UNIT 1. Perspectives

1. Overview of Existing Policies and Programs for Young Children, Preschool For All: Investing in a Productive and Just Society, Committee for Economic Development, 2002

When the American public starts to view early childhood education as an economic investment then, and only then, will the funding necessary for quality programs for all children begin to become available. The role of the federal government and the states in providing the incentive for businesses and communities to invest in young children can be crucial.

2. Does Universal Preschool Pay?, Business Week, April 29, 2002

Strong advocates of all children entering school ready to succeed support universal preschool offerings. However, many question the government using federal funds to support preschool. Achievement for all children, especially at-risk children, will only be attained when quality preschool experiences are available to all.

3. Eager to Learn—Educating Our Preschoolers: Executive Summary, Barbara Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, National Research Council, 2000

An esteemed committee of early childhood educators compiled a list of 19 recommendations to guide us in providing optimal learning experiences for children aged 2 to 5. Included are recommendations on appropriate curriculum, policy, teaching, and technology.

4. How Do Education and Experience Affect Teachers of Young Children?, Susan Kontos and Amanda Wilcox-Herzog, Young Children, July 2001

Three research studies point out that developmentally cohesive teacher preparation programs are most effective in preparing teachers of the young. The quality of the learning environment for the children is related to the specialized education that the teachers have received.

5. Concern Turns to Preschool Facilities, Linda Jacobson, Education Week, January 16, 2002

Throughout America, many of our youngest citizens spend their days in cramped, dirty, and unsafe environments that are not conducive to quality learning experiences. The equipment and materials along with the physical setting play a key role in the health and safety of the children. Greater attention to detail is needed if young children are to have high-quality environments in which to learn.

UNIT 2. Child Development and Families

6. Skills for School Readiness—and Life, Texas Child Care, Fall 2002

The qualities most important for lifelong learning have little to do with academic skills but much to do with social and emotional development. Children who learn compassion, independence, and perseverance during the early childhood years acquire the skills necessary for lifelong learning.

7. Look Who’s Listening, Richard Monastersky, The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 6, 2001

Language development in infants and toddlers has been researched for many years. Scientists are beginning to learn how this important area of child development is affected by both environment and heredity.

8. What’s the Difference Between Right and Wrong: Understanding How Children Think, Sandra Crosser, Earlychildhood News, May/June 2002

Sandra Crosser offers suggestions to help young children develop morality. Strategies such as allowing children to experience moral conflict, discussing and praising moral behavior, and involving children in developing classroom rules are provided.

9. Gender Expectations of Young Children and Their Behavior, Rae Pica, Earlychildhood News, October 2001

Just how much of a young child’s behavior and development is affected by environment and how much by genetic makeup is difficult to determine. Gender can affect many aspects of a child’s life, including the way that parents interact with their children, toy selection, teachers’ expectations, and interaction with peers.

10. Encouraging Fathers to Participate in the School Experiences of Young Children: The Teacher’s Role, Barry B. Frieman and Terry R. Berkeley, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 2002

When it comes to fathers being involved in their children’s education, some additional effort on the part of the teacher is often required to forge a successful partnership. It’s not that fathers don’t want to be a part of their child’s schooling, but they often don’t feel comfortable with their parenting skills or their ability to make a difference in the school setting. The authors provide strategies for helping to involve fathers in school experiences.

11. Developing High-Quality Family Involvement Programs in Early Childhood Settings, Lorenza DiNatale, Young Children, September 2002

Family participation is a predictor of school achievement by the children. Encouraging families to be involved during the preschool years is a key role of teachers of young children. Lorenza DiNatale provides suggestions for teachers on involving parents in early childhood programs.

12. No Time for Fun, Susan Garland, Parents, April 2001

As more young children have structured playtime woven into their daily schedules, signs of stress-induced behaviors are becoming more evident. Families are feeling pressured to give their children an advantage in school and in extracurricular activities by enrolling them in structured activities. The results are children who are anxious, frustrated, and tired. Normal child development can be affected in children who are overscheduled.

