September 22, 2021

Child Trends is pleased to announce that Dr. Tyreasa Washington will lead the organization’s child welfare program area. Dr. Washington will oversee a research agenda aimed at supporting children and families involved with, or at risk of entering, the child welfare system. Her primary research interest is kinship care families (e.g., grandparents raising grandchildren) and how resources and policies affect these families’ outcomes. Dr. Washington is one of the nation’s leading scholars who examine the social, academic, and behavioral outcomes of African American children who reside in kinship care.

“Kinship families are increasingly gaining attention in the field, but they still lack critical support from the government that would help these families better care for their children,” Dr. Washington said. “Part of the reason why I’m so excited to get started at Child Trends is because Child Trends is committed to sharing their research with policymakers to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.”

Dr. Washington has broad and deep experience in both academia and child welfare practice. She is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Additionally, she is a faculty affiliate to the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis and the founding director of the African American Families and Kinship Care Lab. Currently, Dr. Washington is the principal investigator on two studies funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She is also a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in child welfare and mental health settings.

“We are thrilled that Tyreasa has joined Child Trends,” said Child Trends President Carol Emig. “She is a distinguished researcher with extensive experience as a child welfare practitioner—the ideal combination for Child Trends’ applied research to protect and promote the well-being of children in and at risk of entering the child welfare system.”