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Jessica Mercer Young, developmental psychologist and senior research scientist, has extensive expertise in early childhood education, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, mathematics teaching and learning, mastery motivation, and growth mindset. She creates engaging, developmentally appropriate interventions that foster school readiness and success. For decades, she has advanced knowledge of effective strategies to enhance learning for children from low-income communities. 

Young co-leads a body of work centered on games and problem-solving activities that support children’s early mathematics learning and computational thinking. She has led studies, evaluations, and teacher professional learning initiatives designed to enhance early childhood educators’ interactions and instruction in language, literacy, mathematics, and science.

Young co-founded and co-facilitates the National Association for the Education of Young Children Early Math Interest Forum and is an Editorial Advisory Panel member of Teaching Young Children. She served as a reviewer for Early Childhood Research Quarterly and Infant and Child Development.

Young holds a PhD in Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, an EdM from Harvard University, and a BA from Boston College.