Center for Families

Donna Lero is the Jarislowsky Chair in Families and Work and co-founder of the Centre for Families, Work and Well-Being at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Lero, a 1974 graduate from Purdue’s Department of Child Development and Family Studies, directs a program of research on public policies, workplace practices, and community supports.

A leader in Canadian research, Lero has more than 30 years experience exploring child care, work-family, and social policy issues. She is particularly interested in how social policies affect work-family balance and children's development. Lero is perhaps most well-known for her role as director of the Canadian National Child Care Study and for her leadership in promoting high-quality, inclusive early childhood education and care.

She has authored more than 30 major reports and book chapters on gender, work, and family issues and is co-editor of the newly published Handbook on Work-Family Integration: Theories, Perspectives and Best Practices. Her current research covers a variety of policy and practice issues, including employees with elder care responsibilities, the experiences of university students who are parents, policies that affect father involvement, poverty reduction strategies, and initiatives to support the inclusion of children with special needs in child care programs. She is a member of various government task forces and advisory committees relating both to work and family issues and early childhood development services.