Her research focuses on the intersection of play, curriculum, and literacy. As a former primary school teacher and staff developer, she is committed to working collaboratively with teachers on inquiry-based curriculum. At TC, she teaches courses on integrated curriculum, play, and qualitative research. Carmen Llerena is an Early Childhood teacher at the New York City Department of Education. She has been teaching for over fourteen years, working primarily in Dual Language and Nest programs. She is dedicated to creating spaces for culturally relevant practices in her classroom. She enjoys mentoring pre-service teachers and collaborating with researchers to further her craft.