13. Talking to Kids About Race, Lori Miller Kase, Parents, July 2001

Parents have a responsibility to introduce their children to the topic of race from an early age. Children who hear parents speak positively about all races will grow up developing racial tolerance. What is learned in the family will be carried with the child into life.

14. Cartoon Violence: Is It as Detrimental to Preschoolers as We Think?, Kristen M. Peters and Fran C. Blumberg, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 2002

The debate continues over the effects of preschoolers watching violent cartoons. The authors argue that young children are able to reason morally and therefore their behavior is not as adversely affected by watching violent television as was once thought.

UNIT 3. Care and Educational Practices

15. Who’s Watching the Kids?, Clara Hemphill, Working Mother, April 2002

Across America, the quality of child care is very uneven. Centers in many states may exceed the maximum staffing ratios for infants and toddlers. One of the points made in this article summarizing the ninth annual report on child care is that the federal subsidy has increased for low-income families, yet child care remains unaffordable for middle-income families.

16. Creating Home-School Partnerships, Keri Peterson, Earlychildhood News, January/February 2002

Of all the partnerships an early childhood program can establish, none is more important than with parents. Research shows that engaging families in school activities can increase children’s academic progress as well as foster positive behaviors. When parents spend time assisting with homework and monitoring activities, everyone benefits. To maximize parental partnerships, teachers must first be trained in family diversity and communication.

17. For America’s Infants and Toddlers, Are Important Values Threatened by Our Zeal to “Teach”?, Eleanor Stokes Szanton, Young Children, January 2001

The values that families and teachers transmit to infants and toddlers are largely shared by all Americans. Yet, perhaps the most important value of this uniquely American cluster of characteristics is diversity. Eleanor Stokes Szanton believes that national characteristics can be unintentionally threatened if child care programs ignore choice, exploration, and self-expression.

18. All They Do Is Play? Play in Preschool, Angie Dorrell, Earlychildhood News, March/April 2000

Valuable learning takes place during children’s play. As they engage in preschool center play, children enhance their creativity. They also develop language and practice social skills. Angie Dorrell notes that an important teachers’ role is to ensure that every center has good equipment and materials.

19. 10 Signs of a Great Preschool, Irene Daria-Wiener, Parents, September 2001

Irene Daria-Wiener provides the fundamentals for identifying quality in preschool programs. She emphasizes learning centers as a valuable approach for teaching such aspects of the curriculum as art, language, and blocks.

20. Study: Full-Day Kindergarten Boosts Academic Performance, Debra Viadero, Education Week, April 17, 2002

Children who attend full-day kindergarten perform well on standardized tests and they are not likely to be held back in later grades. The academic gains of these children continue through primary grades. This research also confirms other positive cost benefits of kindergarten.

21. The Child-Centered Kindergarten: A Position Paper, Joan Moyer, Childhood Education, Spring 2001

This article defines a professional organization’s position on the purpose and goals of kindergarten. Guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices are outlined, along with features of an experience-centered environment. The importance of play with essential materials such as blocks is stressed.

22. Measuring Results, David J. Hoff, Education Week, January 10, 2002

The growing need to account for the cost and impact of preschool programs is resulting in a search for meaningful and appropriate assessments. Because it is difficult to directly test young children’s academic progress, program quality indicators are more appropriate measures of results.

23. Different Approaches to Teaching: Comparing Three Preschool Program Models, Amy Sussna Klein, Earlychildhood News, March/April 2002

Two significant types of preschools—Montessori and High/Scope—differ in their basic philosophy of child development and learning. While the curriculum of both is constructivist, the Montessori approach is more didactic.

24. Examining the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education, Valarie Mercilliott Hewett, Early Childhood Education Journal, Winter 2001

The Reggio Emilia preschools take a constructivist approach to children’s growth and learning. Teachers are regarded as guides and facilitators, and learning is accomplished largely through a project-based curriculum.

25. The Silencing of Recess Bells, Judith Kieff, Childhood Education, Annual Theme 2001

As learning is increasingly viewed as time-on-task, time for play and informal social interaction decreases. This article examines the relationship of play to child development in the primary grades, when play becomes a context for learning through games.

