Growing Up With Ella Jenkins

Growing Up With Ella Jenkins, released in 2002 by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, serves as a retrospective compilation of the career of Ella Jenkins, often referred to as the First Lady of Children's Music. The album was produced to consolidate her vast influence on educational folk music, drawing from tracks originally recorded during her long tenure with Folkways Records, which began in the mid-1950s. The release reflects the label's commitment to preserving American cultural heritage by ensuring Jenkins' interactive, rhythmic style of teaching through song remained accessible to a new generation of listeners.

The album's design and curation reflect the signature pedagogical approach Jenkins developed throughout her career, emphasizing the use of simple, repetitive structures that encourage children to participate in call-and-response singing. The material was meticulously selected to highlight her skill in blending international musical traditions—such as African percussion and spirituals—with standard children's folk songs. Upon its release, the collection was received as a definitive educational resource, praised by music historians and early childhood educators for its authentic approach to fostering community and linguistic development in young audiences.