The EARLY Lab is housed within the Early Learning Center at Auburn University. This location supports everyday observation and interaction with young children and their families, as well as the teaching team of the ELC. New research ideas emerge simply from our proximity to classrooms for toddlers and preschoolers. The work of The EARLY Lab centers on early childhood relational health, including shared book reading as a tool for promoting early literacy and caregiver-child relationships, and identification of processes that support family and child well-being from birth to 5 years of age.

As the coordinator of The EARLY Lab, Dr. Frosch’s goal is to create and maintain an active and engaged learning community in which students and families feel welcomed, valued, seen, and heard. This goal is achieved through intentional inclusion of research and practice readings related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as EARLY Lab members’ shared engagement in trainings, webinars, and challenging conversations with other faculty, students, and community members about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Students who work in The EARLY Lab have strong and diverse interests in early childhood relational health, parenting/caregiving, family relationships, and early childhood workforce development. However, there are some base assumptions regarding incoming students.

  Doctoral students: Many students admitted into the doctorate program will be working towards a career as an academic (i.e., professor) at a
  research-oriented university; other students have clear policy and practice career goals. Because Dr. Frosch’s research agenda includes both basic
  and applied research projects, The EARLY Lab is suitable for students with diverse career goals. Students should communicate their career goals
  to Dr. Frosch throughout their graduate training, as their goals may shift and change over time. Regular communication will help to ensure that Dr.
  Frosch provides relevant and meaningful suggestions regarding coursework, research, teaching, and outreach opportunities that will best prepare
  students to pursue their career goals.

  MFT/HDFS masters students: Students working with Dr. Frosch on a master’s thesis have basic and applied research interests. Master’s degree
  students will have a strong translational science lens and are interested in sharing their research findings with diverse audiences – whether in a
  clinic setting, the public library, or via home visiting and family education efforts.

  Undergraduate students: Undergraduate students who work in The EARLY Lab have a passion for working with young children and families. Many,   but not all, students who work in the lab plan to apply to graduate school. Students who work in the lab will assist with data collection and data
  management, behavioral coding projects, preparation of project materials, and communication with families and community partners. Working in
  the lab can provide a wonderful opportunity to develop the skills needed to be admitted to graduate programs (and enables Dr. Frosch to get to
  know students beyond the classroom; this helps when writing letters of recommendation).

The EARLY Lab is best suited for students who wish to develop competency in translational human science research. Students are invited to co-author and serve as lead author on collaborative papers and present their work at professional conferences. Students are expected to attend all lab meetings and represent The EARLY Lab with professionalism and integrity within the community. This is important because The EARLY Lab interfaces with early childhood learning environments and pediatric primary care environments.

Together, members of The EARLY Lab are expected to:

1. be curious, creative, and culturally humble. Working with young children and their families requires curiosity, creativity, and cultural humility, as does making research findings accessible to diverse audiences, including educators, clinical providers, and families. Members of The EARLY lab have a willingness to learn from the experiences and voices of others and approach their coursework, research, teaching, and outreach efforts with cultural humility.


2. commit to reflective practice. The EARLY Lab is a place to learn, reflect and discover. EARLY members are expected to engage in regular reflective practice to explore their beliefs, biases, and expectations for self and others. Dr. Frosch believes that our developmental histories shape our experiences as students, relational partners, and professionals. As such, Dr. Frosch encourages students to actively pursue activities and experiences that deepen their well-being and capacity to be present to themselves and others.


3. see writing as a continual improvement process. Dr. Frosch emphasizes documentation of source material, formatting, and quality of writing. She regularly writes, rewrites, puts away, takes back out, rewrites, rewrites, and solicits feedback on her own writing. Some writing projects are relatively straightforward, and others are deeper conceptual and methodological pieces that take a much longer time to “get right” prior to submission for publication or dissemination.

The fit between student and faculty mentor is critical for success. Students who thrive in The EARLY Lab are:

1. self-directed. Students are expected to drive their progress in the program. This includes learning about policies, practices, and expectations, sending calendar invitations and zoom links for meetings, and working diligently to stay on-track for their target graduation timeline.


2. collaborative. Being a part of a team is critical for success as a researcher, educator, and practitioner. EARLY students are expected to be engaged in productive, respectful collaborations with faculty and students. This includes attending lab meetings, providing and receiving feedback, contributing to coauthored publications, and valuing others’ contributions to our work.


3. willing to take advantage of faculty expertise in the HDFS department. Students often work with other faculty and seek consultation when conducting their research. The faculty in our department have expertise and skills that are complementary to Dr. Frosch’s, and students are encouraged to learn and grow alongside others’ expertise within the department.

No one mentor can meet students’ needs, and Dr. Frosch strives to be open and transparent about her strengths and growth areas as a mentor. In The EARLY Lab, you can expect Dr. Frosch to:

1. work with students to find their own niche within The EARLY lab. Student-driven learning is a core value of Dr. Frosch’s approach to mentoring. Dr. Frosch will, to the maximum extent possible, work with students to pursue their unique research interests within the context of The EARLY Lab.


2. provide timely feedback and communication. Emails are typically responded to within 24 hours, except on weekends. If a timely response is not received, students should email Dr. Frosch a reminder to respond.


3. be on-time-ish. Dr. Frosch rarely misses a meeting yet may be 5-ish minutes late at times. Students are asked to set up Outlook calendar invitations and Zoom links for meetings and be tolerant (within 5 minutes) of later start times.


4. map, draw, and brainstorm ideas with students. Dr. Frosch relies heavily on glassboards for developing, describing, refining, and actualizing various research projects. Expect to engage in a variety of mapping, construction, and flow activities.


5. expand students’ networks. Dr. Frosch enjoys productive and rewarding relationships with a variety of researchers, practitioners, and community organizations. Connecting students with a network of supports is a mentoring priority.