November 12, 2025
The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research has welcomed Chloe Gibbs as a senior economist, expanding its staff of researchers focused on rigorous research and real-world policy recommendations. Gibbs’s research examines how early childhood programs influence both learning and family economic outcomes—a perspective that aligns closely with the Institute’s mission.
When asked what motivates her research, Chloe Gibbs quickly cites two things: engagement with other researchers across disciplines, and her family.
As a mother of four—two of whom were born while she was in graduate school—she has navigated firsthand the complex balancing act of parenting, work, school, and child care. As an economist, she is driven by a deep interest in understanding how education policies impact not just children, but entire families, particularly those who face disadvantages.
“My own family influences how I think about research questions,” Gibbs says. “You can’t help but think about your own experience—balancing work and raising kids, and how important stable, high-quality child care is.”
Gibbs emphasizes that her research is designed to address issues that matter to families. That commitment was instilled in her by her graduate advisor, economist Kerwin Charles—now dean of the Yale School of Management—who stressed the importance of pursuing research questions that are not only policy relevant, but also personally meaningful and answerable through rigorous methods.
A focus on childhood intervention
Gibbs received her undergraduate degree in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame before earning a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan and a PhD from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
During her time in graduate school, she began exploring a major policy shift in Indiana: the move from half-day to full-day kindergarten.
“When I started delving into it,” she recalls, “not only was Indiana doing this, but nationwide, there were these big shifts. Why were school districts doing that? And which school districts were doing it?”
That early work laid the foundation for Gibbs’s broader research focus: examining how early childhood interventions—such as full-day kindergarten and Head Start—affect both children’s development and families’ economic outcomes. Her analysis in Indiana showed that expanding full-day kindergarten not only boosted children's learning but also provided critical subsidized child care, allowing parents, especially mothers, greater flexibility to participate in the workforce.
Looking beyond formal schooling
Gibbs’s work lies at the intersection of education and labor economics, with a strong emphasis on policies that affect disadvantaged children and families. What distinguishes her research is its focus on learning and development that occurs outside the traditional school structure.
“A lot of economists who study education are really interested in teachers or instruction, or things that happen within the school walls,” she explains. “My work asks: What happens before kids enter formal schooling? What happens outside of the regular school day? How do the kinds of skills that kids develop—the nonacademic skills—matter for their life trajectories?”
This perspective led Gibbs to investigate initiatives such as the federal Head Start program. In one of her current projects, she is studying the impact of a 2018 policy change that expanded full-day access to Head Start. Her research explores how this shift not only supports school readiness but also increases maternal employment, benefiting both children and their parents.
Seeking real-world impact
Gibbs thrives on discovering relevant, real-world policies that can be studied through data. That aspect, she says, “is like detective work”—identifying changes that might reveal meaningful insights.
What keeps her most engaged, though, is seeing the full research cycle: from question, to data, to analysis, to peer input, to real-world impact.
“That critical last piece, where you have the answer and you can help someone with that answer, is ultimately my favorite part,” she says.
As Gibbs wraps up several long-running projects, she describes this moment as an “inflection point.” While much of her past work has focused on evaluating the impact of specific policies, she’s now turning toward broader, more systemic questions.
For example, she’s becoming increasingly interested in how overlapping systems—such as early education, labor markets, and social policy—interact to shape long-term outcomes for children and families.
“I think I’m transitioning into questions that help us understand not just one program or policy, but how the whole market functions,” she explains. “How do different streams of policy intersect in people’s lives?”
Why the Upjohn Institute?
Gibbs says her decision to join the Upjohn Institute was a natural fit for her approach to policy-focused, applied research.
“It’s a very unique place,” she says. “There’s nothing else quite like it. When you’re a labor economist who studies these issues of how people meet their potential—how they move through life, gain skills, get to the labor market—there’s no better constellation of people involved in those issues than those at Upjohn.”
She also admires how the careers of researchers at Upjohn reflect her own values: staying connected to policymakers, conducting rigorous work, and ensuring that research serves real-world needs.
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