Dr. Carta is a Senior Scientist in the Institute for Life Span Studies, Professor of Special Education, and the Interim Director of the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas. Her science focuses on developing strategies to minimize the effects of poverty on children’s language and social outcomes and developing practices that teachers and parents can use to promote children’s early learning particularly in vulnerable populations. Her key research and policy interests include advancing the quality of children’s caregiving environments, methods for monitoring the communication skills and social emotional growth of infants and toddlers, and strategies for promoting family engagement in early intervention programs. She has been the Principal Investigator of several multi-site research projects and centers funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Educational Sciences, and the Administration on Children and Families. She currently co-directs the Bridging the Word Gap Research Network, a collaborative of over 150 researchers, program implementers, civic leaders and policymakers seeking to find better ways to enhance young children’s language learning environments. She was a member of the Federal Advisory Panel on Head Start Research and Evaluation, Division of Early Childhood’s Commission on Recommended Practices, and served as the Editor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education as well as the boards of numerous scientific journals. She was the recipient of the 2016 Irvin Youngberg Research Award given to recognize an individual whose applied research has had significant impact and relevance to the state of Kansas.