Sarai Coba-Rodriguez, PhD, CFLE
Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
Pronouns: She/Ella
Contact
Building & Room:
1242 ETMSW
Address:
1040 W. Harrison St. (M/C 147), Chicago, IL 60607
Office Phone:
Email:
About
As a family scientist, Dr. Coba-Rodriguez's program of research focuses on understanding how families from diverse cultural and low-income backgrounds support their preschoolers’ education. In her research, she privileges the life stories of groups who have been deliberately silenced or unheard (Roy, 2004) and challenges the deficit-based perspectives that too often mischaracterize diverse families. Her scholarship
- expands knowledge about school readiness and parental involvement in populations that have been historically made vulnerable, challenging misconceptions about family beliefs and practices
- reveals families’ experiences as they navigate educational spaces and affirms the inclusion of family-focused perspectives when creating equitable, responsive, and culturally sustaining educational systems.
Courses Taught
- EPSY 255: Child Development in Contemporary Society
- EPSY 382: Child, Family, and Community
- EPSY 424: Family Diversity and Film: A Resilience Framework
- EPSY 594: Special Topics: [Ethnography of] Ethnic-Racial Families, Neighborhoods, and School Readiness
Selected Grants
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Accessing High-Quality Early Childhood Education during Illinois’ Public Act 100-0105, PI ($250,000)
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Foundation, The Ready Child: A Public Awareness Campaign, Co-PI ($100,000)
The Donley Foundation, The Read, Make, & Play Bag Project, Co-PI ($35,000)
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Foundation, Getting Ready for Your Kindergartener: A Teacher and Family Readiness Resource, Co-PI ($100,000)
Selected Publications
Zinsser, K., Coba-Rodriguez, S., & Borrero, J. (2025). Excluded Into What? Families’ Perceptions of Subsequent Care Arrangements Following Preschool Expulsion. Infant and Child Development, (34)2, e70013. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.70013
Baker-Doyle, K., Coba-Rodriguez, S., †Vaughan, A., & Pollins, E. (2025). Cultivating textual agency through family literacy practices. Journal of Family Diversity in Education. https://doi.org./10.53956/jfde.2024.192
Coba-Rodriguez, S., & Lleras, C. (2022). Non-Standard work and preschool child development in single-mother families: Exploring the role of maternal depression and parenting stress. Marriage & Family Review, 58(8), 726-747. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2022.2042883
Coba-Rodriguez, S., Cambray-Engstrom, E., & Jarrett, R.L. (2020). The home-based involvement experiences of low-income Latino families with preschoolers transitioning to Kindergarten: Qualitative findings. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29, 2678-2696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01781-7
Coba-Rodriguez, S., & Jarrett, R.L. (2020). An investigation of the perspectives of low-income Latina mothers with preschoolers transitioning to kindergarten. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22(1), 31-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420901822
Education
Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.S., Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A., Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Licensures and Certifications
Professional Memberships
Research Currently in Progress
The Diverse Families & School Readiness Lab (DFSRL) is dedicated to understanding how families from diverse cultural and low-income backgrounds support their preschoolers’ education. The DFSR-Lab privileges the life knowledge and stories of groups that are marginalized and challenges the deficit-based perspectives that too often mischaracterize diverse families.
Through rigorous qualitative inquiry and an emic (i.e., within-group) approach, Dr. Coba-Rodriguez’s research team is dedicated to highlighting the remarkable strengths, agency, resourcefulness, and problem-solving skills that families possess.
The DFSRL is accepting new Research Assistants for the 2025-2026 AY.
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits
Podcast - Illinois Learning Project
Diverse Families and the Transition to Kindergarten
https://illinoisearlylearning.org/podcasts/diverse-transition/
Part of the training and technical assistance for the Preschool for All and Prevention Initiative funding for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).