Pia Caronongan is a Research Associate Professor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and a faculty affiliate of the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC). Her work focuses on the early childhood workforce — what it costs to build and sustain it, how states can support educators, and how data systems can help policymakers make better decisions. Highlights of her research are described on the Research page. 

Drawing on experience in academia, government-sponsored research, and direct partnerships with policymakers, Dr. Caronongan studies how early childhood systems can better support educators, families, and children. Before joining BU, she spent 15 years at Mathematica, where she led major federal and state research initiatives on early care and education access and quality. She also served as Mathematica's Deputy Director for Early Childhood, helping shape the organization's early childhood research agenda and cultivate partnerships across the field. Her current work includes leading a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care to better understand and strengthen the state's early childhood workforce through integrated data and policy analysis. Her full CV is available here.