Vesely, Colleen | College of Education and Human Development

Dr. Colleen K. Vesely
(she/her/hers)
PhD, University of Maryland
Associate Professor
Academic Program Coordinator (Graduate), Early Childhood Education

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Phone: (703) 993-5346
Fax: (703) 993-4370
Email: cvesely (@gmu.edu)

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Colleen Vesely's website

George Mason University
Fairfax Campus
West Building 2104
4400 University Dr.
MS 4C2
Fairfax, VA 22030

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Colleen K. Vesely, Ph.D., is an associate professor and graduate Academic Program Coordinator (APC) of Inclusive Early Childhood Education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Vesely’s scholarship uses Community-based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) approaches to transform systems of oppression and injustice within early care and education to create equity. Specifically, Dr. Vesely examines the experiences of young children and families who experience structural marginalization to understand how they navigate early care and education systems and spaces while negotiating parenthood in the U.S. She studies family partnership and family-led systems change, particularly among families from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, and ability backgrounds. Dr. Vesely also leads work focused on developing preservice early childhood education teachers' knowledge, skills, and abilities for implementing antiracist pedagogy in their early childhood classrooms and programs. Dr. Vesely also contributed to creating tools to examine college-level equity data specific to race and gender. Dr. Vesely facilitates the Child Care and Early Education Research and Policy Consortium (within the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) Research Collaborative on Reimagining Family Partnership for Equity in Child Care and Early Education. Dr. Vesely’s work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation (current Vision Grant Scholar), Fairfax County Office for Children, Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Dr. Vesely’s research is published in peer-reviewed journals, including: Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Relations, Journal of Family Theory and Review, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Early Education and Development, Early Childhood Education Journal, and Young Children. Dr. Vesely teaches courses focused on family engagement in ECE, family processes and dynamics, as well as research methods. Dr. Vesely is the creator of the Raising Unicorns website (www.raisingunicorns.org) focused on raising gender expansive children in a gender binary world. Raising Unicorns provides resources for parents, teachers, and caregivers to support and affirm gender expansive children. Dr. Vesely received her PhD in Family Science from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2011.

Community-based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR)
immigrant families' access to early care and education
family partnership
equity in education
qualitative methods
ecosystemic well-being
culture and parenting
ecological connections to children's social and emotional learning

La Croix, L., Ferguson, D. E., Vesely, C. K., Steen, B. F., Fisher-Maltese, C., Gong, Y., Calabrese, S., & Zhang, X. (accepted). Using an antiracist project-based learning approach with preservice teachers. International Journal of Problem-Based Learning.

Vesely, C.K. & Gile, H. (accepted). Creating gender inclusive early childhood education environments. Teaching Young Children.

La Croix, L., Steen, B., & Vesely, C.K. (in press). Using historical fiction with young children to spark historical inquiry with an antiracist lens. Young Children.

Gerry, M., Vesely, C.K., & Choe, J. (2024). Building partnerships with families of children with disabilities: Considering culture and cultural humility. In Musyoka, M., & Guofeng, S. Meaningful and active engagement of families of students with disabilities. IGI, Global.

Hernandez Dubon, R., Letiecq, B.L., Chaplin, T., Vesely, C.K., Goodman, R., & Marquez, M. (2024). Immigration-related stress, depression, and parental self-sacrifice among undocumented Central American immigrant mothers. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13106

LaCroix, L., Vesely, C.K., & Steen, B. (2024). Humanizing history: Using historical fiction texts to develop disciplinary and racial literacies. The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2281

Vesely, C.K., Letiecq, B.L., Davis, E.*, Goodman, R., DeMulder, E., Marquez, M., & Amigas de la Comunidad (2024). “The Spirit of a Fighter”: Mixed-status Latine immigrant families’ experiences during COVID. Family Relations, 73, 1483-1500. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13010

Brown, E.L., Stark, K., Vesely, C.K., & Choe, J. (2023). “Acting often and everywhere:” Teachers’ emotional labor across professional interactions and responsibilities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104227

Francis, G. L., Vesely, C. K., Choe, J., Leyva, K., & Tukan, T. (2023). Collaborate with families to support student learning and secure needed services. In J. McLeskey, L. Maheady, B. Billingsley, M.T. Brownell, T.J. Lewis, & S.R. Alber-Morgan (Eds.), High Leverage Practices for Intense Interventions. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

La Croix, L., Kidd, J.K., Walter, H., Stone, D., Ferguson, D., Fisher-Maltese, C., Steen, B., & Vesely, C.K. (2023). A dynamic process model for blending ECE/ECSE teacher preparation programs. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 44, 216-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2023.2194246

Letiecq, B.L., Williams, J., Vesely, C.K., & Smith Lee, J. (2023). Publicly-housed Black mothers’ experiences of structural racism in their everyday lives. Journal of Marriage and Family, 85, 701-722. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12908

Vesely, C.K., Letiecq, B.L. et al., Goodman, R.D., & DeMulder, E. (2023). Amigas de la Comunidad: A Critical Case Study of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with Central American Immigrant Mothers. In M. Call Cummings G. Dazzo, G., & M. Hauber-Özer, M., Critical Participatory Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Introduction and Guide. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Press.

Vesely, C.K., Sansbury, A.B., Call-Cummings, M., Dodman, S., Chen, X., Ndiaye, N., Bethea, C., DeMulder, E., Frank, T., Letiecq, B., Shaklee, B, View, J. (2023). Putting antiracism into action in teacher education: Developing and implementing an antiracist pedagogy course audit. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2023.2192433

Vesely, C. K., Brown, E. L., Mehta, S., & Horner, C. (2022). ‘Staying afloat’: A mixed methods study of the financial and psychological well-being of early childhood educators. Early Childhood Education Journal, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01429-9

Brown, E.L., Vesely, C.K., Mehta, S., & Stark, K. (2022). Preschool teachers’ emotional acting and school-based interactions. Early Childhood Education Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01326-1.

