The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care (eBook)

This collection brings together a diverse group of scholars from throughout the world who have grappled with and investigated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the lives of young children. Profound changes have occurred in all facets of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Young children and their families, college students enrolled in teacher preparation programs, inservice teachers/caregivers, and postsecondary faculty have endured prolonged periods of quarantine, disruption, stress, and grief precipitated by the pandemic. These consequences have been even more challenging for individuals and groups who were already struggling or marginalized prior to the advent of the coronavirus. Collectively, the chapter authors draw upon findings from their research and insights gleaned from professional experiences to recommend ways of providing high-quality programs despite persistent global health threats.?

In 2021, Mary Renck Jalongo co-edited a highly successful special issue of Early Childhood Education Journal on COVID-19 and published two articles on the topic. Articles from that Special Issue have been downloaded over 90,000 times to date. For 25 years, she served as editor-in-chief of Early Childhood Education Journal and continues as  senior editor of Springer Nature's Educating the Young Child book series. Throughout her career, she has written, co-authored, or edited more than 40 books. Her professional journal articles have earned eight national awards for excellence in writing, including four EDPRESS awards. She is a professor emerita with 37 years of experience at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). where she was named the professor of year.