Infants and Toddlers at Play

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.