Position Title: Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education
Contact Information Autherine Lucy Hall 230F, alhooper2@ua.edu; 205-348-0303
Education
Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies, University of Delaware
M.S., Human Development and Family Studies, University of Delaware
B.S., Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education, Grove City College
Awards and Honors
- 2023 The University of Alabama Council on Community-Based Partnerships Excellence in Community-Engaged Scholarship Award for Engaged Scholarship
- 2021 NAECTE Early Career Research Award, National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators
- 2021 Early Education and Child Development SIG Early Career Research Award, American Educational Research Association
- 2021 The University of Alabama College of Education Nellie Rose McCrory Faculty Excellence Award in Research
Areas of Expertise
- Early childhood education
- Child care access and quality
- Home-based child care
- Early education policy
- Educator well-being
Current Research and Grant Projects
Everyday Quality: Building a Practical Toolkit for Continuous Quality Improvement in Family Child Care
Understanding Provider, Community, and Policy-Level Influences on Subsidy Program Participation among Home-Based Child Care Providers
A Pilot Effectiveness Trial of an Adapted App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Pre-Service Teachers
Project CHAOS (Cardiovascular Health and Occupational Stressors): Expanding the Study of Teacher Well-Being to Physiological Health
Highlighted Publications and Grants
“Everyday Quality (EDQ): Building a Practical Toolkit for Continuous Quality Improvement in Family Child Care.” Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. ($1,600,000) 2022-2026
Hooper, A., Lee, J., & Schweiker, C. (2023). Family child care program closure in Alabama during the COVID-19 pandemic. AERA Open, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584231213083
Hooper, A., Potts, C., & Walton, M. (2023). Novice early childhood teachers’ perceptions of their professional development experiences: An interpretive phenomenological approach. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 44(3), 310-329. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2043495
Hooper, A., Hallam, R., & Skrobot, C. (2021). “Our quality is a little bit different”: How family child care providers who participate in a QRIS and receive child care subsidy define quality. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 22(1), 76-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949119858985
Hooper, A., & Schweiker, C. (2020). Prevalence and predictors of expulsion in home-based child care settings. Infant Mental Health Journal, 41(3), 411-425. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21845
Brief Biography
Dr. Alison Hooper is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Delaware. Alison previously worked as a research project coordinator with the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood and as a kindergarten and preschool classroom teacher. She conducts research and evaluation related to child care quality and access and educator well-being.