Given the predictive nature of high-quality early childhood programs on children's social and learning outcomes, effective leadership is critical to facilitate program improvement. Recognizing the need for cohesive conceptual frameworks that undergird research-based practice, a 5-year training institute for early childhood program directors was…

The brief explains how exposing young children to early math concepts supports their development of reasoning and problem solving skills and later success in and out of school. It describes the unique ways each of five family engagement programs funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation developed, tested, and integrated early math learning into…

The first years of life lay the foundations for a child's future development and learning. Many countries have increased their financial support for provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC) over the past years. More recently, the focus of debate has been shifting from expanding access to affordable ECEC to enhancing its quality. A…

Recently a school district colleague recounted a conversation with a young kindergarten teacher that had shaken her to her core. The kindergarten teacher (let's call her Ms. Post) said that nobody talks about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) anymore--everyone is way past that. The author and her colleague, two mature early childhood…

Chronicles the experiences of a rural West Virginia school district as it moved toward implementing developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten through Grade 2. Examines the development of a plan for assessment and professional growth, and recommendations of the K-2 task force. Describes how four professional development goals were…

Examines factors contributing to and preventing the implementation of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early childhood education. Presents basic guidelines for DAP, illustrates the use of "both/and" thinking in early childhood practice, and describes the conversion of one school district to DAP. Concludes that administrative…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of Project TIES (Towards Inclusion in Early Education), a federally funded demonstration model training program designed to enhance the abilities of child care providers and trainers to include young children, birth to five, with disabilities in developmentally appropriate child care…

As the demand for quality intergenerational care increases, it is imperative that intergenerational care providers exhibit developmentally appropriate practice across the lifespan. This paper defines intergenerational programming and discusses the emergence of intergenerational studies as integrating the fields of early childhood education and…

The authors describe "Zero to Three"'s partnership with Gymboree Play and Music (GPM) to integrate more child development and parenting education into the company's parent-child art, music, and movement classes. It was "Zero to Three"'s first collaboration with a large, private-sector service provider to assist teachers in their efforts to help…

Drawing on experiences in North America, the United Kingdom, and other countries, this book examines the debate over the overall vision for early childhood education. The nature and quality of the United Kingdom's and other countries' culture is questioned in respect to the future it provides for children. The question of who is able to provide a…

This book brings together the combined wisdom of a diverse group of experts involved with early childhood mathematics. The book originates from the landmark 2000 Conference on Standards for Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Mathematics Education, attended by representatives from almost every state developing standards for young children's…

This report presents data collected in a pilot study of 55 day care programs in 14 states by the National Child Care Association. Information was gathered through: (1) day care center self-evaluations; (2) surveys of staff, parents, and children; and (3) on-site visits. The first of the report's two sections presents data from the self-evaluations…

Based on the experiences of teachers, principals, and parents involved in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), this book is a collection of accounts and reflections by teachers or administrators who have engaged in developing and implementing nongraded primary education programs. The articles in this book are: (1) "Reforming the…

Noting that early childhood education is recognized as critical to a child's educational career, this 7-part videotape series focuses on developmentally appropriate practices in the components of quality early childhood programs, providing an opportunity for acquiring working knowledge, observing classroom models, and reflecting on one's own…

This set of training videotapes teaches the key points of the "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs--Revised Edition." The videos present more than 3 hours of programming produced in short stand- alone programs ranging in length from 3 to 20 minutes. The videos are designed to be used in a variety of ways to stimulate…