This comprehensive text gives pre-service early childhood educators a balanced, accessible introduction to early childhood education that also covers the content areas. It shows readers how to teach and care for children by identifying and focusing on five essential elements: understanding child development, play, guidance, working with families,…

Grounded in theory and research, "The All-Day Kindergarten and Pre-K Curriculum" provides an activity-based and classroom-proven curriculum for educators to consider as they plan and interact with pre-k and kindergarten children. Allowing young children the opportunities to become independent, caring, critical thinkers who feel comfortable asking…

"Early Learning and Development" provides a unique synthesis of cultural-historical theory from Vygotsky, Elkonin and Leontiev in the 20th century to the ground-breaking research of scholars such as Siraj-Blatchford, Kratsova and Hedegaard today. It demonstrates how development and learning are culturally embedded and institutionally defined, and…

Synthesizing cutting-edge research from multiple disciplines, this book explores how young children acquire knowledge in the "real world" and describes practical applications for early childhood classrooms. The breadth and depth of a child's knowledge base are important predictors of later literacy development and academic achievement. Leading…

The Creative Curriculum for early childhood education is a teaching framework that addresses children's emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This supplement to the Creative Curriculum is designed to enhance teachers' effectiveness in understanding how content is linked to teaching and learning in a developmentally appropriate curriculum…

Noting the ever-increasing need for quality day care, and the resulting necessity for child caregivers to address the complex development of social, emotional, and motivational structures within a child, this book offers a guide for understanding and fostering the emotional growth of young children. Following an introduction which defines emotion…

This book examines historical features from antiquity through present times that are important to early childhood scholars. Chapter 1 presents the history of education, including discussions of educational practices from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries in Europe and the United States, recent efforts to merge preschool and…

Based on the view that blocks are a tool that preschool teachers can use to teach all the skills and concepts necessary for children to be successful learners, this guide presents over 50 activities to enhance the preschool and kindergarten classroom's block corner. Chapter 1 of the guide illustrates the skills learned through block play in the…

This book describes some of the activities of the Hanna Perkins School in Cleveland, Ohio, which was founded in 1950 to provide education and treatment for emotionally disturbed young children. Specifically, the book examines the experiences and findings of the Mother-Toddler Group, established at the school in 1985, which enrolls 6 toddlers and…

Regardless of the racial or ethnic composition of their classrooms, teachers need to develop a multicultural classroom environment in which they: (1) teach children to respect others' cultures and values; (2) help all children learn to function successfully in a multicultural, multiracial society; (3) develop a positive self-concept in those…

This monograph describes the curriculum of the child development center of the Early Childhood-Special Education Teacher Preparation Program. The center provides a model preschool program in which teacher trainees work with children, ages 2-6, (several of whom have developmental deficiencies). The curriculum is designed to help teacher trainees…

Effective teaching requires skill in implementing challenging and inviting curricular activities. It also involves evaluating children's learning in order to extend their development through the school year. Being able to implement and evaluate at the same time is at the heart of good teaching. Written for PreK-3 educators, this book blends…

Noting that whereas British primary schools are admirable, provision of preschool education is uneven, this book examines the questionable changes brought on by recent government policies, and the consequences of those changes, enjoining policymakers to change their attitude toward early childhood education and improve the mesh between nursery and…

Recognizing the importance of providing high-quality preschool education for helping to ensure children's future educational success, this document presents guidelines for what constitutes high-quality programming across a broad spectrum of curriculum and practice for California preschools, taking into account the state's move toward higher…

Written for education students and early childhood practitioners who are implementing the Desirable Outcomes in programs in England and Wales, this book is a guide to planning the curriculum in the early years. The book is designed to be used in a range of settings, including playgroups, nurseries, and reception classes. The book considers several…