Early Childhood Language Arts

“What do early childhood educators really need to know, do, and understand in order to work effectively and compassionately with the very young?” This is the focus of Mary Renck Jalongo's approach to this new edition of her widely popular Early Childhood Language Arts. In it she helps teachers become well informed about young children's language development, strategies to use to support language growth, and the essential elements for a novice teacher to mature into a master teacher. Distinctive from many other early literacy books in that it includes oral language rather than concentrating on literacy in print, the approach is to integrate language arts and other subject areas, including the fine arts.

Mary Renck Jalongo is a teacher, writer, and editor. As a classroom teacher she taught preschool, first grade, and second grade; worked with children of migrant farm workers; and taught in the laboratory preschool at the University of Toledo. Currently she is a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned the university-wide outstanding professor award and coordinates the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction.

Dr. Jalongo has written, co-authored and edited more than 35 books, many of them textbooks in the field of early childhood education, such as Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning (6th ed., Pearson), Exploring Your Role: An Introduction to Early Childhood Education (4th ed., Pearson), and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education (2nd ed., Teachers College Press). Publications for practitioners include two National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) books, Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn and Young Children and Picture Books; an edited book for the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), The World’s Children and Their Companion Animals: Developmental and Educational Significance of the Child/Pet Bond. She is also the author of two award-winning Position Papers for ACEI.

Since 1995 Dr. Jalongo has served as editor-in-chief of the Springer international publication, Early Childhood Education Journal. She also co-edits Springer’s book series, Educating the Young Child: Advances in Theory and Research, Implications for Practice, and has made presentations on various aspects of early childhood education throughout the world.