Infants and Toddlers at Play

About the Author

Mary Benson McMullen, PhD, is professor of early childhoodeducation 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 degreesin child development from Florida State University. During and after hergraduate education, she worked as a teacher of infants, toddlers, andpreschoolers and then as an early childhood program director, before acceptingher position at IU. At IU, she teaches courses to preservice and in-serviceearly childhood teaching professionals, as well as to doctoral students whoplan to become early childhood teacher education scholars. Mary's primaryresearch interests involve factors that influence quality early care andeducation for infants and toddlers; the healthy overall growth, development,learning, and well-being of young children (birth through age 5); teachingbeliefs and practices across cultures and contexts; and factors that influenceand ensure the well-being of professionals who care for young children. She haspublished dozens of articles for both research and teaching journals, as wellas numerous book chapters. She is coeditor of the 2019 book The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Careand Education. Mary lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she and her husbandof 40 years raised their three sons.

Dylan Brody (they/them), MSEd, is a doctoralstudent at the University of Georgia. They are currently the graduate researchassistant for the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, with a focuson critical studies. Dylan began working as a full-time teacher with infantsand toddlers in 2010 and fell deeply in love with the complexity of teachingyoung children. They worked collaboratively with a coteacher in a setting thatutilizes a continuity of care model, providing Dylan the space and supportneeded to build intimate and meaningful connections with children and theirfamilies over the course of a three-year cycle. This time allowed them tocreate a more deeply reflective teaching practice and mindful rapport withfamilies through daily moments of trust building. Dylan's primary research andteaching interests focus on ethics, equity, critical theory, mindfulness, andadvocacy for fellow teachers who experience marginalization. They prioritizecare practices and policies that allow all members of the community to feelsafer to be themselves and challenge the barriers in place that might preventsuccess for all. Dylan hopes to work more closely in the future with earlychildhood teachers in the LGBTQ+ community and to further advocate for transvisibility and representation in the field. Dylan currently lives in Athens,Georgia, with their beloved cat, Bean.