An individual is born with millions of neurons and the quality of the experiences he/she will have at the early years can potentially determine the future life of that person. This makes quality early childhood education pivotal. However, the perception people have about this influence how they prepare themselves to provide that quality early…

Redshirting gives younger athletes an additional year to develop skills and extends their playing eligibility, since colleges allow these freshmen five years to attend and compete. On the other end of the student age spectrum, many parents of preschoolers have bought into this concept, choosing to delay their child's entry into kindergarten for a…

Educators and educational theorists frequently employ a gardening metaphor to capture several child-centred principles about teaching and children, i.e. teachers must respect a child's unique interests and abilities, recognise what is developmentally appropriate for students, and resist pursuing a narrow set of outcomes. Historically, however,…

There are multiple explanations for why many children do not have access to well-prepared pre-K teachers. The five programs profiled in this report show that it is possible to give pre-K teachers rich, research-based training that prepares them to work with young children. However, there is a scarcity of opportunities focused on the developmental…

This study examined the impact of Child Development Associate (CDA) training on the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers who did not have college degrees or early childhood college coursework. Preschool teachers who were enrolled in CDA classes (n = 76) and a comparison group of teachers (n = 50) completed two surveys of beliefs and…

This report documents the practices and outcomes of Alice Birney, a public K-8 Waldorf-Inspired School in Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). This study highlights how such a school addresses students' academic, social, emotional, physical, and creative development. Birney students outperform similar students in SCUSD on several…

The expansion of publicly-funded preschool education is currently the focus of a prominent debate. At present, 42% of 4-year-olds attend publicly funded preschool (28% attend public prekindergarten programs, 11% Head Start, and 3% special education preschool programs). A vigorous debate about the merits of preschool education is underway, although…

Investigated the relationship between developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom and preschoolers' perception of self-confidence. Found that developmentally appropriate practice influenced social development, and that teaching strategies, curriculum goals, motivation, and guidance of social-emotional development predicted peer…

This policy brief explores kindergarten readiness observation and its benefits to local and state level stakeholders; highlights efforts by California counties and other states to measure school readiness; and makes recommendations for moving toward statewide use of kindergarten readiness observation tools. Key points include: (1) Early efforts to…

Meeting a crucial need, this book provides clear recommendations for authentic developmental assessment of children from infancy to age 6, including those with developmental delays and disabilities. It describes principles and strategies for collecting information about children's everyday activities in the home, preschool, and community, which…

This paper chronicles the development of two children with severe disabilities who were fully included in a community child care center that implemented a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum. Data indicate that the children made progress in all areas of development over the nine-month school year. (Author/DB)

Explored the relationship between the developmental appropriateness of kindergarten classroom instruction and first-grade overall and individual subject area reading test averages. Found that first graders from more appropriate kindergarten classrooms had higher reading averages than children from less appropriate kindergarten classrooms. Gender…

This report examines how early educational opportunities affect child development and eventually adult productivity. The report also discusses some implications for developing countries. The effectiveness of educational programs for infants to 2.5-year-olds has not yet been demonstrated. However programs that ensure health, nutrition,…

Explores some widely held assumptions concerning the role of child development knowledge in teaching young children. Issues explored include What does the term "development" mean? What child development knowledge should be learned? Can we agree on a body of child development knowledge and principles? Why has the role of child development knowledge…

Examines issues pertaining to the development of a formal knowledge base to guide the thinking and practice of early childhood teachers. Discusses the authors' views on formal knowledge, practice and reflection, and the process of teacher education, and how these views are operationalized in the master's level program at Erikson Institute in…