Prospective Graduate Students
If you are interested in doctoral study with Dr. Jones Harden, please email her directly at bjharden@umd.edu.
Prospective Undergraduate Research Assistants
There are opportunities throughout the year for undergraduate students to join PEARL. Students can apply for course credit or assist on a volunteer basis. Valuable research experiences for graduate school include:
- Collecting data from children and families
- Coding of child behavior
- Recruiting children and teachers from daycares
- Data management and analysis
- Working in a developmental laboratory
- Working with families in the community
General qualifications include:
- Enjoy interacting with young children and their families
- Availability after 4 pm on weekdays, or on weekends
- Fluent Spanish and/or Amharic speakers preferred
- Have a car and are willing to drive to families’ homes and daycares (we DO reimburse for mileage)
How to apply: please send the following in one pdf file to Cassie Simons (csimons1@umd.edu)
- Resume or Curriculum Vita (CV).
- Half page (double-spaced) letter of interest describing the applicant’s related experiences, interest in the position, and future career aspirations.
- Names and contact information for 1-2 references (references can come from work or volunteer experience or academic advisors or instructors).
- An unofficial transcript for any undergraduate work completed.
Post Baccalaureate Research Assistants
We are currently hiring part-time and full-time post-baccalaureate research assistants to work in our lab.
General Responsibilities include:
- Conduct home visits to collect data on family characteristics and experiences
- Administer assessments to infants and toddlers in the home setting
- Recruiting families at child care centers in the DC area
- Building relationships with and interviewing child care staff
Data collection occurs in low-income communities of Washington DC. Given that the data collection occurs in families’ homes, ideally candidates will have access to a car. Home visits are scheduled at the times that work best for families. They are primarily conducted on weekday mornings, weekday evenings, and weekend mornings. RAs are expected to work 20-40 hours per week on a flexible schedule.
How to Apply: Please send the following in one pdf file to Cassie Simons (csimons1@umd.edu)
- Resume or Curriculum Vita (CV)
- Half page (double-spaced) letter of interest describing the applicant’s related experiences, interest in the position, and future career aspirations.
- Names and contact information for 1-2 references (references can come from work or volunteer experience or academic advisors or instructors).
- An unofficial transcript for any undergraduate or graduate work completed.
- For best consideration, please submit your application by December 15th, 2019.
Families Wishing to Participate in our Research
Parents currently enrolled in childcare programs participating in the Quality Improvement Network (QIN) may be eligible for participation in the Quality Improvement Network: Early Learning Project. Eligibility includes family receipt of voucher/tuition waiver, children 24 months and younger, and recent enrollment in QIN. To find out more, call us at 202-643-4106, or emails us at qinearlylearningproject@gmail.com.