Karen Ruprecht is the Content Developer for the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning at Child Care Aware® of America. She works with the National Center and throughout the organization to help distill research into practice and policy. She has worked in the field of early care and education for 15 years as both a researcher and practitioner. Her previous experience includes conducting regional and statewide evaluations on Indiana’s QRIS and state-funded pre-k programs with Purdue University. She has also worked with a statewide early care and education organization to advance policy on pre-k expansion and worked directly with child care centers to implement curriculum through an embedded coaching model. She has led statewide workgroups on QRIS revision and co-chaired a workgroup on child and family outcomes for Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Council. Her research interests have focused on quality child care practices such as continuity of care and primary caregiving for infants and toddlers. She earned her PhD from Purdue University in child development and family studies and a master’s degree in public administration from St. Louis University.