Started 25 years ago by a group of parents in Madison, Wisconsin, the Red Caboose is one of the oldest independent day-care centers in the United States. This book recounts observations of the activities at the center for 1 year, exploring what makes a good day care center successful and what obstacles a center is up against. Interspersed among…

Noting the profound demographic changes affecting the nature of how young children are raised and socialized in the United States, this book discusses how child care must be redefined in order to support the development of a next generation with the skills and capacities to thrive in an increasingly multicultural world, based on interviews with…

Based on the view that child development occurs within a relationship involving mutuality and that development and the teaching/learning process are intertwined with the social environment, this book examines the critical relationship between child care providers and the young children they care for and teach. Along with an extended discussion of…

Written for child care center directors, this book offers a framework for thinking about and organizing the director's work along with principles and strategies to cultivate the kind of thinking and activities that support a vision of early childhood programs as learning communities. Chapter 1, "Guiding Your Program with a Vision," offers a vision…

High quality training is necessary to ensure that early childhood and child care practitioners are equipped to meet the diverse needs of the children and families they serve. This book presents the professional development partnership model of The Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, a strategy to build a comprehensive career…

Ethics--in the form of knowledge and skill in making responsible professional decisions--is one of the most fundamental qualities of a competent early childhood educator. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) developed its Code of Ethical Conduct to promote the application of core values, ideals, and principles to…

Informed by current thinking and supported by data gathered in Singapore, this volume compiles a selection of papers presented at the First Singapore Conference on Preschool Education: Promoting Quality Care and Education for Preschoolers. The papers are: (1) "Introduction: Issues in Quality Provision for Preschool Care and Education"…

In order to commemorate the 75-year history of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and to engage current and future members in thought about the core values and principles guiding NAEYC's work and that of the National Association for Nursery Education (NANE), this book shares the history of these organizations. The…

This book presents a competency-based performance-oriented course designed by the General Learning Corporation for on-site training of day care, Head Start, preschool, kindergarten and "open primary" teachers, assistants and volunteers who are working in programs with limited staff development funds. The course includes (1) detailed suggestions to…

Noting that teachers and caregivers need an understanding of the fundamentals of developmentally appropriate practices in order to implement programs that meet the needs of young children, this guide serves as a practical tool for staff trainers and supervisors in early childhood education. It addresses four specific groups of early childhood…

Noting that teachers and caregivers need an understanding of the fundamentals of developmentally appropriate practices in order to implement programs that meet the needs of young children, this revised guide serves as a practical tool for staff trainers and supervisors in early childhood education. The guide addresses five specific groups of early…

Drawing upon research carried out in a range of early years settings in the United Kingdom, this book informs early childhood professionals about the types of early literacy and numeracy experiences appropriate for young children and how professionals from early care and education backgrounds can provide an approach to young children's learning…

This book is designed to provide child caregivers with a structured framework for guiding the behavior of young children in a manner that respects individual differences, builds healthy self esteem, and develops responsibility while allowing the caregiver to maintain limits and supervisory control. Section 1 of the guide offers a framework for…

This collection of articles is compiled to offer parents and teachers guidelines to help navigate between a child's intentions and his or her behavior. The book consists of 43 brief chapters divided into 9 sections. Articles in section one, "Guiding Young Children's Behavior," address issues of discipline, setting limits, effective…

Through personal narrative and scholarly reflection, this book examines the foundations of early childhood education, contemporary curricular and pedagogical practice in early childhood education, and critical issues affecting the multiple worlds of childhood. Essays by individual contributors are linked by contributors' conversations. An…