Notes that recommendations of preschool teachers are pivotal in creating a "goodness of fit" when placing special needs children. Discusses child, parent, and program considerations for placement decisions. (HTH)

Outlines 76 activities that teachers and parents can use with prekindergarten through fourth-grade students to help improve their (1) auditory and visual discrimination; (2) comprehension; (3) creative writing; (4) inquisitiveness; (5) map reading ability; (6) numeration; (7) oral expression; (8) reading; (9) reasoning; and (10) spelling and…

Readiness to learn is a constant state. Two critical aspects of early childhood provide parents sufficient understanding of their child's development: attachment and brain development. Children develop attachments to caregivers but need consistent parental care and love. Human brains continue to quickly grow during the first two years of life.…

Discusses ways child care personnel can develop a proactive customer service plan that meets families' needs and expectations while minimizing the probability of confrontations with angry parents. Outlines a five-step conflict-resolution strategy that offers a "win-win" approach for both parents and providers when problems do occur. (TJQ)

Presents five articles on multi-language programs in early childhood education: "Bilingualism/Multilingualism and Language Acquisition Theories" (Evienia Papadaki-D'Onofrio); "Training and Supporting Caregivers Who Speak a Language Different from Those in Their Community" (Joan Matsalia and Paula Bowie); "Language Immersion Programs for Young…

This paper proposes state regulations for the training of child care staff members in developmentally appropriate safe aquatic practices, outlines required features of any pools that children visit, and suggests safe practices for water-related activities at child care centers and swimming pools. The staff training regulation suggestions include…

Designed to serve educational and community institutions and agencies that provide, or seek to provide, Child Development Associate (CDA) training, this guide contains a complete set of procedures for curriculum design and implementation. Chapter 1 presents basic background information pertinent to both CDA curriculum analysis and modification.…

This document provides the Behavioral Checklist of Infant/Toddler Care-Provider Competencies which was developed to evaluate competencies of care-providers as well as to serve as an assessment tool for self-evaluation. Information which met the criteria of sound child development principles and operations critical to child care was incorporated…

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…

Noting the connection between the systematic observation of children's behavior and effective teaching, this book details experiences of early childhood practitioners to illustrate how observation helps teachers and caregivers become more effective in the child care center, preschool, family child care home, or elementary school classroom. The…

Noting that teachers of young children can help protect children from getting involved in violence, this booklet provides research and practice-based information on preventing violence in young children's lives. The booklet asserts that young children need to feel safe and loved, need to watch peace-loving people, need to be protected from…

This articles presents ways to incorporate constructive play in the early childhood classroom, focusing on building a "learning through play" environment. Three key areas are considered: the teacher's philosophy about children and learning, the physical environment created for learning, and the type and range of play-based activities…

Argues that conference attendees must approach their training with preplanning and flexibility in order to maximize the experience. Presents guidelines for successful conference attendance, including fitting the conference into a personal training plan, anticipating conference offerings, minimizing registration problems, planning attendance…

Presents fundamental concepts of the Reggio Emilia philosophy of early childhood education, focusing on the importance of "research" as a learning strategy for constructing knowledge for both children and adults. Describes the pertinent image of the child, the school, learning, and knowledge. Details components of a pedagogy of…

Examines the extent to which kindergarten pupil and teacher behaviors during administration of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills--Early Primary Battery may compromise the meaningfulness and usefulness of the test scores. Although extensive variability in behavior was observed, most teachers followed directions exactly and most pupils encountered no…