Ellis Early Learning has announced the appointment of Rosa Guzman Turco as its first Director of Evaluation and Educational Excellence, a role created to further the organization's mission of advancing teacher quality and child outcomes.

"An education researcher with a doctorate in human development and teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Rosa brings a valuable skillset to our team," said Ellis Early Learning CEO Lauren Cook. "Rosa has a track record of developing programs and tools that foster inclusive environments and drive measurable growth in children's learning, making her a perfect fit for Ellis. We are thrilled to welcome Rosa into this new role during a period of growth at Ellis."

Turco will drive the creation of a measurement, evaluation and learning system to measure the impact of Ellis's new Center of Excellence, ensuring continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making. She will develop systems and processes that assess teacher quality, child outcomes and the broader classroom environment, recognizing that early learning is shaped by multiple, interconnected factors.

By integrating diverse data sources — ranging from child assessments to observations of instructional practices, family engagement and social-emotional supports — Turco will create a sustainable framework that not only measures growth but also helps educators, families and policymakers understand the everyday impact of early childhood education. This work will be deeply aligned with Ellis's mission of helping all children develop the social, emotional and academic skills they need to thrive in school and in life.

Turco brings over a decade of experience as an education researcher, specializing in early childhood education and literacy. Before joining Ellis, she was the Director of Research at National University and Director of Research and Evaluation at a software development organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for underserved communities. Turco was also a teaching fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education for nearly five years. In her most recent roles, she spearheaded the development of a bilingual e-reading platform and designed and evaluated language and social-emotional learning programs.

Turco's research spans executive function and theory of mind in bilingual preschoolers, infants' early numerical intuitions and the impact of digital media on early language and literacy development. Across these areas, her work seeks to identify the optimal ways to support young children and to capture the key features of learning environments that best foster growth for children from diverse backgrounds and needs.

Turco also holds a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wellesley College.

A Medway resident, Rosa is immersed in early childhood at Ellis and at home, which she shares with her husband and two young children, ages 1 and 3.