Dr. Alan Bates is an associate professor of Child Development in the School of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University. In addition, Dr. Bates serves as the Associate Director of Scheduling and Contractual Personnel for the School. He teaches courses in the areas of child development, early childhood mathematics and learning theory.  His research interests focus on young children’s’ mathematics learning, pre-service teachers’ mathematics self-efficacy, and pre-service teachers and service learning.

Dr. Nancy Latham joined the faculty at Illinois State University in August of 2004 in the School of Teaching & Learning. In addition to her role as an associate professor in the Early Childhood Program, Dr. Latham currently serves as the Associate Director of Curriculum & Assessment for the School. Her research interests focus on the impacts of teacher education on teacher retention and attrition, divergent thinking in young children, and differentiated assessment.

Dr. Jin-ah Kim is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education in the College of Education at Roosevelt University. She has various experiences working with young children (0 – 8 years old). She was a classroom teacher and curriculum director at a preschool.  Currently, she teaches early childhood method courses, supervises both undergraduate and graduate students at Roosevelt University and works with children and teachers at early childhood centers and elementary schools. The focuses of her research are Service-Learning, children’s writing and math self-efficacy, the relationship among child, family, and schools, as well as supporting and working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).