Betsy Blackard is a PhD student in Positive Developmental Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. Originally hailing from Austin, Texas, she now lives in southern California with her boyfriend and their dog.
Betsy has been working with children for over 15 years, in various contexts and all age levels. She knew from an early age that she wanted to make a difference in the world and believes that the best way to make a long-term impact is through scaffolding the positive development of the next generation. In her PhD program, she studies families with young children and is fascinated by relationships and how they affect the well-being and life trajectory of those involved.
Working in the YDEval lab has allowed Betsy to use her natural curiosity, optimism, and love for children to help organizations whose work makes the lives of children better every day. Currently, she is assisting in an evaluation of a Southern California HeadStart chapter to help them gain proficiency in using their own data for continuous program improvement.
In addition to her research on families and work on youth development evaluations, Betsy writes blog posts for Language of Listening®, a parent training company that offers a revolutionary approach to deepening the connection between parent and child (and helping parents enjoy their kids more!). You can read blog posts written by her and others here: https://www.languageoflistening.com/category/blog/
Besides learning as much as possible about children and families and helping people have fulfilling relationships, Betsy loves to dance, read books, ride her bike, sleep in late, go to the beach, and spend time with her family, friends, and her boyfriend who is also a CGU evaluation student. Her perfect day would include a good book, good friends, good food, and a night spent laughing and playing games.