The cornerstone of the High/Scope approach to early elementary education is the belief that active learning is fundamental to the full development of human potential and that active learning occurs most effectively in settings that provide developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. This guide and accompanying videotape are intended to…

The Building Blocks to Colorado's Content Standards were developed to connect early childhood education to the K-12 content standards, to advocate for appropriate teaching strategies for preschool children, and to support awareness and understanding of early childhood foundational skills among parents and teachers. Five sets of building blocks are…

This booklet is a printed edition of a talk given to parents of children at The Aquinas Montessori School (Alexandria, Virginia) in 1966, when the school was newly opened. Later, at the request of parents, the booklet was prepared and used for parent education and information by many other Montessori schools and organizations. The booklet…

In recent years, strategies for multicultural education and human relations have been applied to progressively younger preschool children. This paper identifies five approaches to multicultural education, then goes on to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the predominant human relations approach. Challenging issues encountered in applying…

The first of the National Education Goals states that by the year 2000 all children in America will start school ready to learn. Pressed by demands for greater accountability and enhanced educational performance, states are developing standards and creating new criteria and approaches for assessing achievement. Calls to assess young children are…

A workshop designed to present teachers and administrators with information on assessment issues and instruments related to developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms is presented in this guide for trainers. The workshop is process-oriented, meaning that participants will be engaged in activities that require them to…

This handbook is intended to help Chapter 1 project staff create a developmentally appropriate early childhood program for preschool and kindergarten through second grade. It is a companion piece to two workshops developed to acquaint early childhood staff with developmentally appropriate practices. An introduction describes the philosophy and…

This document is comprised of three publications of the early childhood section of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: (1) prekindergarten mathematics standards; (2) a teacher's guide for early mathematics; and (3) a parent's handbook for early mathematics. The standards, developed by a broad-based group of individuals…

This document is the third volume of a three-volume set comprising a workshop leader's guide designed to help in-service providers conduct workshops on early childhood education for teachers, administrators, and others associated with Chapter 1 programs. The guide contains step-by-step procedures for preparing, organizing, and presenting a…

This paper sets forth a definition and operational description of a developmental program that should be of use as a guide, especially to Virginia's teachers and administrators. Also included in the paper are kindergarten curriculum objectives in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, art, social studies, family life, health, mental…

Noting that there are many criteria by which to determine whether pedagogical practices are appropriate for young children, this paper outlines a developmental approach to pedagogy for young children. Twenty-three principles of practice are outlined. The main suggestions are that a developmental approach is one that takes into account those…

Stressing the importance of collective efforts among families, early childhood care and education programs, communities, and policymakers in supporting the learning and development of children, this resource guide provides a framework for understanding and communicating a common set of developmentally appropriate expectations for young children…

The purpose of this book is to operationalize--that is, make meaningful--the Guidelines for Appropriate Curriculum Content and Assessment, developed jointly by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAESC/SDE) in 1991. The…

Recognizing the value and need for quality early childhood education programs for children ages four through eight years, the Michigan State Board of Education appointed an ad hoc committee to develop standards of quality. Based on the draft developed by this committee, this standards guide is designed to assist administrators, teachers, and…

This document is comprised of five publications of the early childhood section of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: (1) prekindergarten literacy standards; (2) a teacher's guide to prekindergarten literacy standards; (3) a parent handbook regarding early literacy; (4) a Spanish-language version of the parent handbook;…