Aida Pacheco-Applegate is a social policy scholar whose research focuses on early childhood education policy, child care systems, and workforce development, examining how public investments shape the stability, quality, and accessibility of early care and education markets. Using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, including administrative data analysis, program evaluation, and data visualization, her research examines how policy decisions translate into real-world outcomes across the early childhood education ecosystem. Pacheco-Applegate’s dissertation investigates how private early childhood education providers in Chicago respond to two major policy initiatives: the city’s preschool expansion and the Illinois Smart Start Workforce Grants, a statewide wage-enhancement program.  Her broader research agenda examines teacher retention and equity in early childhood education. Current work explores determinants of teacher retention using a nationally representative dataset and reviews evidence on how children’s gender and racial and ethnic identities shape teachers’ perceptions of disruptive behavior and disciplinary practices.