UNIT 4. Guiding and Supporting Young Children

26. Guidance Techniques That Work, Texas Child Care, Spring 2002

The goal of guidance is to help young children develop self-control. The best way for teachers to achieve this goal is to give children clear expectations about behavior and create an environment that is low-stress and appropriate.

27. Guidance & Discipline Strategies for Young Children: Time Out Is Out, Kathy Preuesse, Earlychildhood News, March/April 2002

In an early childhood classroom, time-out has been a well-used strategy of guidance. However, because time-out deprives children of the opportunity to learn self-control, it is actually a punishment strategy. Teachers can use more developmentally appropriate practices such as redirecting behavior and giving children choices in learning activities.

28. Reinforcement in Developmentally Appropriate Early Childhood Classrooms, Tashawna K. Duncan, Kristen M. Kemple, and Tina M. Smith, Childhood Education, Summer 2000

Teachers working with special needs children may need to devise alternative strategies for guiding behavior. Reinforcement to lessen aggressive behavior can be compatible with developmentally appropriate practices. In choosing which reinforcers to use, teachers must be aware of children’s social development and diversity.

29. Bullying Among Children, Janis R. Bullock, Childhood Education, Spring 2002

In primary grades, some children begin acting out by bullying other children. An inflated sense of self-esteem and lack of problem-solving skills are often demonstrated by children who behave aggressively toward their peers. In some cases, teachers may need to make referrals to school counselors.

30. Use the Environment to Prevent Discipline Problems and Support Learning, Nancy Ratcliff, Young Children, September 2001

One of the most important ways to prevent behavior problems is to provide an appropriately designed physical environment. Another is to maintain a relaxed, yet interesting, schedule to decrease discipline problems. Aggressive behaviors can be decreased through a balance of social interaction and individual activities.

31. Helping Children Cope With Stress in the Classroom Setting, Karen Fallin, Charlotte Wallinga, and Mick Coleman, Childhood Education, Fall 2001

Young children frequently experience stress connected to school experiences. Stressors such as standardized tests, overly demanding curriculum, and athletic competition can lead to emotional or physical problems. Teachers can use literature and discussion strategies to help children develop coping skills and understand their emotions.

32. Children and Grief: The Role of the Early Childhood Educator, Andrea Ruth Hopkins, Young Children, January 2002

Before teachers decide the strategies they will use to help children deal with death, they should first become acquainted with how cognitive stages relate to grieving and stress. Teachers have these tasks in death education: helping children feel safe, creating a caring classroom, and designing developmentally appropriate practices for children to discuss death.

UNIT 5. Curricular Issues

33. Learning Centers: Why and How, Texas Child Care, Spring 2002

Establishing a hands-on developmentally appropriate learning environment can involve the use of centers. Children are free to explore the various learning centers and acquire skills they will need for a lifetime of learning through exploration. Examples are given of materials appropriate to include in various centers such as the art, block, and science centers.

34. Blocks as a Tool for Learning: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Karen Hewitt, Young Children, January 2001

Any adult with fond memories of childhood play with blocks as their toy of choice will enjoy reading Karen Hewitt’s review. For more than 100 years, blocks have been a key play material as well as a useful mathematical tool. The early childhood curriculum is enhanced through the use of blocks.

35. Improving Public Health Through Early Childhood Movement Programs, Clersida Garcia, Luis Garcia, Jerald Floyd, and John Lawson, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, January 2002

As the American population grows more sedentary and overweight, teachers of young children can be proactive and involve children in movement programs that will increase physical activity. The authors provide developmentally appropriate suggestions for enhancing the physical development of children during the preschool years.

36. Using Documentation Panels to Communicate With Families, Judith Brown-DuPaul, Tracy Keyes, and Laura Segatti, Childhood Education, Summer 2001

How to communicate with families about what their children are learning becomes a challenge for all teachers. Documentation panels, using pictures, drawings, quotes, and actual photographs of the work, allow the teacher to share with parents various aspects of the curriculum and how the children are engaged in learning.

