“From early on, I knew I wanted to do something that helps people,” Aysenur Ozgoztasi, says of growing up in Turkey. “That’s why people initially encouraged me to study psychology. But during my undergraduate years, I got involved with several NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] and community programs. Through those experiences, I realized that I was especially passionate about children’s development and how early environments, families, and schools shape children and who they become in the future.”
Among the NGOs that Ozgoztasi has worked for is the Turkish Red Crescent, which “shares the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement which are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, volunteer service, unity and universality.” Ozgoztasi worked with parents and children who were Syrian refugees, helping to support their mental health.
This semester, Ozgoztasi is a Strategies for Children intern, and nine months ago she began pursuing her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College.
Ozgoztasi chose the Boston College program because of its applied approach. As part of her graduate studies, she is working on two projects. One focuses on supporting children’s early math learning. And the second is a research-based project examining how early family stress, such as maternal depression and earning lower incomes, affects children’s later emotional and behavioral outcomes.
“My goal is to work in an applied setting where I can bridge research and practice,” she says, “ideally contributing to programs or policies that directly support children’s social, emotional and academic development.”
Ozgoztasi learned about Strategies for Children from her thesis supervisor Professor Eric Dearing. Her focus at Strategies has been looking at ways to integrate holistic mental health support into early childhood education systems in Massachusetts.
“I’ve developed a gap analysis that looks at how current resources address—or don’t address—the mental health needs of children, caregivers and educators. I’m looking more holistically and including children and the people around them.”
One of Ozgoztasi’s observations is that while Massachusetts has a number of strong organizations that focus on children or educators or parents, there aren’t many organizations that focus holistically on all three. One positive example that Ozgoztasi points to is the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which supports children and families and provides training for mental health counselors.
Ozgoztasi has also had the chance to attend the Rennie Center’s annual Condition of Education event and the Boston Opportunity Agenda’s Birth to Eight Collaborative Meeting, both of which she found to be valuable, in-person opportunities to network and engage with professionals in the field. She also spoke with Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care. And, of course, Ozgoztasi joined The 9:30 Call, which deepened her awareness of statewide early childhood education efforts.
“This internship has helped me build a strong foundation in the applied and policy dimensions of early childhood work in the United States. I now have a better understanding of what the actual needs are, which will shape how I frame my future studies. It’s important to me that my research stays relevant and useful.”
And although she’s only been in the United States for less than a year, Ozgoztasi has an easy time answering the question: What should policymakers know about her work?
“Mental health support for early childhood programs needs to be more integrated,” she says. “That means supporting not just children, but also their caregivers and educators. And policymakers should consider investing in more wraparound systems that make it easier for families and teachers to access mental health resources, especially in under-resourced communities.”
We’re excited to see how Ozgoztasi’s research blooms, and where it takes her next.