Dr. Elsbeth Brown, Principal Investigator and professor with The Center for Child and Family Studies, University of South Carolina, is an Effective Practice Expert for the SC Office of First Steps. She has designed and/or directed numerous early childhood centers and training programs, including the South Carolina Center of Excellence in Early Childhood, the York Technical College Early Childhood Department and lab school, El Centro Del Ninos, United Migrant Opportunities Child Care, and the Woodland Indians Day Care. Dr. Brown has served as a validator for the NAEYC Accreditation Project and evaluator of the SC Zero to Three National Infant and Toddler Initiative and several Even Start and Early Head Start programs.

Together with Dr. Linda Hutchinson, she developed BASICspaces, Building Academic Success In Childcare Spaces. Research findings consistently demonstrate that BASICspaces significantly improves the quality of early care and education environments with a comprehensive approach to training, mentoring and environmental enhancements. Both Brown and Hutchinson are graduates of the Harvard Graduate School of Design: Child Care Institute, trained in the WestEd Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers and in the use of Environment Rating Scales (ITERS-R and ECERS)