To implement culturally responsive early education that is developmentally appropriate for Latino children, it is important to look at values that permeate education in Latin America. Therefore, the author draws on ethnographic data (interviews, observations, artifacts, and field notes) from early childhood centers and schools in Mexico, Brazil…

Today an ever-increasing number of infants and young children with and without disabilities play, develop, and learn together in a variety of places--homes, early childhood programs, neighborhoods, and other community-based settings. The notion that young children with disabilities and their families are full members of the community reflects…

In this paper, the authors highlight features of the social and cultural context which surrounds services to children. Emphasis is given to the point that those who work with children exist within the same cultural landscape occupied by the children, parents and other parents. Whilst this landscape is diverse, it contains certain dominant,…

Counselors and early interventionists increasingly serve Spanish-speaking families. Yet, often, cultural accommodations merely imply use of interpreters or bilingual providers. Cultural competence requires self-awareness and understanding the client's community and specific risk and resiliency factors. Implications for serving clients of Latino…

In discussions about developmentally appropriate practice, the term "social and cultural context" is typically used to refer to the culture of children, their families, and their community. Those discussions do not usually address the unique cultures children sometimes create among themselves. Those cultures have values, rules, and norms that…

Societies can examine themselves and their values through examining their literature and the way they use literature in values education. This research investigated the values embodied in children's literature used by early childhood teachers in Israeli state schools. On the basis of questionnaires completed by 14 early childhood educators, and…

This paper discusses the cultural conflicts around the Western notion of child-centeredness in Taiwanese preschools. The implementation and translation of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) in Taiwan is highlighted as an example to understand productions of differences, norms and cultural conflicts in Taiwanese early childhood education.…

Fertility rates have fallen dramatically around the world. In some countries, there are no longer enough children being born to replace adult populations. The disappearance of children is a matter of concern matched only by fears that childhood is becoming too structured or not structured enough, too short or too long, or just simply too different…

In the mainstream discourse on child development and education, 'school readiness' has been conceptualized as the skills and knowledge that children need when they enter school in order to learn effectively in the school environment. However, school readiness is an idea which is entwined with our beliefs about child development and child needs (E.…

The author examines early childhood music education in Taiwan through Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Factors in the microsystem level that influenced the musical development of children included adult perception of children, child-adult interactions, Taiwanese family structure, and the existing early childhood education system. The…

This article reviews ways in which early childhood educators can be advocates for the many children whose diversities bring them face to face with suffering and injustice. Educators' professional advocacy can focus continually on specific ways in which schools or programs should reflect caring and fairness to all children, regardless of…

In this article, the author discusses her investigations into the connection between the values of Swedish society and Swedish classroom practices by way of the early childhood special education system. She describes Swedish educational policies and the challenges surrounding moving from policy to practice, and also uncovers themes regarding…

The author argues that the curriculum in early childhood classrooms that serve American Indian and Alaska Native children must be grounded in community values, set in their societal context, and rooted in the rhythms of community life. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Head Start developed a curriculum framework…

In classrooms for young children, educators can strive to create a climate in which every child can question and learn, a place where everyone's story--their background and experiences--is respected. This article presents a rationale and a framework for teaching children about social justice. While the social justice learning activities in this…

Analysis of the contents of textbooks is a meaningful way to examine individuals, groups and institutions, as they reflect social values, attention and interests of a society. Education as an institution reflects a society's social ideology, and examination of the sociocultural components of schools can reveal the cultural paradigm upon which a…