She founded two journals: Early Childhood Research Quarterly for which she served as editor-in-chief during its first six years, and Early Childhood Research & Practice the first on-line peer-reviewed early-childhood journal for which she remains editor-in-chief.
Her scholarly work focused on the developmental stages of a teacher, child social development, and she has been a proponent of the project-based learning approach to childhood education, believing children learn best in informal and interactive situations.
That same year, she took on the position of assistant professor of early childhood education at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she remained throughout her academic career.
She is currently chair of the editorial board of the International Journal of the Early Years published in the United Kingdom.
The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP) organized a symposium in her honor in 2000.