معرفی
Rick Fiene is a Senior Research Psychologist with over 40 years of experience in prevention research, focusing on childcare policy, childcare quality, and human services regulatory administration. He is affiliated with the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) through the Prevention Research Center and serves as President/Senior Research Psychologist for the Research Institute for Key Indicators. His career has been dedicated to improving childcare licensing systems and developing evidence-based interventions for early childhood programs.
- Focus Areas: Developing and Testing Innovative Interventions, Implementing and Evaluating Evidence-Based Programs
- Developmental Periods: Neonatal/Infancy, Early Childhood
Rick’s research has produced over 60 peer-reviewed publications, including groundbreaking work on regulatory compliance theory, herding behavior in toddlers, mathematical models for adult-child ratio compliance, and solutions to the childcare 'trilemma' (quality, affordability, accessibility). He pioneered validation frameworks for early childhood licensing systems and advanced statistical techniques for analyzing skewed data in human services.
He has led major projects such as the Pennsylvania Early Childhood Quality Study, Keystone STARS, Head Start Key Indicator System, and the iLookOut Child Abuse Prevention Program. His contributions extend to national childcare standards for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the development of Caring for Our Children Basics.
- Awards: National Association for Regulatory Administration President’s Award, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children’s Distinguished Career Voice for Children Award
- Contact: Fiene@psu.edu | 717-598-8908
- Labs: Research Institute for Key Indicators
