Early childcare programs are vulnerable to heatwaves, wildfires, storms, and power outages--conditions worsened by climate change. These events disrupt options, reduce outdoor time, and pose direct health risks to children and staff. As thermal conditions become uncomfortable or unsafe, childcare programs may reduce outdoor activities, limiting…

This article explores the vital but often overlooked role of inferencing in early reading comprehension. While foundational decoding skills such as phonological awareness and fluency are essential, reading comprehension depends equally on children's ability to construct meaning beyond the words on the page. Drawing on the "Simple View of…

Like many Montessori educators, the author was immediately drawn to the materials Maria Montessori designed for children in the conscious absorbent mind. They are simple, beautiful, and attractive to children. To many, including some parents, these materials are the essence of Montessori. However, Maria Montessori herself thought of her Method as…

Caribbean nations have leaned on and undergirded their early childhood programmes with Developmentally Appropriate Practices promulgated by the NAEYC. For many years the guidance provided by DAP has been used in both the development of standards of practice for early childhood professionals as well as curriculum development. In recent years…

The construct of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) has become a hallmark for educational practice in the United States. From DAP's initial publication in 1986 to the most recent revision published in 2022, DAP serves as a reference point for teacher education to support effective teachers' development and practice. However, DAP is a…

Early childhood teachers had to restructure instruction when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and instruction was completed online. The problem was that early childhood teachers faced challenges using developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain understanding of how Midwestern kindergarten teachers use developmentally appropriate play-based practices to support the standards in their classrooms. Five participants were selected based on meeting the criteria of being a kindergarten teacher in a Midwestern school district who incorporates…

Adaptive teachers use student data to guide instruction. Learn about using an anecdotal record form to support adaptive teaching. In this article, the authors describe how teachers can use learning trajectories to make adaptive decisions to meet the needs of their students. They provide an example using the U .S. Math Recovery Council's learning…

"Systems Approach to Early Childhood Development: Bridging Theory, Policy and Practice" offers a comprehensive and compelling, evidence-based roadmap for strengthening development in early childhood years. Drawing on neuroscience, developmental psychology, developmental diversity and laws for protecting children, the book presents the…

The National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence sought out schools that provide effective support in general education curriculum and settings for students who benefit from intensive instruction and support. The Center used knowledge learned from these sites to develop and inform its model for advancing rightful presence in schools,…

Policymakers' reforms continue to narrow the landscape of early childhood education to a limited set of practices centered on improving children's academic performance. These changes not only influence the training preservice teachers receive but also impact their sensemaking of how to teach the students in their future classrooms. Such challenges…

"What Are Preschoolers Thinking?" dispels common misconceptions about the cognitive abilities of preschoolers and demonstrates how effective early instruction can help eradicate achievement gaps. More Judith A. Schickedanz, Molly F. Collins, and Catherine Marchant, educators and researchers with combined decades of experience in early…

Whether teachers claim their choice to include religious art supports teaching tolerance and critical thinking, culture, tradition, or any other goal, they only rarely choose religious art because of its specific religious content. Instead, they tend to use art that serves some other pedagogical purpose while also being religious. Religious art…

National science reform documents recommend several nature of science (NOS) elements to introduce to children early in the science curriculum. A researcher developed questionnaire was used to gather information from a random, national sample about early elementary teachers' perceptions of the developmental appropriateness of 12 NOS aspects for the…

The aim of this study is to determine the views of psychology graduate students on sexual crimes, crime sanctions and education. In the study, since the views of psychology graduate students on sexual crimes, crime sanctions and education were examined, a holistic single case study design was used. While determining the study group, convenience…