The purpose of this article is to provide early childhood teachers with an approach to classroom-based toilet training for urination when less intensive toilet training methods are unsuccessful. The focus of this article is on urination, but improvements in on-toilet urination may be correlated with an increase in on-toilet defecation (Perez et…

Persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood can interfere and disrupt children's engagement in social and academic activities within their homes, schools, and communities (Brauner & Stephens, 2006; Division for Early Childhood [DEC], 2017). To address this concern, DEC recommends that early childhood practitioners use functional…

Public libraries offer a wide range of developmental support and learning opportunities for young children with and without disabilities. Libraries in many communities function as hubs and places of support for parenting, literacy, education, technology, as well as general local, and health information. A research team recently conducted focus…

Teaching children with individualized education programs (IEPs) can pose challenges such as determining materials to use, managing the materials, and keeping data organized. This paper reviews those challenges that teachers (e.g., general and special education) encounter and describes the necessity for systematic data collection. Guidelines are…

The purpose of this special issue is to introduce ways in which the field of early childhood special education can use the Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (EI/ECSE) (birth through age 8). In this article, the following applications are identified and guidance is…

With increasing demand for early childhood professionals and inclusive opportunities for children with disabilities in the state, the special education (SPED) faculty at State University recognized the need for a new early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ ECSE) educator preparation program. The department already offered…

Self-determination is a dispositional characteristic, expressed when people act as causal agents in their lives. It develops throughout the life course, starting in early childhood. Causal Agency Theory defines three self-determined actions that lead to self-determination, which are (1) volitional action: including making conscious choices based…

With the inception of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Comprehensive Systems of Personnel Development (CSPD) programs have been the infrastructure to coordinate services under IDEA for monitoring program implementation, workforce development, policy and procedure enforcement, and technical assistance. Although no longer an…

The ability to adapt positively to change is called resilience (Center for the Developing Child, n.d.). Individual and collective resilience are cultivated in the context of nurturing and supportive relationships (Gittell, 2008; National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004). Ideally, this should occur in the early stages of change and…

Meeting the strengths and needs of young children and families from diverse linguistic backgrounds is increasingly critical within early childhood programs. Research suggests that implementing culturally and linguistically sustaining practices can result in positive outcomes for young children and their families. In this article, the authors…

In this article, four early childhood teacher educators share a few ways in which they work to prepare early childhood teachers committed to equity and inclusion within the context of a graduate-level preservice program in a large urban center. Diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, language repertoires, and experiences, they all engage in…

Children who have more opportunities to engage in discourse that reflects the use of inferential language have better outcomes than children who have limited exposure to the use of inferential language. Many interventions that aim to improve children's language and comprehension however continue to focus more on literal language. Many language…

Parent involvement and regular communication between families and their child's school is a hallmark of a high-quality early childhood program. Yet practitioners may struggle to regularly communicate and connect with all families in a meaningful way. Teachers report feeling unprepared to communicate effectively with families, especially those from…

For many early childhood (EC) professionals, interacting with children and families who bring varying perspectives and experiences can be both challenging and rewarding. Professionals' skills, belief systems, and knowledge are often challenged when they work with families whose lifestyles, traditions, beliefs, languages, and situations are…

In early care and education (ECE), including early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE), professionals regularly express a love for the individualized nature of the work with children and families as a large reason why they enter this workforce. This article aims to provide ECE professionals supporting young children with…