The Early Learning Framework is a document written primarily for educators and others involved in and supporting early learning, with a focus on children from birth to age eight (approximately grade 3). The Framework recognizes that families have the most important role in the development of their children's well-being and learning. Nurturing a…

Young children experiencing toxic stress has negative consequences on their development. The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of toxic stress in young children and the classroom practices used to assist students experiencing toxic stress from two rural early childhood centers in an eastern state in the United States.…

While numerous facts and figures point towards the increasing opportunities for women and their growing participation in economic, political and public decision-making processes, women remain in disadvantaged positions compared to men in many places of the world (World Economic Forum, 2015). Gender bias is deeply embedded in cultures, economies,…

This is the second in a series of articles examining the role of sensory integration in early childhood. In the first article in this series "Supporting Sensory-Sensitive Children in a Sensory-Intensive World"(EJ1303498), the author defined terminology related to sensory issues that frequently appear in young children, in addition to…

Extracting the statistical regularities present in the environment is a central learning mechanism in infancy. For instance, infants are able to learn the associations between simultaneously or successively presented visual objects (Fiser & Aslin, 2002; Kirkham, Slemmer & Johnson, 2002). The present study extends these results by…

Background: Scaffolding can be observed during learning-based interactions, when interventions by parents are adjusted according to children's observed abilities, with the main goal of enabling the child to work independently (Wood "et al.", 1976, "Journal of child psychology and psychiatry," 17, 89). Such contingent…

Current global conceptions of childhood dictate that all children are entitled to a childhood that provides protection, preparation, and child development for the whole child. We analyze 65 years of policy documents from the influential multilateral agency UNICEF focusing on how cultural ideas have changed over time and how they have blended into…

Children's and adolescents' narratives of interpersonal experiences can inform our understanding of developmental shifts in the use of personhood concepts. We present results from two studies ("n"s = 90, 112) with children aged five to 16 years. In the first study, children were asked to describe one positive and another negative…

The present study compared the course of parent-report and actigraphy-derived sleep profiles over a 1-year period, in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and 14 nights of actigraphy were used to assess sleep profiles. Parents also completed the Spence…

This article describes a kindergarten teacher's incorporation of children's literature for dynamic learning frame, growth mind-set, and social justice development into her classroom literacy instruction. The authors first compare a dynamic learning frame with a growth mind-set, explaining their use of the former because of its consideration for…

The federal government has a unique responsibility to address educational inequality and educational quality for all children. Regardless of how the new US Secretary of Education is going to redefine or reframe the federal education agenda, the author thinks all the stakeholders need to continue to focus on their work so that the federal…

Effective discipline involves the use of negative consequences, including reasoning as well as modest levels of power assertion, to discourage unacceptable behavior. A brief history of changing views of discipline is presented and recent positions outlined. Successful discipline requires the imposition of clear and consistent rules, autonomy…

Both touch and speech independently have been shown to play an important role in infant development. However, little is known about how they may be combined in the input to the child. We examined the use of touch and speech together by having mothers read their 5-month-olds books about body parts and animals. Results suggest that speech+touch…

The communication process between care providers and children can, at times, be complex. Young children typically lack the verbal language necessary for complex emotional expression. In this article, the authors contend that using some basic "child centered play therapy" (CCPT) techniques would be beneficial in enhancing communicative…

Debates on the effect of poverty on brain development in children and its implications for learning have been raging for decades. Research suggests that poverty affects brain development in children and that the implications for learning are more compelling today given the attention the issue has attracted. For instance, studies in the fields of…