Jada Walker, MEd, is a project coordinator at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). As part of our FPG profile series, we recently spoke with Walker to learn more about her work at FPG. Here’s what she had to say.

Tell us a bit about your professional journey―and what brought you to FPG?

I studied psychology and counseling at the University of Alabama (UAB). As a student, I began to work in research in the psychology department. And essentially, I never left the field. After managing projects in non-profit settings at UAB and the University of Arkansas for Medical Science’s College of Public Health, I settled in Chapel Hill in 2013. My previous projects were focused on the intersection of health and education in some way, so FPG was a natural fit for me. I came to FPG as a project coordinator in 2019, after working for several years at the UNC Sheps Center and the UNC Injury Prevention Center.

What do you do at FPG—describe your job, walk us through a typical day, and tell us about the projects you're currently working on.

I work with Sandra Soliday Hong, PhD, in early care and education/Pre-K research. At any time, we have several grants or contracts underway. These are primarily in North Carolina and Georgia, but some are also in partnership with entities in other states. I manage budgets, timelines, staffing, data activities, reports, and products for dissemination of findings for Hong and her investigators.

We are now planning with our state partner at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to evaluate their GA Rising Kindergarten Summer Transition Program in 2025. This is a summer program that helps children and their parents prepare to enter kindergarten, and will include classroom observation and qualitative data collection. In fact, reports from our most recent Georgia studies will be posted soon on the FPG website.

We recently completed research projects with the NCDHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), which focused on family child care homes and wrapped up a pre-K landscape/ teacher professional development analysis. Also, we have an on-going policy collaboration in which our team produces topical policy white papers and explores gaps in policy and professional development needs for early care and education in North Carolina.

What do you like most about your job?

I like that it is varied! Every day my task list contains a dozen wildly different activities. I could never get bored. I love that I have the opportunity to build relationships with many wonderful people―within and outside of FPG. Most especially the team I work on; is a privilege to work with such talent and heart―particularly Sandy Hong.

What do you find most challenging about your work?

There are not enough hours in a day. There’s so much need and so many opportunities for research and data to inform policy and planning when it comes to classrooms and support for teachers and children.

How does your work further the mission of FPG?

Our work in early care and education/pre-K research and evaluation brings together so many threads of evidence-based practice, classroom, program, and policy considerations to help improve the educational experiences of young children. I like knowing that I support that.

What do you hope to have accomplished five years from now?

I hope that the information gleaned from our studies has a real-world impact in state programs for early care and education. And I hope that some of my FPG colleagues will occasionally remember that I taught them a management strategy, or how to complete IRB forms, or find a system that I documented still useful.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your work/working at FPG?

There’s a quote that has been in my office for years by Kahlil Gibran, who said, “Work is Love Made Visible.” Each bit of work, to me, is a tiny step for the betterment of us all. I’m glad I have the opportunity to be at FPG where we hold this vocation and value.