In 2017, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) funded Mathematica to conduct the Infant and Toddler Teacher and Caregiver Competencies (ITTCC) project. The project aims to examine existing efforts across states, institutions of higher education, professional organizations, and…

Positive relationships between practitioners and parents are essential for young children's wellbeing, but achieving this can be difficult if there is not enough understanding about how relationships work when one person (the practitioner or teacher) has to play the professional role. Strong communication skills are fundamental to this…

Examines ways in which early childhood teachers and directors waste time during the course of the working day and provides suggestions as to how time wasting can be avoided. (Author/PW)

Recognizing the role of creative representation experiences in early childhood in developing a foundation for adult thinking skills, this booklet and accompanying videotape present six key experiences in creative representation in the High Scope Model: (1) recognizing objects by sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; (2) imitating actions and…

Whether a center director or teacher aide, child care professionals share in the leadership process every day. This guide draws on the author's more than 23 years of experiences to help early childhood teachers at all levels make the most of their roles as leaders in the lives of children, families, and fellow educators. The guide combines…

This booklet provides answers to 12 questions about the rights and responsibilities of child care providers in California concerning the issue of child abuse. The questions are (1) Who is a "Child Care Custodian?" (2) How do I decide whether or not to report? (3) How do I recognize 'abuse' and 'neglect'? (4) How and when should I tell…

A two-year preschool and kindergarten sequence is conducted on a full-day schedule with five-year-olds attending school three days a week and four-year-olds attending the alternate days, both groups with the same teachers. The program was recognized for excellence in curriculum development. (MLF)

Includes the following training materials: "Of Culture and a Sense of Place" (Jim Greenman); "Getting to Know Us: Building Classroom Culture through Our Diversity and History" (Diane E. Levin); "Building a Sense of Community: A Broader View" (Paula Jorde Bloom); "What Is My Culture?" (Susan Lyon); and…

The observation manual provides a system for the naturalistic observation of interactions between the preschool child and the caregiver. It can be used in research with the preschool aged child and the parent or teacher in home, laboratory, or school settings. The behavior categories included are applicable for collecting frequency data or…

Based on the view that the quality of children's early experiences depends largely on the knowledge, experience, and skills of the people who work with them, this guide for early childhood practitioners in Vermont is designed to help them prepare and carry out a personally tailored professional development plan. The guide is presented in four…

Describes approaches to inservice evaluation of early childhood teachers, and provides a rationale and guides for conducting teacher evaluations. A sample form for inservice evaluation is included. (RH)

In craft training, children are taught preschool skills as they create art projects with an adult. By creating toys, pictures, and other projects from readily available materials, children become involved in cooking, coloring, cutting, drawing, gluing, and beginning writing. The first rule of craft training is to let the child do the work of…

Teacher education students surveyed about their perceptions of child advocacy indicated that to become successful advocates they needed to become more self-confident and politically aware and to be able to communicate effectively with knowledge of current issues, advocacy methods, and the political system. In order to facilitate the training of…

Describes a six-step process to guide day care staff who work with parents to solve problems related to child care. Engaging parents in each step can increase parents' understanding of child development, enhance their self-confidence, and build mutual trust and respect between parents and staff. (NH)

The third volume in the Transition Magician series, this book is designed to help early childhood professionals in supporting the parents of young children. The book provides activities for parents and young children for home and away from home to guide children through difficult transition times and to make the most of valuable opportunities for…