. This dissertation explores the benefit and risk that close social partners bring to adults' lives, and the efficacy and consequences of engaging social resources to maintain well-being in the face of...
The social aspects of older adults lives are strongly linked to well-being outcomes. Social relationships in older adulthood are rewarding, but also complex, and to maintain a positive social environment, older adults must reconcile long relationships histories, negotiate changing roles, and deal with increasing dependencies. Older adults are known to...
Identifying effective strategies for increasing access to quality care for children from low-income families has important implications for society. This study examined the effectiveness of expanding child care assistance for low-income families (capping expenses at 10% of income and raising eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty line) to purchase...
Predicting recruitment, which is dependent on parent stock size and climate, is vital for forecasting productivity of fish stocks. The effects of climate can be analyzed via the use of climate indices. Three climate indices, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation, and the Oceanic Niño Index, describe...
In the United States, children from underserved racial/ethnic backgrounds encounter greater environmental risk both in terms of the physical environment (e.g., housing quality, access to resources like health services and jobs, and exposure to environmental toxins) and the social environment (e.g., social support, neighborhood crime, racism, and discrimination), due to...
In recent decades the habitat of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has expanded from boreal forests into pan-Arctic tundra ecosystems. It is unknown how the advance of beavers into Arctic watersheds will impact microbial communities responsible for the mineralization of organic matter (OM), which has implications for carbon cycling. To...
Algae can be used in a variety of wastewater systems to capture nutrients while fixing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I conducted field trials at three locations in Oregon with both corn and potato crops to assess the agronomic value and environmental impact of using the resulting algal biomass as...