She received her B.S. in Human & Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University, her M.Ed. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Virginia, and her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in early childhood education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Tate is a member of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); she also sits on the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness board as a designee. Her research interests center around the developmental and family outcomes of children with and without disabilities, which drive her longitudinal research project with children, teachers, and families at the OSU Cleo L. Craig Child Development Laboratory.