Cynthia F. DiCarlo
Diane Toups Goyette Professor in Early Childhood Education
Executive Director | Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool
Executive Director | LSU Early Childhood Education Institute
Contact
cdicar2@lsu.edu
236 Peabody Hall
225-578-7005
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Bachelor's Degree: Sociology, University of New Orleans, 1992
Master's Degree: Early Childhood Special Education, University of New Orleans, 1995
PhD: Special Education with a concentration in Early Intervention, University of New Orleans,
2004
Other: National Board Certification, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Exceptional
Needs Specialist, 2004
Cynthia Fontcuberta DiCarlo, PhD, is the Diane Toups Goyette Professor in Early Childhood Education at Louisiana State University and Executive Director of the Early Childhood Education Institute (ECEI), a research-to-practice hub dedicated to improving outcomes for young children, families, and educators. She also serves as Executive Director of the Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children (LAAEYC), Louisiana's affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which is housed within ECEI. Under her leadership, ECEI supports statewide workforce development initiatives, including the Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC), publishes the LAAEYC Blog, and serves as home to SPARK!, a peer-reviewed research-to-practice journal for early childhood educators.
In addition to her leadership roles, Dr. DiCarlo serves as Coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Teacher Education Program at LSU. She led the development of the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, a research and model demonstration site established to support innovation in early childhood education, teacher preparation, and applied research. A nationally recognized scholar, teacher educator, and advocate, Dr. DiCarlo has received the NAECTE Established Career Research Award, Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator Award, and Advocacy Award, and has mentored more than 100 undergraduate and graduate student researchers.
Prior to joining LSU in 2004, Dr. DiCarlo was a Clinical Assistant Professor at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where her work focused on early intervention and services for young children with disabilities and their families. Her research centers on evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for young children, with particular emphasis on early intervention, inclusive education, teacher preparation, and the translation of research into practice. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, secured external funding to support research and outreach initiatives, and is committed to mentoring future scholars and practitioners.
Dr. DiCarlo currently serves on the editorial boards of Infants & Young Children, Journal of Teacher Action Research, and Beyond Behavior.
DiCarlo, C., Baumgartner, J., Ota, C., Deris, A., & Brooksher, M.(2020). Recommended practice in whole-group instruction: Increasing child attention. Child & Family Behavior Therapy. DOI: 10.1080/00168890.2020.1848407
DiCarlo, C. & Brunson, M.F. (2020). Navigating quarantine with young children. Child Care Exchange, 225. https://www.childcareexchange.com/article/navigating-quarantine-with-young-children/5025564/
Deris, A., DiCarlo, C., Wagner, D., & Krick-Oborn, K. (2020). Using environmental modification and teacher mediation to increase literacy behaviors in inclusive preschool settings. Infants & Young Children, 33(4) 283-299.
DiCarlo, C., Meaux, A., & LaBiche - Hebert, E. (2019). The impact of mindfulness practices on classroom climate and perceived teacher stress. Early Childhood Education Journal. doi:10.1007/s10643-019-01015-6
Baumgartner, J., DiCarlo, C.F., & Casbergue, R. (2019). Service-learning in early childhood education: The Intersection of modeling developmentally appropriate teacher education & the P.A.R.E. model. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2019.1570400
Grantham-Caston, M. & DiCarlo, C. (2019). The impact of video self-reflection on teacher practice. National Head Start Association Dialog, 22(2), 61-75.
Grantham-Caston, M. & DiCarlo, C. (2019). Lights! Camera! Action! Improving your teaching through video self-reflection. Young Children, 74(4).
DiCarlo, C. & Ota, C. (2017). Advocacy in early childhood teacher preparation (Chapter 5). In Advocacy in Academia and the Role of Teacher Preparation Programs (Thomas, U. Ed). IGI Global.
(Student names are underlined.)
Lee, L. & DiCarlo, C. (2021). Early Childhood Curriculum & Children’s Brain Development. Belizean International Symposium on Education. Virtual conference.
DiCarlo, C. & Meaux, A. (2019). Using Mindfulness to Reduce Teacher Stress. National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, Nashville, TN.
Deris, A., DiCarlo, C., Beavers, E.A., & Purcell, M.(2019) Unlocking the DEC Recommended Practices. Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Bankston, J., & DiCarlo, C. (2019). Integrating research into your teaching: Undergraduates as researchers. MidSouth Education Research Association Conference, New Orleans, LA.
DiCarlo, C., Grantham-Caston, M., & Bankston, J. (2019). Understanding the Communicative Function of Problem Behavior. Texas Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference, Frisco, TX.
Sulentic Dowell, M.M., Wheeler, S., & DiCarlo, C. (2019). Quality mentor training: Preparing the under-prepared for year-long student teaching. Mentoring Institute Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Grantham-Caston, M. & DiCarlo, C.F. (2019). Lights! Camera! Action! Using video self-reflection to improve your practice. Teacher Leader Summit, New Orleans, LA.
Deris, A., & DiCarlo, C. (2019). Using case method of instruction for teaching DECs Recommended Practices. Opening Minds Early Education, Child Care, and School Age Conference and Expo. Chicago, IL.
Sulentic Dowell, M.M., Wheeler, S., & DiCarlo, C. (2019). Quality mentor teacher training: Preparing the under-prepared for a year-long student teacher residency requirement. Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
DiCarlo, C., Hulin, C. & Grantham-Caston, M. (2019). The impact of responsive partnership strategies on the satisfaction of co-teaching relationships in early childhood classrooms. Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
(Student names are underlined.)