THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Julia Henly is the Samuel Deutsch Professor and Deputy Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her research examines early care and education as critical supports for low-income families, with particular attention to how employment conditions and public policies shape families’ access to and experiences of care. Her current research examines equity and stability in child care subsidy participation, child care financing and its implications for equitable access to high-quality care, and whether fair workweek policies can improve the stability and predictability of low-wage workers’ schedules, making it easier for working parents to secure and maintain reliable child care. Across these projects, Henly employs longitudinal, quasi-experimental, and mixed-methods approaches using administrative, survey, and qualitative data, often in collaboration with state and local governments and community organizations. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, WorkRise, and other foundations.
Henly is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the Society for Social Work and Research. She was a Fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program (2016–2018) and a Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation (2016–2017). She received her B.A., with honors, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her M.S.W. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Her research appears in leading peer-reviewed journals, edited book volumes, policy briefs, and reports.