To the Reader

Topic Guide

Selected World Wide Web Sites

UNIT 1 Perspectives Five selections consider both the national and international development of early childhood education.

Overview

1. How to Build a Baby's Brain New research on the development of the neurons in a young child's brain has led scientists to seek information on the importance of early child development experiences such as music and language.

Sharon Begley, Newsweek, Special Issue, Spring/Summer 1997

2. New Brain Development Research-A Wonderful Window of Opportunity to Build Public Support for Early Childhood Education! Now is the time for early childhood educators to take advantage of the interest in the importance of quality early childhood experiences. Research on brain development supports capitalizing on critical periods of development.

Julee J. Newberger, Young Children, May 1997

3. Highlights of the Quality 2000 Initiative: Not by Chance, Sharon Kagan and Michelle Neuman list eight key recommendations for Quality 2000. The goal is to have high-quality early care and education programs available for all children from birth to age five by the year 2010. Strategies for following through with the recommendations are included.

Sharon L. Kagan

Michelle J. Neuman, Young Children, September 1997.

4. The National Television Violence Study: Key Findings and Recommendations, Young Children, March 1996. Results of a three-year study to assess television violence are summarized in this report. Key findings, particularly the large amount of violence seen by children on television, are presented along with recommendations for the public and for policy leaders.

5. Child Care from The State of America's Children Yearbook, Children's Defense Fund, 1998. Good quality child care and early education programs are essential for millions of American families. This essay reviews some of the history of recent child child care programs and assesses their current state of effectiveness.

UNIT 2 Child Development and Families Five selections consider the effects of family life on the growing child and the importance of parent education.

Overview

6. A Bundle of Emotions, Newsweek, Special Issue, Spring/Summer 1997. Infants are able to communicate their needs from birth. Stages of emotional development for the first 36 months of life are described in this essay.

7. Prenatal Drug Exposure: Meeting the Challenge, Infants who have been prenatally exposed to drugs are open to a wide range of negative effects. Included in the article are behavioral indicators of prenatal drug exposure as well as child development complications that may appear as these children grow.

Linda C. Sluder

Lloyd R. Kinnison

Dennis Cates, Childhood Education, Winter 1996/1997.

8. Families and Schools: Building Multicultural Values Together If families and teachers looked down the road 30 years and developed a list of qualities they would like to see in their children, they could begin to plan collaboratively the types of experiences needed today. A multicultural society requires families and schools to cooperate in advocating for positive change for children.

Kevin J. Swick

Gloria Boutte

Irma Van Scoy, Childhood Education, Winter 1995-1996.

9. The Education of Hispanics in Early Childhood: Of Roots and Wings, In this very personal look at one man's early years, we are presented with a wealth of information on the Hispanic culture. Multicultural education requires the teacher to be familiar with each child's life-style. Demographic information on Hispanic families is included.

Eugene E. Garcia, Young Children, March 1997.

10. Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences, Research looking at learning styles began over 75 years ago. Recently, interest in multiple intelligences has captured much attention. Integrating the two can help teachers provide optimal settings and experiences in which children can learn in many different ways.

Harvey Silver

Richard Strong

Matthew Perini, Educational Leadership, September 1997.

UNIT 3 Care and Educational Practices Eleven selections examine various educational programs, assess the effectiveness of some teaching methods, and consider some of the problems faced by students with special needs.

Overview

A. CARING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

11. It May Cause Anxiety, But Day Care Can Benefit Kids, New information from a major study shows that young children in high-quality child care do as well on cognitive and language assessments as those who stay home. Outcomes such as these help relieve parents of worry about the effects of child care.

Beth Azar, APA Monitor, June 1997.

12. Meeting Basic Needs: Health and Safety Practices in Feeding and Diapering Infants, It is vital to the well-being of infants that diapering, sanitation, safety, and feeding routines be periodically assessed. Health and safety are the highest priorities in following daily procedures in child care.

Janis Warrick

Mary Kay Helling, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 1997.

13. Who Cares for the Children? Denmark's Unique Public Child-Care Model Family support policies, including a subsidized child care system, are generous in Denmark. This comprehensive system, like other international ones, is in vivid contrast to U.S. programs that may be limited to families in poverty.

Valerie Polakow

Phi Delta Kappan, April 1997.

B. EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES

14. Nurturing Kids: Seven Ways of Being Smart, Kristen Nelson, Instructor, July/August 1995. Teachers can develop students' multiple intelligences by reinventing the curriculum to meet the needs of a wider range of learning styles. The strategies are based on knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate practices. Assessment of learning is individualized and flows from the children's projects.

15. The New Preschool, LynNell Hancock and Pat Wingert, Newsweek, Special Issue, Spring/Summer 1997. The basic elements of a quality preschool are well-trained teachers, stimulating surroundings, and strong ties between staff and families. The curriculum is reinforced with love and attention. The new preschool emphasizes social and emotional experiences as the basis of intelligence.

16. Understanding through Play, Play is a major activity that children use to understand their world. It is a "rich context" for learning about child development and observing growth. Play also serves as the basis for mathematical knowledge.

Christine Chaille

Steven B. Silvern, Childhood Education, Annual Theme Issue 1996.

17. Your Learning Environment: A Look Back at Your Year, To assess the effectiveness of key learning areas, teachers can answer in-depth questions about the environment. Creative play and mathematics are two of the areas for evaluation, as well as judging how the whole environment is adapted for special needs learners.

Ellen Booth Church, Early Childhood Today, May/June 1996.

C. SPECIAL NEEDS

18. Labeled for Life? Special needs children are often labeled at an early age to initiate services for remediation. Problems can occur when the label is not accurate or the child's development progresses to the point where the special services are no longer required.

Naomi Barko, Parents, September 1996.

19. "SMART" Planning for Inclusion, With the inclusion of special needs children in regular child care and preschool programs, teachers need a practical system for planning. This system emphasizes choosing a flexible curriculum. Assistive technology is an important component for children with disabilities.

Suzanne M. Winter, Childhood Education, Summer 1997.

20. "Can I Play Too?" Adapting Common Classroom Activities for Young Children with Limited Motor Abilities, Children with limited motor abilities can benefit greatly in classrooms with environmental adaptations. Sensory play is particularly helpful for tactile and visual stimulation. Teachers can make simple changes so activities are more developmentally appropriate for these special needs children.

Kristyn Sheldon, Early Childhood Education Journal, Winter 1996.

21. Together Is Better: Specific Tips on How to Include Children with Various Types of Disabilities Children with special needs require modifications to routines and special teaching techniques in a developmentally appropriate setting. Specific can result in successful inclusion.

Jane Russell-Fox, Young Children, May 1997.

UNIT 4 Supporting Young Children and Their Families Five selections examine the importance of establishing self-esteem in the child and consider the effects of stressors, discipline, and peer relationships on behavior.

Overview

22. Challenges to Family Involvement, Mick Coleman and Susan Churchill, Childhood Education, Spring 1997. Because of the diversity of both families and child care programs, teachers should develop a philosophy of family involvement.

23. Beyond Discipline to Guidance, The concept of guiding behavior goes beyond discipline to teaching empathy, self-esteem, and self-control. Teachers can foster social development by following sound guidance practices.

Dan Gartrell, Young Children, September 1997.

24. Getting Along: How Teachers Can Support Children's Peer Relationships When teachers provide a positive classroom environment, children's social development needs are met. By guiding behavior in a natural way, teachers set the stage for good peer relationships.

Kristen M. Kemple

Lynn Hartle, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 1997.

25. The Caring Classroom's Academic Edge, Together with young children, teachers can create a positive environment that encourages social development. Guiding behavior becomes a cooperative task of developing respect and responsibility for each other.

Catherine C. Lewis

Eric Schaps

Marilyn S. Watson, Educational Leadership, September 1996.

26. Creating a Community of Learning for Homeless Children, Homeless children are at risk in areas of development and education. Teachers need to collaborate with families to provide comprehensive support services. Together, they must attend to issues of violence, abuse, housing, and poverty.

Ralph da Costa Nunez

Kate Collignon, Educational Leadership, October 1997.

UNIT 5 Curricular Issues Ten selections consider various curricular choices. The areas covered include creating, inventing, emergent literacy, motor development, and conceptualizing curriculum.

Overview

27. Off with a Theme: Emergent Curriculum in Action, A thematic curriculum, which is built around a set topic, and an emergent curriculum, which is derived from the interests of the children, can work in partnership in a child-centered classroom. It is the responsibility of the teacher to blend the two for appropriate learning to occur.

