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  • © 2008

Enduring Bonds

The Significance of Interpersonal Relationships in Young Children's Lives

  • Reasserts the significance of the human element in the experiences of young children and their families
  • Addresses the conflict between philosophy and reality faced by many contemporary early childhood educators to emphasize the cognitive domain at the expense of socio-emotional considerations
  • Unique in its focus on the influence of interpersonal relationships and human interaction as the foundation for young children’s development and learning
  • Represents a call for more balanced perspectives on what it means to teach and learn with young children from birth through age eight

Part of the book series: Educating the Young Child (EDYC, volume 1)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. Family Ties

    1. Challenging the Stereotypes of Mexican American Fathers

      • Olivia N. Saracho, Bernard Spodek
      Pages 57-72
    2. Brothers and Sisters

      • Mary Renck Jalongo, Denise Dragich
      Pages 73-90
    3. How Attention to Family Stress Dynamics can Prevent Homelessness Among Very Young Families

      • Kevin James Swick, Reginald Harrison Williams
      Pages 91-106
    4. Grandparents in the Lives of Young Children

      • Laurie Nicholson, Pauline Davey Zeece
      Pages 129-144
  3. Relationships in Child Care and School Settings

    1. Working With Recently Immigrated Young Children

      • Jacqueline Onchwari, Nurun Begum, Grace Onchwari
      Pages 179-192
  4. Back Matter

    Pages 211-213

About this book

Mary Renck Jalongo Interpersonal relationships present an interesting paradox to the young child. Although human bonds are a source of love, security and joy, they are, at the same time, the context in which children feel intense and complicated emotions such as jealousy, shame, resentment, sorrow, and rage. To illustrate, consider a series of incidents in the life of a young child named Melissa. All of these events were so memorable that they became oft-repeated family stories. At age 4, after Melissa was reprimanded by her mother, she packed a small plastic suitcase and announced that she was running away. Her mother kept a watchful eye while the preschooler stood at the end of the driveway for several moments. The child’s sister—eight years her senior—decided to go out and gently inquire about her younger sibling’s plans, to which Melissa responded ruefully, “I can’t run away. I remembered that I’m not allowed to cross the street by myself. ” Months later, Melissa enters kindergarten and she arrives home at the end of her school day, obviously upset. When asked about it, she says, “One of the kids told me I was doing my work wrong and it ruined my whole day. ” In first grade, Melissa has experience with one of the school child’s greatest fears: a mean teacher.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, USA

    Mary Renck Jalongo

About the editor

Mary Renck Jalongo is a teacher, writer and editor. As a classroom teacher, she taught preschool, first grade and second grade, worked with children and families 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 award for outstanding teaching and is the Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction. As a writer, Dr. Jalongo has authored and edited more than 25 books, many of them textbooks in the field of early childhood education, such as Early Childhood Language Arts (4th ed. Allyn & Bacon) and Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning (4th ed. Merrill/Prentice Hall), Exploring Your Role: An Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3rd ed., Merrill/Prentice Hall) and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education: Challenges, Controversies, and Insights (2nd ed. Teachers College Press). Recent publications include the second edition of a book for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Young Children and Picture Books; a Teachers College Press book, Planning for Learning: Collaborative Approaches to Lesson Design and Review; and an edited book for the Association for Childhood Education International, The World’s Children and Their Companion Animals: Developmental and Educational Significance of the Child/Pet Bond. Additionally, she has earned three national awards for excellence in writing and numerous teaching awards. Dr. Jalongo has been the editor-in-chief of the Springer international publication, Early Childhood Education Journal, for twelve years.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access