Marisa Schlieber

Assistant Research Professor

Marisa Schlieber is an assistant research professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, working within the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood. She is also associate director of the Administration for Children and Families-funded Center for Home-Based Child Care Research, which is supported by a multi-year grant focused on advancing research on HBCC supply and access and building research capacity in the field.

Schlieber is an interdisciplinary researcher with over a decade of experience conducting community-engaged and policy-relevant research focused on early care and education (ECE) and the ECE workforce. Her research focuses on how policies and systems support early educators and providers, with a focus on working conditions, well-being and home-based child care. She has extensive experience designing and leading evaluation and research studies in states and localities across the country, and she has partnered with early educators, providers, administrators and others in the ECE community. She is committed to bridging the gap between research, policy and practice.

Schlieber was previously a senior research and policy associate at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley, where she led studies examining early educator work environments in center- and home-based settings across the country. Before joining CSCCE, she was an assistant professor of psychology at Southern Utah University.

Schlieber holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Applied Cognition and Development from the University of Georgia.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Applied Cognition and Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2013
• M.A., Educational Psychology, Applied Cognition and Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2011
• B.A., Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA

Recent Professional Experience

• Assistant Research Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2026–present
• Associate Director, Center for Home-Based Child Care Research, 2024–present
• Assistant Research Professor, Erikson Institute, 2024–2026
• Senior Research and Policy Associate/Research and Policy Associate, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley, 2017–2024

Recent Grants

• Bromer, J. (PI), Hallam, R. (co-PI). Center for Home-Based Child Care Research. U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 2024–2029. ($5,000,000, role: Investigator)

Recent Professional Awards

• SPOT Award, University of California, Berkeley, 2024