Kelly Maxwell has over 30 years of experience in early childhood research and evaluation. Her work has focused on early childhood policy issues, child care licensing, evaluation of early childhood initiatives, quality improvement systems, kindergarten entry skills, use of administrative data, and translating research findings for state policymakers.

Kelly has successfully led multiple research projects with the federal government, state governments (e.g., North Carolina, Georgia), and foundations. Across these projects, Kelly works collaboratively with partners to conduct and use research to inform key decisions. She currently co-leads the federally-funded project, The Role of Licensing in Early Care and Education (TRLECE), working to improve the understanding of licensing for government leaders and administrators, licensing staff, child care and early education providers, and others. Prior to joining Child Trends in 2013, Kelly served as the Associate Director at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC-CH.