Ashley E. Shafer, Ph.D. (she/hers) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development. Her work focuses on improving early childhood experiences by creating Early Relational Health informed contexts that support child and family well-being. She specializes in workforce well-being, family engagement, and integrating research into practice to strengthen early childhood systems. Ashley’s research emphasizes relationship-based professional development, culturally responsive practices, and program evaluation to ensure early childhood professionals and families receive the support they need to thrive. She is passionate about bridging research and practice, especially through projects grounded in strong relationships and responsive to the lived realities of families and front-line staff. She is particularly interested in using data to inform inclusive decision-making, strengthen workforce well-being, and enhance program quality for communities facing systemic barriers.
Wilcox, M. M., Bañales, J., Shafer, A. E., Meinerding, M., Pollard, E., Borel, C. M. (2024). Critical whiteness approach to Reflexive Thematic Analysis: Methods to examine and critique white antiracism. Manuscript in preparation.
Thistle, E. I., Shafer, A. E., Chaudhari, A., & Thomas,. T. (2025). “Anything would be easier than what we're doing right now.”: Early Head Start Home Visitors’ experiences working through an environmental crisis. Manuscript submitted.
Wanless, S. B., Shafer, A. E., & Grant-Presser, A. S. (2022, July/August). Social justice learning for early childhood educators. Exchange, 266, 24-28.
King, C., Sabo, V., Hopper, L., & Shafer, A.E. (2025, October). B.R.A.V.E.: A Community-Based Approach to Healing, Connection, and Empowerment in Early Head Start. Poster to be presented at the Society for the Study of Human Development Conference, Lexington, KY.
*Shafer, A.E., Kubant Nee, K., & Sarneso, D. (2025, June). Rooted in Relationships: Cultivating Strong Early Head Start Home Visiting Practices. Workshop presented at the Pennsylvania Head Start Association’s Conference.
Shafer, A.E. (2025, June). Associations Between Child Development, Neighborhood Influence and Demographic Characteristics in EHS Enrollment. Project presented at the Home Visiting Applied Research Collaboration Early Career Scholars Meeting, Baltimore, MD.
Shafer, A.E. & McCord, K. (2024, January). Supporting Home Visitors Infant Mental Health Knowledge Through Professional Collaboration. Poster presented at the Start Early, National Home Visiting Summit, Washington, D.C.
