Deborah Deckner-Davis

Professor

Office: Magnolia Hall
Psychology
College of Arts & Sciences
DeborahDecknerDavis@clayton.edu
Phone: (678) 466-4836

Biography

I am a professor at Clayton State University, dedicated to leveraging developmental science to enhance outcomes for children and their families. Over the past several years, I have spearheaded Clayton State University's Child Care Subsidy, a two-generational intervention designed to improve access to high-quality child care for low-income parenting students pursuing a four-year college degree. This program embodies the transformative power of quality education for both parents and their children. To date, the Child Care Subsidy has secured millions in federal and philanthropic grants and has served hundreds of parenting students and their children.

Education

Ph D, Developmental Psychology, Georgia State University, 2002

MA, Developmental Psychology, Georgia State University, 2000

MEd, Counseling and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 1995

BS, Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 1991

Awards and Honors

Early Career Investigator Award, International Society for Infant Studies, Award, 2006

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Georgia State University, Department of Psychology, Award, 2003

Bailey M. Wade Memorial Scholaraship, Georgia State University, Department of Psychology, Award, 2002

Contracts, Grants, and Sponsored Research

Deborah Deckner-Davis, BREAKING BARRIERS, BUILDING WOMEN: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM, Atlanta Women's Foundation, Private, 100000, Funded – August 2025 to May 2026

Deborah Deckner-Davis, Clayton State University Child Care Access Means Parents in School, U.S. Department of Education, Federal, 450000, Funded – October 1 2025 to September 30 2026

Deborah Deckner-Davis, BREAKING BARRIERS, BUILDING WOMEN: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM, Atlanta Women's Foundation, Private, 50000, Funded – July 2024 to July 2025

Deborah Deckner-Davis, Clayton State University Child Care Access Means Parents in School, U.S. Department of Education, Federal, 450000, Funded – October 1 2024 to September 30 2025

Deborah Deckner-Davis, BREAKING BARRIERS, BUILDING WOMEN: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM, Atlanta Women's Foundation, Private, 50000, Funded – July 2023 to July 2024

Presentations

Deborah Deckner Davis, Erica J. Gannon, Academic Programming and Career Adaptability in Psychology, Annual Meeting of the National Institute on Teaching of Psychology (NITOP), NITOP – January 3 2025

Erica J. Gannon, Mark Daddona, Deborah Deckner Davis, Integrating Career Readiness and Professionalism into the Psychology Major for Fully-Online Students, Annual Meeting of the National Institute on Teaching of Psychology (NITOP), NITOP – January 3 2022

Service to the University & University System of Georgia

University, Clayton State University Social Mobility Summit, Committee Member – March 2024 to Present

College, Faculty Smith Award, Committee Member – August 2023 to Present

University, Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Committee Member – May 2023 to April 2024

Teaching Interest

Developmental Psychology, Cross-cultural and Multi-cultural Perspectives on Development, Research Methods, Careers in Psychology, Psychology Internship, Infancy

Research Interest

Impact of Child Care Access on Higher Education Degree Completion, Early Communication Development in Typically Developing and Developmentally Disabled Children Impact of Child Care Access on Higher Education Degree Completion