Do young children understand the complex mathematics in the petals of a daisy, the Fibonacci sequence in the spiral of a pinecone, the fractal geometry in the leaves of a fern, or the "golden ratio" in the seed pattern of a sunflower? Probably not, but they certainly can observe and recognize the patterns and compare them to similar…

Young children's development takes place across multiple strands to support readiness for literacy and other academic learning. These strands include: (1) physical development; (2) social engagement; and (3) language development. This article describes some common things that can be looked for within each of these strands when children are three…

Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children (SWVPP) is an important part of the state's comprehensive early childhood effort, providing more opportunities for young children to access quality preschool and enter school ready to learn. The preschool programs are expected to serve four-year-old children with a range of…

Research has shown that male teachers in early childhood settings play a crucial role in providing male role models, offering diverse perspectives, and helping children develop positive gender-role stereotypes. Therefore, it is crucial for Early Head Start programs to increase the representation of male teachers to ensure that all children can…

As a philosophical basis of education, 'love' is crucial to early childhood education. For this reason, early childhood education should cultivate young children's loving attitudes. Hence, by analysing related work, this paper explored how love-based relationships may be developed between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood…

The aim of the paper is to briefly explain the relationship between "early and preschool-aged children's play" and social-emotional learning (SEL). Play, as the child's dominant activity, ensures his full and healthy development and SEL makes a significant contribution to it. As SEL is important for a children's healthy growth, it has…

Conversations with families about understanding and nurturing their young child's development can be both rewarding and challenging. In this article, two seasoned HealthySteps specialists and two HealthySteps physician champions were asked to reflect on this central aspect of their mission in serving infants, toddlers, and families and on what…

Parents are recognized as having a significant impact on their young child's learning and development. Parent-implemented intervention (PII) is an evidence-based practice that provides parents with ample opportunities to learn and implement new strategies that support their child's development. However, implementation of these training programs in…

This article demonstrates the importance of school psychologists' understanding of which type of cognitive or developmental measure is most appropriate when working with young children with cerebral palsy (CP). Cognitive profiles vary greatly within this population and motor impairments also need to be taken into consideration. School…

Play is widely acknowledged as being critical for children's development, yet opportunities for play are becoming more scarce for many children.

Scaffolding is the process through which a learner is provided with support to complete a task that surpasses their individual abilities (Van de Pol et al., 2010). The purpose of this article is to describe a framework to support early childhood educators' reflection and intentional planning of scaffolding to support children's development within…

Despite receiving scant attention, the evolution of categorization in early childhood is of central importance, not only in clarifying the child's understanding of the world but in terms of refining cognitive organization and augmenting the development of semantic memory. In this review, we outline how categorization develops and is made manifest…

States need a policy and systems infrastructure that creates a robust continuum of mental health supports and services for infants, young children, and families. One critical element of this continuum is developmentally appropriate diagnosis. "DC:0-5[TM]: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and…

There are two ways of understanding child development. The first places emphasis on the human cultural dimension. The essential component of culture is a system of cultural norms known as "ideal forms," wherein the adult acts as a bearer of these ideal forms or culture. From this standpoint, the child acquires already established forms…

A chorus of young voices sang along with a video clip of the YouTube version of "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes" being played as the introduction for an art activity. A university student led the art lesson as part of a special topics course that provided art experiences for preschool-aged children enrolled in the therapeutic…