37. The Right Way to Read, Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert, Newsweek, April 29, 2002

A reading war that has been brewing for a number of years has recently reached a full-stage battle with the focus by the Bush administration on more reading instruction for preschool children. Early literacy skills can be acquired in many ways. The battle lines have been drawn between those who want direct instruction in letter sounds and print versus those educators who favor children exploring in a print-rich environment and developing a love for reading prior to beginning instruction.

38. Fostering Language and Literacy in Classrooms and Homes, David K. Dickinson and Patton O. Tabors, Young Children, March 2002

The authors share their concerns over the increased push to teach young children to read. They are especially worried that the development of oral language will suffer as teachers and parents rush to teach reading. The authors encourage teachers to provide parents with appropriate oral language activities for the home setting.

39. Helping Preschool Children Become Readers: Tips for Parents, Ann S. Epstein, High/Scope ReSource, Summer 2002

Parents often ask teachers for suggestions of activities they can do at home to promote early literacy development. Ann Epstein provides 12 excellent ideas to be shared with parents. Children who come to school from homes rich with literacy materials enter early childhood classrooms eager to learn how to read.

40. Children Are Born Mathematicians: Promoting the Construction of Early Mathematical Concepts in Children Under Five, Eugene Geist, Young Children, July 2001

Providing children with a strong foundation in math can begin in preschool. There are many activities, such as play with blocks and other project-based learning activities, that enhance mathematical development.

41. Salting the Oats: Using Inquiry-Based Science to Engage Learners at Risk, Paddy Lynch, Primary Voices K-6, August 2001

An experienced teacher describes her approach, which involves the integration of math, reading, and writing with a hands-on science curriculum for at-risk students. She shares information about learning centers she has used and is triumphant about one student’s success in her classroom.

42. Young Children & Technology, Douglas Clements, Earlychildhood News, November/December 2001

The recommended ratio for favorable social interaction is one computer for every 10 children in early childhood settings nationwide. However, many questions still surround the use of computers with young children. The authors explore the use of technology in the early childhood classroom.

UNIT 6. Trends

43. The “Failure” of Head Start, John Merrow, Education Week on the Web, September 25, 2002

Today, the United States is far from being able to ensure that all children have access to sound preschool programs. Even the availability of federal programs such as Head Start does not meet the need for quality programs. The cost of universal, free preschool is high, but the long-term benefits are worth the money.

44. Accountability Shovedown: Resisting the Standards Movement in Early Childhood Education, J. Amos Hatch, Phi Delta Kappan, February 2002

The current emphasis on accountability could prove to be harmful to young children. If standards result in significant pressure on children to achieve in academic areas—to the exclusion of other areas of development—they are inappropriate. Overemphasis on standards can also downgrade teachers’ work from professional to technical status.

45. Class-Size Reduction in California, Brian Stecher, George Bohrnstedt, Michael Kirst, Joan McRobbie, and Trish Williams, Phi Delta Kappan, May 2001

The results of class size reduction in California have been both positive and negative. The policy was expected to have positive effects on student achievement in primary grades. Smaller classes seem to be beneficial for increasing scores on assessment tests, but they may have detrimental effects on other aspects of schooling.

46. Putting Money Where It Matters, Karen Hawley Miles, Educational Leadership, September 2001

For schools to meet their goal of accountability for raising students’ performance, they must organize differently. Teacher salaries and support need to be based on professional development. Using resources more wisely, having smaller class sizes, and matching financing to goals are changes that will yield good results.

47. ‘All Children Can Learn’: Facts and Fallacies, M. Donald Thomas and William L. Bainbridge, Phi Delta Kappan, May 2001

Helping all children to achieve at higher levels is not simply a matter of treating all children the same. True accountability for learning means enacting policy that allows for differences. It means providing sufficient resources to help at-risk students and relying less on state-developed testing.

48. In Early-Childhood Education and Care: Quality Counts, Education Week, January 10, 2002

Access to high-quality child care is a problem for many families. Although state-financed child care such as Head Start is available, the majority of families do not meet the qualifications for subsidy. More states are beginning to require preschool programs to adhere to standards and earn national accreditation. However, requirements for well-educated and well-compensated teachers continue to be minimal across the nation.