Letiecq, B.L., Davis, E., Vesely, C.K., Goodman, R.D., Zeledon, D., & Marquez, M. (2022). Central American immigrant mothers’ narratives of intersecting oppressions: A resistant knowledge project. Journal of Marriage and Family, https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12854.

Vesely, C.K., DeMulder, E., Sansbury, A., Davis, E., Letiecq, B., Willard, I., Goodman, R., & Amigas de la Comunidad. (2021). ‘A place where my children could learn to read, write, and play’: The search for early care and education among undocumented Central American immigrant mothers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 56, 306-319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.03.016

Vesely, C.K., Mehta, S., Sansbury, A., Gundling, R., & Arora, S. (2021). Reimagining teacher education for family engagement: A response to the 2020 health and sociohistorical context. The Teacher Educators’ Journal, 14, 170-191.

GRANTS

Vesely, C.K., Letiecq, B.L., Mhonde, R., & Park, J.Y. (2024-2025). Family-led early childhood systems change for educational equity. Spencer Foundation Vision Grant. $74,913 (Role: PI)

Sansbury, A., & Vesely, C.K. (2023-2024). Racial identity development of young Black children in early childhood education: The roles of teachers and families. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Head Start Scholars Grant. $24,576. (Role: PI/Mentor)

Letiecq, B.L, Vesely, C.K., & DeMulder, E. (2022-2024). Family Partnership Project. Office for Children, Fairfax County, VA. $148,144. (Role: PI)

Steen, B., La Croix, L., & Vesely, C.K. (2022). Building an undergraduate program identity: Nurturing our community of learners and promoting culturally responsive antiracist pedagogies through children’s literature. Program Innovation grant, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University. Requested: $9,650. Role: Co-PI.

Goodman, R. D., Vesely, C.K, Stone, V., & Letiecq, B. (2022). Developing Community-Driven Support for Central American Immigrant Mothers during COVID-19 through the Lens of Intersectional Trauma and Resilience. Seed Grant, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University. Requested: $9,940. Role: PI.

Vesely, C.K., Dodman, S., Mehta, S., & Powell, M. (2021). Towards equity in education through family engagement: Understanding PK-6 teachers’ perspectives of students and families during the on-going COVID-19 health crisis. College of Education and Human Development Research Seed Grant, $6,410. (Role: Co-PI)

Coogle, C., Walters, H., & Vesely, C.K. (2021). Family-centered coaching to engage families from diverse racial, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds who have a child with a disability. College of Education and Human Development Research Seed Grant, $10,000. (Role: Co-PI)

La Croix, L., Vesely, C.K., & Ferguson, D. (2020-2022). Leveraging Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s degree pathways to enhance novice educators’ pedagogical practices during their induction years. College of Education and Human Development Innovation Grant, $7,136. (Role: Co-PI)

Vesely, C.K., Letiecq, B.L., & DeMulder, E. (2019). Early care and education experiences and kindergarten readiness among ACPS students. Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, $80,478. Role: Co-PI.

Letiecq, B.L., Vesely, C.K., DeMulder, E., & Goodman, R.D. (2018). Collaborative data analyses and data dissemination in partnership with two Alexandria communities. Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, $56,388. Role: Co-PI

Kidd, J., LaCroix, L., Stone, D., Coogle, C., Fisher-Maltese, C., & Vesely, C.K. (2018). Collaborative development of a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Development. College of Education and Human Development Academic Program Innovation Award, $10,000.

Letiecq, B.L., Vesely, C.K., & Goodman, R.D. (2016). Amigas de la Comunidad: Promoting the health and well-being of Alexandria’s immigrant families. Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, $54,412. Role: Co-PI

Williams, J., Letiecq, B.L., & Goodman, R.D. (2016). African American children, youth, and their families in Alexandria, VA: Documenting community strengths, resources, and unmet needs. Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, $72,180. Role: Advisor.

Letiecq, B.L., Vesely, C.K., DeMulder, E., Stribling, S., & Ginsberg, M.R. (2014). Early childhood care and education for vulnerable families in Alexandria: Building strategic partnerships through community-engaged research. Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, $62,988. Role: Co-investigator

Brown, E.L., & Vesely, C.K. (2013). Early childhood educators’ emotional labor and well-being. Center for the Advancement of Well-being, George Mason University, $32,083. Role: Co-PI

Vesely, C.K., & Brown, E.L. (2013). Early childhood educators’ emotional labor and well-being. Seed grant. College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, $3,000. Role: Co-PI

Vesely, C.K. (2013). Role of early childhood educators’ well-being in sensitive interactions with young children and their families. Summer Research Funding, George Mason University, $2,500. Role: PI

Vesely, C.K. (2012). Longview Global Education for Teachers Collaborative Scholar. George Mason University and American University. $250. Role: Consultant ***

Ginsberg, M.R. (2012). Exploring intergenerational trauma among refugees and their young children. Bernard van Leer Foundation. $25,543. Role: Co-investigator

Vesely, C.K., Roy, K., & Hofferth, S. (2010). Child care decision-making, subsidy use, and the development of economic self-sufficiency among immigrant parents of young . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning Research and Evaluation Child Care Research Scholars Dissertation Grant. $29,708. Role: PI

Vesely, C.K. (2010). Jewell L. Taylor National Graduate Fellowship. American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. $5,000. Role: PI.

Vesely, C.K. (2008). Jewell L. Taylor National Graduate Fellowship. American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. $5,000. Role: PI.