Mary Benson McMullen
Indiana University
mmcmulle@indiana.edu
Welcome to the Early Education and Child Development SIG of AERA! As the title of the SIG suggests, it encompasses research on theory, practice, and policies related to early childhood education and child development. Our membership includes college and university professors, researchers and administrators working in federal-, state-, and privately-funded organizations, policy makers, teacher educators, and graduate students from a variety of scholarly disciplines that focus on the lives and well-being of young children, their families, and the professionals who work with and for them. As stated in our purpose statement:
The Early Education and Child Development Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) is committed to advancing knowledge about early education and child development, and to encouraging scholarly inquiry that has implications for theory, policy and practice related to early education and development in the diverse contexts serving children from birth to age eight.
The SIG currently has over 420 members, making it the largest SIG within AERA. During the Annual Meeting the SIG offers a wide variety of symposia, papers, posters, and round tables, as well as opportunities for networking with colleagues from all over the world. It is important to understand that the number of sessions offered is based on a formula involving the number of members and proposal submissions, so please remember to renew your membership each year and consider submitting your proposal to the SIG. Because of you, we have been able to offer an increasing number of well-received sessions and make early childhood research a vital part of the annual AERA program.
As Chair of the Early Education and Child Development SIG, I will communicate with the SIG membership through our newsletters and the listserv, but I and members of the Executive Board would really like to hear from you as well. Please introduce yourself at annual conference and feel free to contact us whenever you wish to ask a question, have a concern, or wish to contribute an idea. The EE/CD SIG is your SIG, so please be on the watch for and respond to calls for nominations for awards, elections for board members, and invitations to serve on committees and review proposals for the annual program. Thank you for your membership and involvement in the SIG and for all you do for young children and families!
EE/CD SIG Chair