As a Senior Research and Policy Associate, Anna’s research focuses on early care and education systems in California, including the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study and the California Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care Study. Anna began her career as an early childhood teacher and nonprofit program manager in Washington, DC. To better support students, parents, and fellow educators, she returned home to the Bay Area to study public policy, eventually coming to CSCCE after working in county offices of education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Princeton University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Anna is also a classically trained soprano and rock band vocalist.
Publications by Anna Powell
TK Teachers Speak: A View From the Classroom in Spring 2023
August 15, 2023 • Blog • By Anna Powell
Transitional kindergarten (TK) is growing into a universal early learning option for four-year-olds in California. During the 2022-2023 year, districts began adding new classrooms and new teachers in the first…
Why is Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment Lagging? A Look at Parent Survey Data
June 16, 2023 • Blog • By Anna Powell and Tobi Adejumo
California’s public schools have offered transitional kindergarten (TK), a school year for four-year-olds, for nearly 10 years. However, only children with birthdays shortly after the kindergarten cutoff were eligible during…
June 1, 2023 • Blog • By Anna Powell and Brandy Jones Lawrence
This month, Governor Newsom put forth his 2023-2024 May Revision for the state budget, which reflects a looming shortfall of $31.5 billion. Against this backdrop, California…
May 2, 2023 • Report • By Anna Powell, Tobi Adejumo, Lea J.E. Austin and Abby Copeman Petig
This is the first in a series of reports on the 2022 California Family, Friend, Neighbor (FFN), and Nanny Study. In this report, we discuss findings from a survey…
Family, Friend, Neighbor, and Nanny Care in California: A New Study
April 5, 2023 • Blog • By Anna Powell and Tobi Adejumo
Family, friend, neighbor (FFN), and nanny caregivers play an important role in the early care and education landscape, but they are sometimes overlooked or treated as a monolith in research…
February 8, 2023 • Brief • By Anna Powell, Elena Montoya, Lea J.E. Austin, Yoonjeon Kim, Wanzi Muruvi and Abby Copeman Petig
Drawing on findings from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this brief provides statewide data on teachers of preschool-age children. This brief explores the experiences of early…