Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Conducting research and proposing policy solutions aimed at improving how our nation prepares, supports, and rewards the early care and education workforce since 1999.

Lea J.E. Austin

Lea has more than a decade of experience in early childhood workforce and professional development. She plays a leadership role in the research and policy work of CSCCE, with a particular interest in the status accorded educators and educational and professional pathways in early childhood education. Her interest in securing access and opportunities for early educators to leadership and decision-making roles in the field were spurred by her work with Mills College and First 5 Alameda County (California), where she developed leadership programs in higher education and community settings and implemented a professional development initiative focused on attainment of college education. Lea earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward, and a master’s degree and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Mills College.