Policy Associate; Chicago, IL

Leads qualitative data collection and community engagement efforts for state education agencies and early childhood agencies.

Kristen, a Policy Associate at Afton, focuses on centering equity through community engagement to ensure historically underserved communities can inform ECE policies and initiatives that impact them the most. Kristen’s experience spans the non-profit and private sectors in early childhood education and care. Kristen has led and co-designed several research engagements, advisory groups, and facilitations on behalf of ECE state agencies that invest in improving the workforce and increasing equitable access to high-quality child care and services. Kristen brings a strong blend of interpersonal skills, qualitative analytics, and strategic thinking to a team focused on addressing the ECE sector’s most complex challenges. 

Kristen’s impact includes:

• Engaging almost 1,000 early care and education stakeholders, including Spanish-speaking family child care providers, Early Intervention providers and providers in least underserved areas in virtual and in-person focus groups to gather feedback on issues such as the true costs of care for services and experiences navigating current funding streams and quality supports resources. 
• Enhancing client understanding and responsiveness of provider and family priorities to inform a state’s ECE funding allocations. 
• Developing frameworks that strengthen Afton’s ability to lead high-scale projects through a racial-equity centered lens. 

Before her role at Afton, Kristen was a project manager for the Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3) team within Illinois Action for Children’s Community Impact department. She earned a BA with distinction in psychology and is a 2023 Chicago United for Equity (CUE) fellowship alumnae. When she’s not at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her fur-baby, Sigmund (“Siggy”), painting, and reading. Her guilty pleasures include watching reality shows and true-crime documentaries.