Dr. Kirk earned her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Kansas. During her graduate training, she was a research assistant at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas. She has research and field experience in the areas of early intervention, early childhood special education, and childhood obesity, working specifically with disadvantaged and underserved communities, children and families over the past 10 years. Her current work is with Head Start, which has historically served children from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are at-risk for later developmental and academic concerns, working with teachers to implement a physical activity program across the preschool curriculum as a method to prevent childhood obesity and engage children in active learning.