People

Jolene Pearson, PhD, is an associate professor emerita at Bethel University. Pearson has worked in the field of early childhood education for 40 years. She began her career working in early childhood family education (ECFE) when it was in its pilot phase and parent/child classes were new.

Pearson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica as an early childhood teacher trainer. Upon return to the US, she earned her master’s degree at Wheelock College in infant and toddler behavior and development. Dr. Linda Gilkerson was her advisor and Dr. Berry Brazelton was her supervisor at the Child Development Institute at Harvard Medical School. It was from Drs. Gilkerson and Brazelton as she first learned about infant mental health and received reflective supervision.

Returning to Minnesota she helped establish the Infant and Early Childhood Division of the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH). She worked with ECFE programs to create partnerships with hospitals to reach and serve parents of newborns. Later as an early childhood special educator and interagency facilitator, she provided home visits to children 0-3 and facilitated work with community partners to provide coordinated services.

At Bethel she was the director of the early childhood teacher preparation program. Jolene earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota in the youth, family, and community program. She has published a book with Zero to Three entitled: Pathways to Positive Parenting: Helping Parents Nurture Healthy Development in the Earliest Months. In October 2024 she was a Fulbright Specialist in Slovenia at the University of Maribor in their preschool education department.

Jolene is endorsed in infant mental health as a clinical specialist IMH-E® (IV) through MACMH – Infant and Early Childhood Division.