Mar 16, 20232 min
Updated: Mar 24, 2023
Richman Lecture:
How Does Head Start Recruit and
Retain Families Experiencing Adversities?
April 26, 2023
5:00 - 6:30 PM ET
In-person and Virtual
CE Available!
“Dr. Nikki Aikens will be our first Richman Scholar-in-Residence during April of 2023. This position is funded through the Alison L. Richman Professorship for Children, Youth, and Families. Ms. Richman, MSW ’84 worked as an adoption specialist and served over a decade on the School’s Board of Advisors. Together with her family, they have created funds at the School to support innovation, student scholarships, and this Professorship.”
Instructor: Nikki Aikens, PhD
Nikki Aikens, a principal researcher at Mathematica, is an expert in early care and education (ECE) programs focused on young children and their families. She specializes in descriptive and evaluation studies in ECE settings, and has informed decisions regarding instrumentation, analysis, and reporting for national and local studies of Head Start, Early Head Start, and other child care settings. Her work also includes evaluations of place-based initiatives and studies focused on supports for systems change. She is interested in advancing equity in access, services, and outcomes in ECE programs, especially for children of color, dual language learners, and children from households experiencing poverty. Aikens, who joined Mathematica in 2006, holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.