Exploring Intergenerational Effects of Education: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding Parent’s Educational Pursuits and Their Young Children’s Development

Celia Gomez

In most child development research, parent education is measured at one point in time and is then assumed to be static across a child’s lifetime. Yet, it is increasingly the case that adults do not complete their own education before they have children, but continue their schooling while raising a family; in the 2011 over 25% of American undergraduates had at least one dependent child (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2014). It is critical to understand how these families fare when parents return to school. Through two related studies using quantitative and qualitative methods, and multiple datasets, my dissertation explores the relationship between changes in mothers’ educational attainment their children’s early childhood development.

About Celia Gomez

Celia J. Gomez is a doctoral candidate in Human Development and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on early childhood development, early child care and education and the general well-being of families with young children. She is particularly interested in studying how interventions and public policy can support and empower children and families from low-income, minority and under-served populations. Prior to starting graduate school, Celia was a member of a research team at the Education Development Center in Waltham, MA. Before that, she served as an intern in an early education center in Tuscany, Italy, while studying the Reggio Emilia early education philosophy. She holds an Ed.M from Harvard, and BAs in Psychology and African American Studies from Yale University.