Julia C. Wrigley

Julia C. Wrigley, professor of sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center, will write a book that analyzes episodes of harm to children in non-parental child care, and the responses of parents, caregivers, and investigative authorities to these breaches of trust. Trust has rarely been analyzed in a childcare context, yet non-parental care requires profound trust in others to operate. Unlike in Europe, few mechanisms are in place in the United States to help parents assess providers. This vulnerability extends both ways: providers can suffer if parents wrongly accuse them of harming their children. Collecting newspaper stories and state records, Wrigley has created an extensive database of cases to analyze, and her project will provide insight into the costs and vulnerabilities created by heavy reliance on interpersonal trust.