Jennifer M. Longley
Associate Professor
Teacher Education
EMAIL: jlongley@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: S-615C
Office Hours: Spring 2019 Tuesday 12:30 PM -3:30 PM
Phone: +1 (212) 220-1321
I am teacher, researcher, and community activist born and raised outside of Baltimore, MD. In 1993 I moved to New York City and worked with infants, toddlers, and families for more than 20 years. Since fall 2015, I have had the pleasure of learning from and with the teacher candidates and colleagues in the Teacher Education Department at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) – CUNY. I have the privilege of collaborate with members of Mayor Mike Spano’s LGBTQ Advisory Board (appointed); the Yonkers Basics Advisory Board; Basics Learning Network; NYS Association for the Education of Young Children board (elected) and NY ACCESS (President). I live in Yonkers with my wife, foster children, and dogs.
Expertise
My research interests include infant-toddler workforce development and creating inclusive and welcoming early childhood environments.
My areas of expertise include:
- Infant/ toddler development and curriculum
- Infant/ Toddler workforce development
- Pre-service infant/toddler teacher development
- Family-centered programming
- Early Intervention for infants/ toddlers with disabilities
Degrees
B.A., Deaf Education and Social Sciences, Flagler College, St. Augustine, FL
M.S.Ed.,Infant/Parent Development and Early Intervention, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY
Ed.D., Education Leadership, Management, and Policy, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Courses Taught
- 3 CRS.4 HRS.NULL LAB HRS.ECE 110 (Psychological Foundations of Early Development and Education)
- This course examines the psychological and psychosocial foundations of early childhood and relates these foundations to educational practice with your children, birth to eight years. It focuses on historical and contemporary theories of childhood development. Early learning is considered in relation to biological factors, child and family factors, program factors and social factors, particularly in diverse urban settings. Young children?s physical, cognitive, communicative, social and emotional development is explored as contributors to and as consequences of early learning experiences. This course requires 15 hours of fieldwork.
- This course focuses on the theories, methods and materials of early childhood education for infants (birth to 18 months), with emphasis on addressing developmental needs and culturally appropriate practices in their education and care. The following topics are explored in depth: social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of infants; basic principles of infant care giving, including providing culturally sensitive and consistent care; arrangement of the environment and developmentally appropriate experiences to promote infant growth and learning; the role of parents and establishing partnerships with families.
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ECE 110 - This course provides an overview of the social context of early care and education. It focuses on the historical, philosophical, sociological, and political foundations of programs for young children, birth to eight years. The following topics will be explored in depth: Historical and contemporary theories of early childhood education, multicultural and social ecological factors in early care and schooling, particularly for diverse urban settings; early childhood programming; family and community involvement; advocacy, trends and current issues in early childhood practice. This course requires 30 hours of fieldwork. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ECE 110
- This capstone fieldwork course is designed to (1) reflect a strength-based stance toward children and families and affirm the identities and cultural and linguistic diversity of all learners, (2) develop practical and evidence-based knowledge for supporting language and literacy acquisition and development, and (3) enable students to demonstrate their competencies teaching infants and toddlers. It requires supervised participation in an early childhood education setting (Birth- thirty-six months) and participation in a weekly seminar. Students will explore principles, methods, and materials, informed by current research, for supporting young children’s language and literacy acquisition and development. Students will utilize practical classroom experiences to make connections between theory and practice, develop professional behaviors around working with infants, toddlers, families, and build a comprehensive understanding of the role of language and literacy in an integrated curriculum. Students will design, implement, and evaluate learning experiences that integrate language and literacy learning for infants and toddlers with diverse learning styles and needs, with strong emphasis on child centered, play-oriented, and culturally responsive approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, as well as knowledge that is integrated across the curriculum. Students spend a minimum of 90 hours in the field.
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ECE 308 and ECE 309 - 3 CRS.2 HRS.2 LAB HRS.ECE 410 (Educational Foundations and Pedagogy for the Exceptional Child)
- This course examines the education of children (birth to 8 years) with special needs, along with the historical, social, cultural, and legal foundations of special education in the U.S. It explores the causes and effects of various exceptionalities, including: emotional, intellectual, physical, visual, auditory, orthopedic, speech and/or language and giftedness. Techniques for differentiated learning and universal design are analyzed; issues of ethno-cultural diversity are explored, including methods for working with the families of children with special needs in respectful non-biased ways. This course requires 25 hours of fieldwork. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ECE 308 and ECE 309 or Grade of C or better in ECE 311 and ECE 312
Research and Projects
Professional Staff Congress-CUNY Research Award Program (2021) Exploration of Infant-Toddler Teacher Certification in the US, $3,500 funded 6/1/2021-6/1/2022
Early Childhood Research Network (2021) Institutes of Higher Education in New York State Collaborative Summer Symposium $30,000 funded 2/1/2021-6/1/2022
NYC Early Childhood Research Network (2018) Examining Infant/Toddler Curriculum and the Infant/Toddler Teacher Pipeline in NYS Undergraduate Early Childhood Programs, $84,350 funded 12/1/2018-3/31/2020
CUNY Teacher Education Algebra for All Grant (2019). Developing algebraic concepts through inclusive practices in early childhood preservice teachers, $15,000 funded 6/1/2019-6/1/2020
Publications
Longley, J. M., & Gilken, J. (in press). Essential elements of infant curriculum: Individualizing routines and partnering with families. Young Children. (conditionally accepted 1/13/2023).
Kronen, C., Garte, R. & Longley J. M. (2022). Creating a Professional Development School. School-University Partnerships, 15(2),60-70.
Guirguis, R. & Longley, J. M. (2022). Creating preservice teachers’ playful mindsets and dispositions towards play in the US. In E. Loizou & J. Trawick-Smith (Eds.). Teacher Play Pedagogy. The European Early Childhood Education Research Association and Routledge.
Gilken, J., Longley, J. M., Crosby, J., (2022) Finding spaces for infants and toddlers in early childhood teacher preparation programs. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01299-7
Gilken, J., Longley, J. M., & Guirguis, R. (2021). Preparing preservice teachers to promote mathematical thinking in infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. Journal of Mathematics Education, 13(2), 50-63. https://doi.org/10.26711/007577152790075
Longley, J. M. & Craigo, L. (2021). Exploration of preservice teacher attitudes towards disability. Community College Journal of Research and Practice https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2021.1927884
Guirguis, R. V. & Longley, J. M. (2021). Play and trauma in young children during a pandemic. Dimensions of Early Childhood Education, 49(1), 24-27.
Longley, J. M. (2020). Finding my voice. In J. Sablan & J. A. Van Galen (Eds.). Amplified voices, intersecting identities: First-gen PhD’s navigating institutional power in early academic careers. Boston, MA: Brill.
Longley, J. (2020). Embracing LGBTQ staff in early childhood programs. Young Children, 75(2), 66-73
Longley, J. & Gilken, J. (2020). Mentoring in early childhood settings: Elements of effective relationships. Dimensions of Early Childhood Education, 48(1), 17-21.
Longley, J. & Gilken, J. (2019). Preparing infant-toddler professionals: A community college’s perspective. Occasional Paper Series, (42). https://educate.bankstreet.edu/ occasional-paper-series/vol2019/iss42/8 Pre
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
AFFILIATIONS
Board Memberships
NY ACCESS (President)
NY Association for the Education of Young Children Board (elected)
Yonkers Mayor Spano’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board (appointed)
Memberships
Basics Learning Network
National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators
National Association for the Education of Young Children
NY Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators
The Association for the Study of Play
Yonkers Basics Advisory Board
Zero to Three
