Jennifer Chen

Dr. Jennifer Chen is a tenured Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education at Kean University, with secondary affiliation as a Senior Research Fellow at NIEER, Rutgers University. Her scholarly work spans early childhood education, AI in educational contexts, language and literacy, and teacher well-being.

Education:

• Ed.D., Human Development & Psychology, Harvard University
• Ed.M., Language & Literacy, Harvard University
• M.A., Bilingual/Bicultural Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
• B.A., Psychology with minor in Linguistics, Barnard College, Columbia University

Her research focuses on teaching practices, ethical AI use in early childhood education, and social-emotional development during remote/hybrid instruction. She developed the POWER framework to guide AI integration in ECE.

The 2025-2024 publications highlight her work in AI ethics, teacher resilience, global-local curriculum dynamics, and SEL strategies for low-income and pandemic-affected populations.

Scientific Awards:

• 2023 Exchange Leadership Initiative Leader
• 2023 NAECTE Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator Award
• 2022 NJAECTE Distinguished Scholarship Award
• 2021 Kean Presidential Excellence Award for Scholarship
• 2020 NAECTE Established Career Award for Research
• Fulbright Scholar Research Award

She serves as PI for a $2.7M U.S. Department of Education grant (2022–2026) and has been recognized as a mentor and leader in early childhood education.