Founder and Lab Director

Dr. Timmons is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Faculty of Education, Queen's University. She completed her MA in Child Study and Education at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, and her PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (UofT). A Registered Early Childhood Educator and Ontario Certified Teacher, her teaching experience spans the early years, elementary, undergraduate, and graduate levels.

Dr. Timmons' research examines how educators shape young children's learning, and how policies and programs can be strengthened to improve outcomes for children who are historically and continuously marginalized. Her earlier work established how educator expectations influence children's self-regulation and early learning in kindergarten. Her current research extends into early literacy and into intervention, developing and testing professional learning that prepares early childhood educators to foster the foundational skills children need before school begins. She conducts research with children, families, and pre- and in-service educators, works closely with graduate students at every stage of the research process, and partners with community organizations and provincial ministries.

Dr. Timmons is a Director of the Assessment and Evaluation Centre in Education (AECE) at Queen's University, where faculty members and graduate students engage in independent and collaborative research, program reviews, and consulting.

Research Manager and PhD Student

Cheryl is a PhD of Education student at Queen's University focusing on the experiences of educators in the early childhood education and care sector. Her master's study explored the implementation and impacts of the Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care (CWELCC) program for Ontario childcare operators and was supported by the 2023 SSHRC CGS-M. Her research interests include early childhood education, education accessibility, inclusivity practices, GenAI and education, at-risk youth and children, critical disability studies, and evaluation and community engagement. Currently, she works on various projects with focuses on decolonial evaluation learning, technology and food security, teacher expectations in the early years, AI accessibility and comfort, and disability justice.

Master’s Student

Ashley Garlick is a Master’s student at Queen’s University researching the social and systemic influences on feeding practices and mealtime routines in Ontario’s Full‑Day Kindergarten program. She earned a B.A. in Early Childhood Studies with a minor in Family Supports and Community Practice from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023. She has fifteen years’ experience as a Registered Early Childhood Educator in childcare and school settings, and currently teaches at the post‑secondary level. Her research interests include how social determinants of health shape early childhood environments, advancing inclusion in early childhood through a critical disability studies lens, and the policy implications of fostering responsive relationships between educators, children, and families that honour diverse perspectives and lived experiences. 

Research Fellow and Project Lead

Dr. Heather Braund’s research focuses on cognition, assessment, and simulation. Currently, she is the Associate Director, Scholarship and Simulation Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University. She has experience with quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods research, and program evaluation. Generally, her research utilizes a mixed methods approach and she strives to build capacity in collaborative research teams involving students and faculty. Her mixed methods SSHRC funded doctoral research explored the relationship between classroom assessment, student self-regulation, and student metacognition in Kindergarten classrooms. Her SSHRC funded M.Ed research focused on understanding metacognition within elementary science contexts. She graduated with her Bachelor of Education from Queen's and is OCT certified to teach Primary and Junior students. She also holds a Honours Bachelor of Science from Trent University in Psychology and Biology.

PhD Candidate

Jianing Lv is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. She completed her Honours B.Sc. in psychology and her M. Ed. in developmental psychology at the University of Toronto. Her Master’s research explored the effect of self-regulated learning on reading comprehension through automated diagnostic feedback and mediation. Jianing has worked as an instructor therapist and neurofeedback therapist with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Her research focuses on students with exceptionalities as well as English language learners in play-based kindergarten classrooms, and how kindergarten teachers can support the language development of these students.

PhD Candidate

Andrea Hill is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University, where she earned her MEd in 2023 and Bachelor of Education in 2020. Andrea is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. In 2018-2019, Andrea created and implemented a "playschool" program for children ages 1-5. At this time, Andrea also facilitated a drop-in program that was mainly attended by at-risk youth in grades 6-12. During her B.Ed, Andrea completed a practicum as a Teacher Candidate with Correctional Services of Canada. These experiences incited an interest in research involving at-risk students, trauma-informed pedagogy, self-regulation, and the K-12 educational experiences of formerly incarcerated women. Andrea holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Western University in 2018.

PhD Student

Maryna Stoliar completed her Bachelor of Primary Education at Drahomanov National Pedagogical University and a Master of Education Institution Management at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2022, Maryna joined the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University as a Visiting Research Student under the supervision of Dr. Kristy Timmons.

Maryna began her doctoral studies in the fall of 2023. Her research interests focus on early childhood education and play. Specifically, she is interested in early childhood teachers' professional training, educational environment, and play-based learning. Maryna has broad professional experience as an educational consultant with the MoE of Ukraine, UNICEF, and Sesame Workshop.