Faculty Spotlight: Annemarie Hindman
Annemarie Hindman, associate professor of educational psychology and early childhood education continues to make a difference in early childhood education by partnering and collaborating with fellow educators in the College of Education and Human Development.
A native of Frederick, Maryland, Hindman earned a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University, as well as a master's degree in developmental psychology and a doctorate in education and psychology from the University of Michigan.
In her twelve years at the College of Education and Human Development, Hindman coordinates the Early and Elementary Teacher Education program (PreK-4th-grade certification). She studies how young children build foundational skills, including language, literacy, and social competence, throughout the first years of life and the transition to formal schooling. Much of her work focuses on communities in poverty, including participants in Head Start programs, a program that is very familiar to Hindman. Her career began as a Head Start counselor, a position that fueled her passion for education.
Hindman's work is characterized by three strands:
Professional development interventions: Hindman studies how to support practicing teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade as they teach children about vocabulary and other language skills. Much of this work is conducted with Barbara Wasik and Emily Snell.
Classroom-aligned family interventions: Because families are children's first and most enduring teachers, another strand of Hindman's research aims to help teachers and families forge meaningful connections that bridge the home-school gap and provide aligned, individualized learning experiences for young children.
Secondary data analysis: Hindman uses large-scale datasets, such as the Family and Child Experiences Survey, the Head Start Impact Study, and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth and Kindergarten cohorts, to understand the nature, variability, and predictors of early learning and development among young children growing up in poverty in the United States.
"Dr. Hindman is truly an asset to the College of Education and Human Development," said Gregory Anderson, dean of the College of Education and Human Development. "Her leadership and dedication for early childhood education are unmatched," added Anderson.
Hindman's most recent project is the Diversifying Early Education Leadership (DEEL) Fellowship. The College of Education and Human Development was awarded a Qualified Educators grant from the William Penn Foundation to establish a two-year DEEL fellowship program for emerging leaders of color in early childhood education. Fellows who complete the program will be poised to increase the diversity and effectiveness of early childhood education policy and practice in Philadelphia.
Another project that Hindman is proud of is The Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools Program (CCAMPIS), a grant-funded program through the United States Department of Education. The CCAMPIS program is run through the Family, School and Community Lab in the college. The project provides high-quality free daycare year-round for students that have children age five or younger. The program is currently recruiting its second round of undergraduate participants to provide free childcare, academic success workshops, peer networking opportunities and individualized support to the Philadelphia community.
When Hindman is not doing research, receiving new grants or in the classroom, she enjoys time with her husband, her six-year-old daughter and her rescue dog, Chewbacca. In addition to family time, Hindman enjoys her free time walking, cycling and in spin class.