Juliet Bromer

Research Professor

Juliet Bromer is a 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 director of the UD Home-based Child Care Research Initiative and the Administration for Children and Families-funded Center for Home-Based Child Care Research, which is is supported by a multi-year grant focused on advancing research on HBCC supply and access and building research capacity in the field.

Bromer is a nationally recognized expert on home-based child care (HBCC) whose research has advanced understanding of the supply, quality and support systems that sustain HBCC across the United States. For more than two decades, she has partnered with federal, state and local policymakers, administrators, practitioners and researchers to conduct policy-relevant, action-oriented research and translate findings into practice.

Her work examines the programs, policies and systems that support the HBCC sector, including family child care and family, friend and neighbor care, with particular attention to providers, families and children living in historically underserved communities. She has extensive expertise using qualitative and community-based participatory research methods and deep knowledge of the policy and regulatory environments that shape HBCC, including child care subsidy programs, quality rating and improvement systems, accreditation and licensing. More recently, her work has expanded to international contexts, including a collaboration on a forthcoming handbook on home-based child care.

Bromer’s current portfolio includes multiple national and state studies examining HBCC quality, supply, nontraditional-hour child care, state prekindergarten systems and community-based infrastructure that supports HBCC. In addition to leading research projects, she provides evaluation, technical assistance and capacity-building support to state and local organizations working to strengthen the HBCC sector nationwide.

Bromer received an M.S.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education and a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Human Development, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2006
• M.S.Ed., Early Childhood Education, Bank Street College of Education, New York City, NY, 1993
• B.A., English Literature, Columbia College, Columbia University, New York City, NY, 1989

Recent Professional Experience

• Research Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2026–present
• Director, Home-Based Child Care Research Initiative, Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2026–present
• Director, Center for Home-Based Child Care Research, 2024–present
•  Research Professor, Erikson Institute, 2022–2026
• Research Scientist and Teaching Affiliate, Herr Research Center, Erikson Institute, 2007–2021

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)
• Bromer, J. (PI). Planning for a Provider-informed Home-based Child Care Research Initiative. W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 2026–2027. ($200,000)
• Bromer, J. (PI). Evaluation of Michigan’s Family Child Care Networks Initiative. Early Childhood Investment Corporation, 2024–2029. (Up to $500,000 over 5 years)
• Bromer, J. (PI). Evaluation Partner with Home Grown: Building Sustainable Home-based Child Care Networks. Home Grown Funders Collaborative, 2021–2026. ($800,000)

Recent Professional Awards

• National Association for Family Child Care Friend of Family Child Care Award, 2026
• National Association for Family Child Care Friend of Family Child Care Award, 2018