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Eleanor D. Brown
Eleanor D. Brown is a clinical psychologist and an academic. She is a professor of psychology at West Chester University (WCU), where she directs the Early Childhood Cognition and Emotions Lab (ECCEL) and co-directs the Research on Equity via the Arts in Childhood (REACH) Lab.[1] Brown is most known for her research on children experiencing stress and trauma related to poverty and racism, as well as on arts-based interventions. Her work has emphasized the diversity among families facing adversity and identified ways to leverage family and community strengths to support children's well-being. She has collaborated with community partners, including Settlement Music School, to explore how music and the arts can promote equity.[2][3] Education and early careerBrown received her B.A. in Psychology with a Concentration in Education from Haverford College in May 2000. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Child Development and Children Facing Risk at the University of Delaware in August 2005.[4] Brown began her career in clinical work as a Child and Family Therapist at the Family Support Network at WCU and later as a Cognitive Therapist at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at UPenn. Since 2006, she has worked as an Early Childhood Consultant and Child and Family Therapist at ECCEL.[1] CareerBrown became a research fellow and later a consultant for Ronald Seifer's Early Childhood Research Center at Brown University Medical School (2004–2010). She has been the director of the ECCEL at WCU since 2005,[5] and the co-director of REACH since 2020.[6] Brown joined WCU as an assistant professor in 2005, became an associate professor in 2010, and has been a full professor since 2015.[1] From 2006 to 2012, she was the president of the Faculty Senate.[7] She co-founded and facilitated the WCU CARES (Campus Allies Regarding Emotions of Students) program from 2008 to 2012.[8] Brown was co-president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Psychology of Women from 2011 to 2021, and served on the Arts and Pre-K Advisory Committee for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (2016–2019).[9] ResearchBrown has studied children's development, poverty, racism, marginalized groups, and models of change, focusing on Head Start, arts, mindfulness, and anti-racism training. She partnered with Settlement Music School's Kaleidoscope Arts Enrichment Preschool, leading a series of studies on the impact of the arts,[2] with her research on arts and cortisol in economically disadvantaged children funded by the NEA Art Works Research grants program.[10] In 2010, her findings showed that children in arts classes achieved significantly higher gains in receptive vocabulary—a key predictor of school success—compared to peers at a nearby preschool.[11] Subsequent research in 2013 revealed that Kaleidoscope students experienced 60% more positive emotions during arts activities than those in traditional classrooms, along with improved emotional regulation.[12] In 2017, participation in arts classes was linked to reduced cortisol levels in economically disadvantaged children, indicating lower stress.[13] Furthermore, in 2018, her work confirmed that Kaleidoscope students demonstrated greater school readiness than those in a non-arts-integrated Head Start program, underscoring the potential of arts integration to enhance educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.[14] Brown's investigation found that daily poverty-related stress is associated with negative parent mood, varying with the presence of a stable partner, underscoring the importance of social support in low-income families.[15] Another study linked this stress to parental coping strategies and learned helplessness in young children attending Head Start, highlighting how parental coping can mitigate the negative developmental impacts of poverty.[16] Her research has indicated that elevated cortisol levels during preschool are related to executive functioning difficulties in children facing poverty-related stress, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.[17] Another study suggested that more playtime and sleep time are linked to lower stress levels for children attending Head Start preschool, suggesting ways parents; may promote their children's well-being.[18] Her work on the relationship between emotional intelligence and stress regulation in preschoolers demonstrated that improving emotional knowledge could help lower stress hormone levels.[19][20] She also examined the role of arts education in fostering emotional growth, reducing stress, and enhancing social skills, particularly for children facing economic hardship.[21][22] Brown's research has been featured in media outlets such as Pacific Standard,[23][24][25] ScienceDaily,[26] and PsyPost.[27][28] Selected articles
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