In response to Golinkoff, Hoff, Rowe, Tamis-LeMonda, and Hirsh-Pasek's (2018) commentary, we clarify our goals, outline points of agreement and disagreement between our respective positions, and address the inadvertently harmful consequences of the word gap claim. We maintain that our study constitutes a serious empirical challenge to the word…

Educational pioneers believed that the early childhood curriculum was inappropriate for most of the children. It needed to be modified to meet each child's maturing needs, abilities, and interests. The pioneers advocated that education should be more hands-on and assist children to function successfully in society. They recommended the initiation…

Support dual-language learners as they develop the skills necessary for school readiness and success For dual-language learners--children who are learning both English and a home language--the first eight years are crucial for building strong foundations for academic success. During this time, children acquire the early literacy skills needed to…

The dynamic systems theory, a theory that goes beyond Piaget and Vygotsky, looks promising for curriculum development. In this theory it is explained how a curriculum that creates physical and psychological space for play and initiative learning (self-regulation) is being designed and how the teacher can support the enrichment of play and…

Disadvantaged children--those in poverty, minorities, or whose first language is not English--often come to kindergarten several years behind their more advantaged peers, especially in the areas of literacy and oral language development. A logical place to begin making a difference in children's literate lives is in the years before kindergarten.…

This position paper was written to assist teachers and administrators in Oregon in preparing curriculum and setting priorities for kindergarten programs. It begins by asserting that the focus of kindergarten instruction should be on the total development of the child: socioemotional, physical, and intellectual. The need for concrete learning…

A case is presented for a major overhaul in the language arts curriculum, based on the idea that traditional teaching methods, especially in reading and writing, that do not take into account children's natural tendency to make sense of their world and to base new learning on what they already know, are ineffective or even inhibitive of literacy…

The Harpersbury Hospital School in Hertfordshire, England, developed a curriculum of "mothering," or intensive, structured interaction teaching, to promote development of language, cognition, and sociability in pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties. The process approach is based on the critical learning that infants…

Cognitive development is a sequential process in which experience is structured, organized, and assimilated into an internalized scheme of reality. The quantity and quality of verbal and nonverbal communication transmitted to the child determines how well this scheme is adaptable to differing life situations. If there are interruptions in this…

Drawing on research into the importance of early childhood education, this guide provides guidance to those responsible for planning and implementing programs for young children in New York State. The guide suggests that quality preschool programs can meet the expectations of the Regents as expressed in their 1992 Early Childhood Policy Statement…

A course in child development offered at a British secondary school focused on language development. The primary objective was to sharpen college students' awareness of the language development of children they meet in their everyday lives and children they study during the course. The teacher's role is to extract linguistic theory from the…

This third volume of Current Topics in Early Childhood Education brings together the work of contributers from five nations--Australia, England, Ireland, West Germany, and the United States--and discusses a variety of issues of interest to researchers and practitioners in early childhood education. The volume deals with the following issues: a…

The purposes of the Huntsville-Madison County Education Improvement Program were: (1) to develop and demonstrate a curriculum that would improve and enrich the skills, attitudes and thinking processes of the disadvantaged preschool child; (2) to develop in-service programs that would afford teachers and other personnel better understanding of the…

The method of utilizing a criterion-referenced testing system by employing the following progression of curriculum development is recommended: 1) A theory of childhood development or learning is identified; 2) Curriculum is developed based upon that theory; 3) Criterion-referenced tests, with items stated in behavioral terms, are developed. An…

SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used…