{"product_id":"infants-and-toddlers-at-play-choosing-the-right-stuff-for-learning-and-development-9781938113741","title":"Infants and Toddlers at Play: Choosing the Right Stuff for Learning and Development","description":"Think more intentionally about the play materials you choose and offer to preschoolers to enhance their development and learning\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMary Benson McMullen, \u003c\/b\u003e PhD, is professor of early childhood\u003cbr\u003eeducation at Indiana University (IU), where she has been on faculty since 1993.\u003cbr\u003eShe received a BS from Michigan State University and earned MS and PhD degrees\u003cbr\u003ein child development from Florida State University. During and after her\u003cbr\u003egraduate education, she worked as a teacher of infants, toddlers, and\u003cbr\u003epreschoolers and then as an early childhood program director, before accepting\u003cbr\u003eher position at IU. At IU, she teaches courses to preservice and in-service\u003cbr\u003eearly childhood teaching professionals, as well as to doctoral students who\u003cbr\u003eplan to become early childhood teacher education scholars. Mary's primary\u003cbr\u003eresearch interests involve factors that influence quality early care and\u003cbr\u003eeducation for infants and toddlers; the healthy overall growth, development, \u003cbr\u003elearning, and well-being of young children (birth through age 5); teaching\u003cbr\u003ebeliefs and practices across cultures and contexts; and factors that influence\u003cbr\u003eand ensure the well-being of professionals who care for young children. She has\u003cbr\u003epublished dozens of articles for both research and teaching journals, as well\u003cbr\u003eas numerous book chapters. She is coeditor of the 2019 book \u003ci\u003eThe Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care\u003cbr\u003eand Education.\u003c\/i\u003e Mary lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she and her husband\u003cbr\u003eof 40 years raised their three sons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDylan Brody\u003c\/b\u003e (they\/them), MSEd, is a doctoral\u003cbr\u003estudent at the University of Georgia. They are currently the graduate research\u003cbr\u003eassistant for the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, with a focus\u003cbr\u003eon critical studies. Dylan began working as a full-time teacher with infants\u003cbr\u003eand toddlers in 2010 and fell deeply in love with the complexity of teaching\u003cbr\u003eyoung children. They worked collaboratively with a coteacher in a setting that\u003cbr\u003eutilizes a continuity of care model, providing Dylan the space and support\u003cbr\u003eneeded to build intimate and meaningful connections with children and their\u003cbr\u003efamilies over the course of a three-year cycle. This time allowed them to\u003cbr\u003ecreate a more deeply reflective teaching practice and mindful rapport with\u003cbr\u003efamilies through daily moments of trust building. Dylan's primary research and\u003cbr\u003eteaching interests focus on ethics, equity, critical theory, mindfulness, and\u003cbr\u003eadvocacy for fellow teachers who experience marginalization. They prioritize\u003cbr\u003ecare practices and policies that allow all members of the community to feel\u003cbr\u003esafer to be themselves and challenge the barriers in place that might prevent\u003cbr\u003esuccess for all. Dylan hopes to work more closely in the future with early\u003cbr\u003echildhood teachers in the LGBTQ+ community and to further advocate for trans\u003cbr\u003evisibility and representation in the field. Dylan currently lives in Athens, \u003cbr\u003eGeorgia, with their beloved cat, Bean.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"National Association for the Education of You","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641752621330,"sku":"9781938113741","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e9ac768c-d83a-40b0-9c45-af8db2bf8e38.jpg?v=1733034456","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/infants-and-toddlers-at-play-choosing-the-right-stuff-for-learning-and-development-9781938113741","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}