Dr. Jessica Miguel is a Senior Researcher at UNM’s Cradle to Career Policy Institute. She researches early childhood environments with an emphasis on culture, language, and dis/abilities. Prior to her role at UNM, Dr. Miguel was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Erikson Institute, supporting research on home-based child care. She received her Ph.D. in Education from UC San Diego, M.A. in Multilingual and Multicultural Education from CSU Fresno, and B.A. in International Development from UC Los Angeles. Dr. Miguel also brings to her research agenda over 10 years of classroom experience as a teacher and paraeducator.