Infants and Toddlers at Play: Choosing the Right Stuff for Learning and Development

About Dylan BrodyMary Benson McMullen

Mary Benson McMullen PhD is professor of early childhood education at Indiana University (IU) where she has been on faculty since 1993. She received a BS from Michigan State University and earned MS and PhD degrees in child development from Florida State University. During and after her graduate education she worked as a teacher of infants toddlers and preschoolers and then as an early childhood program director before accepting her position at IU. At IU she teaches courses to preservice and in-service early childhood teaching professionals as well as to doctoral students who plan to become early childhood teacher education scholars. Marys primary research interests involve factors that influence quality early care and education for infants and toddlers; the healthy overall growth development learning and well-being of young children (birth through age 5); teaching beliefs and practices across cultures and contexts; and factors that influence and ensure the well-being of professionals who care for young children. She has published dozens of articles for both research and teaching journals as well as numerous book chapters. She is coeditor of the 2019 book The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education. Mary lives in Bloomington Indiana where she and her husband of 40 years raised their three sons.Dylan Brody (they/them) MSEd is a doctoral student at the University of Georgia. They are currently the graduate research assistant for the Department of Educational Theory and Practice with a focus on critical studies. Dylan began working as a full-time teacher with infants and toddlers in 2010 and fell deeply in love with the complexity of teaching young children. They worked collaboratively with a coteacher in a setting that utilizes a continuity of care model providing Dylan the space and support needed to build intimate and meaningful connections with children and their families over the course of a three-year cycle. This time allowed them to create a more deeply reflective teaching practice and mindful rapport with families through daily moments of trust building. Dylans primary research and teaching interests focus on ethics equity critical theory mindfulness and advocacy for fellow teachers who experience marginalization. They prioritize care practices and policies that allow all members of the community to feel safer to be themselves and challenge the barriers in place that might prevent success for all. Dylan hopes to work more closely in the future with early childhood teachers in the LGBTQ+ community and to further advocate for trans visibility and representation in the field. Dylan currently lives in Athens Georgia with their beloved cat Bean.