Herman Knopf, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist
Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies

hknopf@coe.ufl.edu

Biography

Herman T. Knopf, Ph.D. joined the faculty at the University of Florida in 2016 as a Research Scientist at the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. Immediately preceding his position at the University of Florida, Dr. Knopf served as the Director of the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center and an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Knopf has conducted research supported by the US Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning Research and Evaluation; Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning; The South Carolina State Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs; the South Carolina Center for Child Care Career Development; and the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Knopf has focused to strengthen systems to coordinate efforts to leverage existing administrative data to build infrastructure to support data-informed policy decision making, transform professional development for early care and education practitioners, measure and support child and family access to quality child care services, and facilitate transdisciplinary partnerships among practitioners, policymakers and researchers to improve outcomes for young children and their families.

Review Panels, Advisory Boards, Committees and Consulting

National

Member, Steering Committee for the Child Care Research and Policy Consortium, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, 2009 – present

State

Member-at-large, Board of Directors, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, 2020 – present

Local

Chair, Technical Advisory Committee, Children’s Trust of Alachua County, 2019 – present

Secretary, Board of Directors, CHILD Center, 2016 – present

Member, Board of Directors, Children’s Center, University of South Carolina, 2013 – 2016

Grants

Sunshine State Early Childhood Information Portal: Florida’s Early Childhood Integrated Data System
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant B-5, Florida’s Office of Early Learning (7/2020 – 6/2023)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $2,474,898 

Screening Early Intervention Workgroup and Tracking System
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant B-5, Florida’s Office of Early Learning (7/2020 – 12/2020)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Award: 75,000 

Studying the Impact of HB1091 on Child Care Access in Hillsborough County
Funded by the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (3/2020 – 6/2020)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $12,767 

Sunshine State Early Childhood Information Portal: Florida’s Early Childhood Integrated Data System
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant B-5, Florida’s Office of Early Learning (7/2019 – 6/2020)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $732,390 

Measuring and Mapping Child Care Access in Alabama
Funded by the Alabama Department of Human Services, Sub-Award through the University of Alabama (10/2019 – 9/2021)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $50,000 

Building a Statewide System for Inclusion
Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, South Carolina Department for Social Services, Office of Early Care and Education, Sub-Award through the University of South Carolina (10/2019 – 9/2020)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $38,469 

Preschool Development Grant Birth -5 Statewide Needs Assessment
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant B-5, Sub-Award through Florida’s Office of Early Learning (3/2019 – 7/2019)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $235,000

OEL Web Portal Addendum to Pilot FL Index of Child Care Access
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families, Florida’s Office of Early Learning (Total Project: 7/2016 – 6/2019; Sub-Award: 11/2017 – 6/2019)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Award: $540,360
Sub-Award: $38,382

South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Network
Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, South Carolina Department for Social Services, Office of Early Care and Education, Sub-Award through the University of South Carolina (9/2016 – 6/2018)
Role: Principal Investigator
Sub-Award: $105,326

Building a Statewide System for Inclusion
Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, South Carolina Department for Social Services, Office of Early Care and Education, Sub-Award through the University of South Carolina (10/2016 – 9/2018)
Role: Principal Investigator
Sub-Award: $76,800

Child Care Accessibility Index
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning Research and Evaluation, Sub-Award through the University of South Carolina (9/2016 – 2/2018)
Role: Principal Investigator
Sub-Award: $28,040

Management and Administration of South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Network
Funded by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (7/1/2016 – 6/30/2021)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $8,543,797

Administrative Data to Inform State CCDBG Subsidy Policies
Funded by the US Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning Research and Evaluation, Grant ID: 90YE0176 (10/1/2015 – 2/28/2017)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $148,502

SC Gateways: Preschool Initiative
Funded by SC Department of Education/USDE (10/1/2015 – 9/30/2016)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Award: $100,399

Building a Statewide System for Inclusion
Funded by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (2012 – 2017)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $2,118,198

Management and Administration of South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Network
Funded by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (2011–2016)
Role: Principal Investigator
Award: $6,767,842

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications and Journal Articles 

Parsons, A. A., Walsemann, K. M., Jones, S. J., Knopf, H., & Blake, C. E. (2016). Parental involvement: Rhetoric of inclusion in an environment of exclusion. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 47(1), 113-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241616676874

Parsons, A. A., Walsemann, K. M, Jones, S. J., Knopf, H., & Blake, C. E. (2016). The influence of dominant obesity discourse on child health narratives: A qualitative study. Critical Public Health, 26(5), 602-614. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2016.1164298

Herman Knopf, Ph.D.

Degrees

Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida, 2004

M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education, University of Florida, 1998

B.A. in Special Education, University of Florida, 1997

Key UF Professional Appointments

Research Scientist, Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, 2016 – present

Select Honors, Awards and Appointments

Southeastern Conference Visiting Scholar, University of Florida, 2016

Leonard Maiden Spirit of Service Award, College of Education, University of South Carolina, 2009

Two Thumbs Up Award, Office of Student Disability Services, University of South Carolina, 2005

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