"What Are Preschoolers Thinking?" dispels common misconceptions about the cognitive abilities of preschoolers and demonstrates how effective early instruction can help eradicate achievement gaps. More Judith A. Schickedanz, Molly F. Collins, and Catherine Marchant, educators and researchers with combined decades of experience in early…

As teachers worldwide struggle to serve an ever-increasing number of children and their families who do not speak the dominant language, the authors present a research-based scenario illustrating practices in Hungarian preschools.

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.

Children's development of foundational mathematics concepts begins long before they enter the kindergarten classroom. Early experiences with color, shape, and pattern recognition as well as the ability to seriate sizes all contribute to a strong beginning to young children's mathematical conceptual development. This article presents how a…

As early childhood educators employ technology in their classrooms, it is important to have a process to ensure that learning needs are being met.

Children face increased demands for interpersonal as well as learning-related social skills, especially by the vulnerable stage of school entry, due to the more structured setting, new academic requirements, and the fact that children are supposed to interact successfully within a larger and heterogeneous peer group. Although a plethora of…

At the preschool level in Malaysia, all preschools, including those from public and private sectors are required to follow the guidelines stated in the National Preschool Standard-based Curriculum (NPSC) issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2017. However, the NPSC is very general and schools are not provided with any further guidance on…

States and local communities are increasing access to preschool, but there is a significant divide when it comes to the quality of these early learning programs. Education and training requirements for preschool educators vary based on setting and state regulations, and while districts and nonprofits may offer professional learning, effective…

Four early childhood educators, along with a university researcher, describe their efforts to implement an antiracist, antibias curriculum in a daycare and preschool setting. Even very young children can learn important lessons about race, diversity, and equity, they argue, and teachers should not shy away from addressing these issues at staff…

Observation is a useful tool, even in infant and toddler classrooms. Applied correctly, observation and assessment can help lay a foundation for a successful education throughout life. As appropriate practices are researched and policies change, teachers and caregivers of the youngest children (referred to as careteachers for this article) find…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) bring new attention to the role of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in the preK-3 curriculum. However, research indicates that early-childhood preservice teachers feel ill-prepared to teach STEM due to a lack of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. The goal of teacher…

Working with children under five years old and the adults that accompany them is a rapidly growing area within the museum and wider cultural sector, with important emphasis being placed on early learning in both the United Kingdom and United States. For history museums in particular, early learning offers a unique set of questions and challenges,…

States have often introduced programs supporting science, technology, engineering and math in the secondary grades. Yet the evidence of STEM's positive impact on young children's development makes a compelling case for engaging learners in pre-K through third grade in consistent, authentic and high-quality STEM experiences. High-quality P-3 STEM…

Rigorous DAP (developmentally appropriate practices) is a set of 11 principles of instruction intended to help close early childhood learning gaps. Academically rigorous learning environments create the conditions for children to learn at high levels. While academic rigor focuses on one dimension of education--academic--DAP considers the whole…

The purpose of the Early Childhood Essentials Framework is to synthesize and communicate the essential skills and competencies children should be acquiring before they enter kindergarten and the related skills and competencies early childhood educators must cultivate in order to provide high-quality early learning experiences that will set all…