Research Coordinator, Connecticut Project

Department

BSD SUR - OHNS: Thirty Million Words

About the Department

The TMW Center develops, tests, and implements evidence-based interventions designed to promote very young children’s cognitive and social-emotional development, with a priority placed on that of children living in poverty. TMW Center interventions are designed to be overlaid onto existing health, education, and social service systems working at scale in a given community in order to meet families where they already are. The TMW Center has a robust research and development strategy that includes further development and testing of TMW interventions; harnessing technology to support behavior change, intervention engagement, and analysis; and furthering strategies to engage adult caregivers (parents, early educators and others) in the TMW Center’s interventions across the health, early learning, and social service sectors.

The TMW Center is partnering with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to conduct multi-year field research in Connecticut infant and toddler child care settings. The research will use a novel technology to support teachers and demonstrate how teachers’ language inputs in birth-to-3 child care settings lead to positive child outcomes. Early pilots will generate learnings and inform a classroom implementation and professional development model. A subsequent randomized controlled trial will test whether the new professional development model positively impacts teacher knowledge and behavior, leads to more language interactions between teachers and children, improves job satisfaction and drives positive child outcomes.

Job Summary

This role will be based in Connecticut, with frequent travel throughout the state. The Research Coordinator will report to the Lead Research Coordinator and shall provide on-the-ground coordination, implementation, and research support. The Research Coordinator will work closely with Connecticut-based infant and toddler childcare providers and TMW Center research and curriculum staff, including one or more other CT-based Research Coordinators. The Research Coordinator shall be responsible for recruiting and consenting study participants, providing regular implementation and technical support to study participants, data collection (including administering assessments with children enrolled in the study), and operational and logistical coordination of various study activities.

As a primary on-the-ground point of contacts for study participants, the Research Coordinator shall build positive relationships with childcare centers, classroom teachers, families and OEC staff to ensure strong communication and a successful research partnership with the TMW Center.

Significant in-state field work consisting primarily of regular site visits to child care providers and study participants will be required. Typically, other work will be completed from home. At times almost 90% of time may be spent working in the field. Site visits will be required at varying times across child care center operating hours, approximately 7:30am to 5:30pm. Additionally, some evening or weekend hours will be required to facilitate participant consent sessions or other activities. Sites will be located throughout the state

The duration of this project-based role will be approximately 12-15 months and is expected to end in approximately August 2026.

Responsibilities

Participant Outreach & Recruitment:

• Serves as a primary point of contact for current research study participants. Maintains regular contact with study participants, updating them on study progress and ensuring that their contact information is updated. Maintains records of all communication efforts.

• Partners with TMW Center staff members and other stakeholders in pursuing new participants to ensure study has adequate amount of participants. 

• Obtains and maintains consents for program participants in accordance with IRB protocol and TMW research standards. Ensures ongoing and new research subjects are onboarded properly and promptly.

• Regularly reports updates on participant recruitment, study progress, and study completion to relevant parties.

• Supports other aspects of outreach, recruitment, consent, data collection and support as requested.

Implementation & Participant Support:

• Provides implementation support, coaching, and training to study participants, ensuring that study activities are delivered with fidelity and that technical support is available promptly. ​

• Visits study sites across Connecticut for routine and as-needed in-person observation activities and support.

• Provides technical assistance, troubleshooting and on-call technical and implementation support to study participa