Dr. Jennifer Hart has a B.S. and M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and a Ph.D. in Special Education; all earned from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Hart is a ‘Highly Qualified’ State of Nevada licensed teacher and a certified primary Montessori teacher. Her experience includes preparing inclusive learning environments for young children within public and private schools as well as lecturing on a rich array of early childhood and early childhood special education topics at universities in the United States and Australia.

Dr. Hart serves as an advocate for the inclusion of young boys’ rough play within early childhood settings. Her research of boys’ aggressive sociodramatic play (e.g., rough-and-tumble play, superhero play, fantasy play, “bad guy” play, play fighting, and gun play) has captured the interest of local and national media as it continues to be controversial among educators and parents. More specifically, she is interested in the perceptions and benefits of all types of aggressive play behavior, the developmental impact this play behavior has on young children—particularly boys—and the needed reform of state and national policies that ban such play.

Teaching areas

• EEC1603 Early Childhood Development
• EEC1223 Observation & Assessment of Young Children
• EEC1308 Early Childhood Planning & Management
• EEC 2312 Developing Creative Activities for Young Children
• EEC 3005 Child Growth & Development in Early Childhood
• EEC 3204 Curriculum in Early Childhood Education
• EEC 4408 Family, Teacher, & Community Relations in Early Childhood
• EEC 4227 Creative Arts for Early Childhood Education
• EEX 3012 Nature & Needs of Exceptional Students K-12
• EEX 4221 Educational Assessment of Exceptional Students

Course Coordinator

• EEC1603 Early Childhood Development
• EEC1223 Observation & Assessment of Young Children
• EEC1308 Early Childhood Planning & Management
• EEC 2312 Developing Creative Activities for Young Children
• EEC 1512 Caring for Infants & Toddlers
• EEC 2271 Introduction to Working with Young Children with Special Needs
• EEC 3204 Curriculum in Early Childhood Education
• EEC 3403 Young Children with Special Needs
• EEC 4227 Creative Arts for Early Childhood Education
• EEC 4408 Family, Teacher, & Community Relations in Early Childhood
• EEC 4706 Early & Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood

Research areas

• Young children’s playful aggression
• Young boys' learning environments

Fun facts

• Native Floridian
• Lived in KY, TN, MD, and NV
• Lived on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia for 6 years (Sorry, Mate, no cool accent for me.)
• Enjoys running, boating, Stand Up Paddleboarding, and time with family

St. Petersburg College Community

• Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CETL) Board Vice Chair
• Pride Club Faculty Sponsor & Proud Ally

St. Petersburg Community

• Coordinates a FREE 5K run/walk every Saturday at Weedon Island Preserve - check out parkrun.com