Sozo Kurahashi's (1882-1955) theories, formed from his profound respect for children, have influenced Japanese early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners for a long time. They also have influenced the national ECEC curriculum in Japan, which emphasizes the need for a rich environment where children can actively learn and play rather…

Family Literacy is an intergenerational program that brings parents and preschool- or elementary-age children to school together. It can provide a depth in education that allows learning opportunities for children and the adults in their lives. As relationships are built, learning becomes circular between parents, children, and teachers. This…

From birth to preschool years, before the young children become conventional readers and writers, children are involved in a developmental process known as "emergent literacy," a concept that was coined by Marie Clay (a New Zealand scholar) in 1966. During this stage, children engage naturally in unconventional literacy behaviors such as…

In the area of early literacy, the children learned new vocabulary to describe the attributes of triangles and shapes. Through math talk and class discussions, the children also learned about listening to others, turn taking, and voicing their ideas. Although the children described in this article were generally competent in the English language…

An increasingly important element of the learning journey for children around the world is the vital role school libraries play in supporting literacy, health, and wellbeing, as well as improving attainment across the curriculum. The Scottish Government established the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) administered by the Scottish Library and…

As a culturally diverse urban school, St. Mary's Nursery School has a unique landscape for work with young children. This diversity brings with it a myriad of different perspectives about the world, about education, and about children. At the school, using some of the tenets from Reggio Emilia have helped staff identify and use practices that…

This article describes a project-based social studies activity that gave young children the autonomy to photograph what they wanted within the classroom environment while interacting with peers. Social studies learning in the early years has great potential to offer active, playful, and meaningful experiences for children and can prepare young…

Early language experiences are vital to children's future success in school and quality language-rich interactions can be promoted at home and around the community in many creative ways. Project ELLO (Everyday Language and Learning Opportunities) is a research-based public engagement campaign that began as a novel and efficient way to address…

Located in Central Vietnam, right on the coast of the South Chinese Sea, Da Nang is a typical example of a fast-expanding city. Lack of opportunities in rural areas and the growing industry in the city attract many newcomers. While cities offer many sustainable development opportunities for both individuals and society, rapid urbanization does…

Italian makerspace is based on the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach founded by Loris Malaguzzi, in which the environment plays a critical role in children's development. Malaguzzi believed that the makerspace is the third teacher (joining family and classroom teachers), and children express themselves through a "hundred…

Early childhood care and education provide the underpinning of high-quality basic education. While it is indisputable that the family and home environment are critical to children's development, education programs outside the home provide children with the basic cognitive and language skills they need to succeed in school. Early childhood…

Context has a significant impact on the relative success of efforts to innovate in the classroom. Thus, it is important to understand the role of school leaders as both gatekeepers and facilitators within their specific context.

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

Sweden which has been long considered a champion of human rights, immigration-based multiculturalism has received domestic criticism. The resulting strong consensus supports multiculturalism that is "understood as active efforts to make public institutions more inclusive and hospitable to ethnic and religious diversity." This article…

Efforts to improve education should not neglect to provide the rich play opportunities that benefit children in so many ways. In Tanzania, the pre-primary curriculum, for example, guides teachers to use play as the primary method of teaching and learning. Despite this policy mandate for play, however, abundant evidence indicates that Tanzanian…