Last February, in search of expanded thinking, the author led a group of 20 early childhood professionals on a study tour to Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The group included two Canadians and two Aussies, with everyone else from the United States. While they knew they had much to learn from the overall system of early childhood education in NZ, the…

The task of creating organizational policies and systems that promote and support reflective teaching is multifaceted and seldom enumerated in early childhood professional literature. One of the best overviews the author has found comes from Carol Brunson Phillips and Sue Bredekamp (1998). The author opines that if the early childhood profession…

Presents an inventive approach to professional development in early childhood education and care settings. Focuses on how early childhood programs shape the stories of individual children, the importance of planning physical environments to shape stories and remembering the power of the social-emotional environment, and the need to include…

Presents strategies for child care directors' professional development: (1) experience the concept of balance physically through yoga or another activity; (2) think of roles as a triangle comprised of managing and overseeing tasks, teaching and coaching, and building and supporting community; (3) get out of isolation through networking; and (4)…

Presents child-care directors' opinions regarding influences on their thinking about staff development. Suggests strategies for keeping professional-development efforts on track, such as using the questions emerging from working with children as a basis for learning, incorporating time and systems for thinking about learning, forming a book/study…

Describes the change strategies involved in moving a mediocre child care program onto the road to excellence. Highlights strategies focusing on changing staff perceptions of themselves and their practices with families, obtaining honest observations of staff, visiting other programs for inservice training, examining educational practices in terms…

Presents principles and strategies for child care coaching and mentoring systems, including: (1) think in terms of a learning and empowerment process; (2) treat staff as you would have them treat children; (3) provide training for different needs and interests; (5) emphasize dispositions as much as skills and knowledge; and (6) build a community…

Provides strategies to help teachers develop their self awareness and voice about what they know in the following knowledge areas: (1) self knowledge; (2) child development knowledge; and (3) knowledge about individual children and families. Suggests that these strategies help teachers consolidate their knowledge and develop professionally. (SD)

How quickly can new staff members who come with minimal qualifcations in early childhood education be trained? Is there a way to develop a sense of history and community in child care programs, honoring diversity while documenting the learning process and engagement individuals have with each other? In an age of fast-paced electronic media and…

Written for child care center directors, this book offers a framework for thinking about and organizing the director's work along with principles and strategies to cultivate the kind of thinking and activities that support a vision of early childhood programs as learning communities. Chapter 1, "Guiding Your Program with a Vision," offers a vision…

Argues for developing a storytelling culture in early childhood programs to encourage staff enthusiasm and engagement. Describes five development strategies: (1) descriptive observation; (2) using children's books in staff meetings; (3) creating persona doll stories; (4) using stories from professional literature; and (5) creating visual stories…

This handbook is a resource for preschool curriculum planning. Chapter 1, "Begin with Yourself," provides checklists, comparative charts, and guiding questions for self-assessment of knowledge and experiences. Chapter 2, "Revitalizing the Environment," provides tools to assess the learning environment and makes suggestions…