Around the world, on every continent, and in every country, children play. Though culturally contextualized, play is a global common childhood experience. There are cultural variations in children's play activities, and though play looks and sounds different across the world, there are also commonalities. Though scholars find it difficult to…

This conceptual article describes key considerations for elementary school personnel to ensure social emotional multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) are adapted for kindergarten classrooms. Kindergarten represents a unique developmental period of early childhood when 5 to 6-year-old children transition into formal schooling and experience a…

To support efforts for a transformational kindergarten year, the U.S Department of Education (Department) is launching a multistate community of practice: Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge Learning Community. State educational agencies (SEAs)and local educational agencies (LEAs) will have the opportunity to participate in peer learning, receive technical…

Early childhood assessments can provide important information to guide instruction and inform policy. Given the widespread and growing use of statewide kindergarten entry assessments (KEAs), in particular, it is important that policymakers understand how to choose and use assessments wisely. This brief summarizes research showing how authentic…

This article introduces a sequence of movement tasks to teach one-handed sidearm striking with a short implement to preK- to second-grade children. Although one-handed sidearm striking is a complex skill, learning this skill during early childhood would expand future opportunities for children to engage in various lifetime physical activities.

Kindergarteners need access to blocks as thinking tools to develop, model, test, and articulate their mathematical ideas. In the current educational landscape, resources such as blocks are being pushed to the side and being replaced by procedural worksheets and academic "seat time" in order to address standards. Mathematics research…

Although established in the last century, the theories of two well-known psychologists, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky continue to be used throughout the world to prepare teachers and caregivers of young children (ACEI/Wortham, 2013). From an historical perspective, their theories provide insight regarding children's growth, development, and…

This article describes the kindergarten unit on environmental awareness, "Who Wants to Live and Grow in a Garbage Dump?," which integrated life science, health and nutrition concepts, and relationships around the topic of "soil." Science Technology Education and Mathematics (STEM) activities used in the lesson plans were…

Today, in conjunction with the Alliance for Childhood, we are thrilled to release our new report "Reading Instruction in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose." In the report we concluded that Common Core reading requirements for kindergarten are inappropriate and not well-grounded in research. Under Common Core, students are…

Every teacher, principal, and school administrator wants their young students to thrive as they move through the transitional kindergarten and kindergarten years and into the early elementary grades. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the Local Control Funding Formula, school districts have new opportunities to…

The Individual Growth and Development Indicator (IGDI): Which One Doesn't Belong (WODB) task is an early comprehension screening assessment designed for use in pre-Kindergarten multi-tiered systems of support. This article summarizes the purpose, procedures, and evidence base currently available in the literature to support the WODB task. Example…

Engaging young students in an authentic writing process is an important part of their literacy development. Equally important is maintaining a developmentally appropriate classroom where young students explore, create, and play. In this article, the author shares her endeavors into implementing an illustration study during writer's workshop and…

In this article, I (a) illustrate how the K-2 CCSSM reflect the major findings from research studies carried out over the last 30 years on early mathematical abilities that indicate these standards are developmentally appropriate for young children, and (b) offer insights into some types of instructional strategies (e.g., student-centered…

The New York State Department of Education (NYSED) has been supporting selected districts in the planning and implementation of PreK-3rd Grade systems. NYSED is supporting the use of the Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating PreK-3rd Grade Approaches developed by Kauerz and Coffman (2013). Recognizing the ultimate goal of PreK-3rd…

Research indicates that motivation plays a central role in literacy development. Recent investigations have revealed that reading motivation begins to erode as early as second grade. Therefore, it can be suggested that motivation must be carefully considered during early literacy instruction. However, such motivating instruction can be effectively…