Marilyn A. Sheerer

Ernest Dettore

Jennifer Cyphers, Early Childhood Education Journal, Winter 1996.

28. 10 Ways to Improve Your Theme Teaching, Teachers who rely on a theme-based approach to teaching will find valuable suggestions for improving their teaching. The best curriculum uses themes but is still tailored to the individual interests and needs of the children in the local community.

Sean A. Walmsley, Instructor, August 1996.

29. Documenting Children's Learning, Documentation of learning by collecting materials over time is a key component of a quality assessment program. Teachers who collect evidence of learning that includes photographs, narratives, samples of work, reflections, and pictures are better able to develop an accurate record of each child's strengths and abilities.

Judy Harris Helm

Sallee Beneke

Kathy Steinheimer, Childhood Education, Summer 1997.

30. Fostering Creativity in the Early Childhood Classroom, Dr. Mary Smith reminds us that fostering creative development requires much more than providing a well-stocked art area. The atmosphere, attitude of the teacher, activities, and materials available all serve to support creative development in many curricular areas.

Mary K. Smith, Early Childhood Education Journal, Winter 1996.

31. Active Living: Physical Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers, Why is an active living environment so important for young children? What can a teacher of young children do to foster movement experiences in the school setting? What fundamental motor development skills can be introduced to infants, toddlers, and young preschoolers? These questions, and others, are addressed in this examination of active living.

Wayne Eastman, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 1997.

32. "Hey! Where's the Toys?" Play and Literacy in 1st Grade, The shock many children face as they make the move from a play-based kindergarten to a work-based first grade does not have to happen. The authors provide many design, material, and literature suggestions, along with curriculum ideas, that can be integrated into a primary setting.

Mary Martin Patton

Jennifer Mercer, Childhood Education, Fall 1996.

33. Sharing Books with Infants and Toddlers: Facing the Challenges, When people think of emergent literacy, they tend to think of activities for three- through six-year-olds. Barbara Kupetz and Elise Jepson Green provide suggestions for enhancing the early literacy curriculum for infants and toddlers. Tips for book selections for the early years are included.

Barbara N. Kupetz

Elise Jepson Green, Young Children, January 1997.

34. Back to the Basics of Whole Language, The ongoing debate of phonics vs. whole language has taken center stage at many school board meetings across the country. Emergent literacy continues to be misunderstood by parents and minimally supported by administrators who are trying to please many different people. Collaborative efforts between parents and teachers will enable children to become confident lovers of literature and effective communicators as they grow and develop.

Regie Routman, Educational Leadership, February 1997.

35. Interactive Writing in a Primary Classroom, The authors provide a detailed look at the process of interactive writing found in many primary grade classrooms. This process is one of many used in an emergent literacy approach.

Kathryn Button

Margaret J. Johnson

Paige Furgerson, The Reading Teacher, March 1996.

36. Outstanding Developmental Software, Teachers and parents search for appropriate software for children. The advances in technology have brought many new programs onto the market. Fourteen outstanding programs are highlighted. Each was chosen using the Haugland/Shade Developmental Scale, which is also included in the article.

Susan Haugland, Early Childhood Education Journal, Spring 1997.

UNIT 6 Reflections Four selections consider the present and future of early childhood education.

Overview

37. Let's Be Real! "Reflection" is a term that has received attention in preparation programs designed for teachers. The reader is invited to reflect upon his or her professional preparation as well as how authentic he or she is in their everyday encounters with young children.

Lyn Fasoli

Janet Gonzalez-Mena, Child Care Information Exchange, March 1997.

38. Where Are the Good Old Days? Throughout our nation's history, families have always been in flux. Economic changes have resulted in increasing poverty, homelessness, and distress for young children.

Stephanie Coontz, Modern Maturity, May/June 1996.

39. Child Advocacy Directory, Child Care Information Exchange, September/October 1996. This directory is a comprehensive list of national organizations that engage in advocacy for young children. Their mission statements show a commitment to collaboration in early childhood care and education.

40. New Ways of Learning = New Ways of Teaching, Teachers today realize that learning is an active process of making meaning. Children learn mathematics and language arts in ways that call for constructivist practices and ongoing assessment.

Mary K. Heuwinkel, Childhood Education, Fall 1996.

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