Gerilyn Slicker, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor of early childhood education in the Department of Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education. Slicker’s scholarship focuses on early childhood policy, with specific emphasis on investigating and evaluating the influence of federal, state, and local policies on children's equitable access to early care and education (ECE). Her research agenda also examines the impact of publicly funded ECE, including Head Start and state and local pre-K, on children’s development and how positive outcomes can be sustained during the kindergarten transition.

Slicker is engaged in in two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The first examines the influence of state-level child care subsidy policies on children’s equitable access to child care and early education, with a focus on groups of children that have historically lacked ECE access. The second examines the extent to which comprehensive services for infants, toddlers, and their families are available in Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. In addition, she is working with the Nevada Department of Education on several projects to support Nevada’s Preschool Development Grant (PDG) B-5 Renewal Grant, including initiatives to help expand access to child care and early education for Nevada’s children and to enhance supports for children and families as they transition into kindergarten.

Her work has been published in journals such as Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Children and Youth Services Review, Journal of Family Psychology, Early Education and Development, and Journal of Early Childhood Literacy.

Slicker was previously a preschool teacher, instructional coach, and administrator in early childhood programs in a variety of locations in the U.S., including Las Vegas.