Several preservice teachers are scattered on the floor, looking anxiously at parents and their babies as they come into the room. This is their first day at an urban community center in Ohio, where economically disadvantaged parents come to learn parenting skills while their babies are provided with care. Wide-eyed and reluctant, each student is…

This article concerns itself with the potential for ateliers to disrupt conformist approaches to pedagogy in early childhood education and care. An illustration of the role of the atelier in amplifying the aesthetics of the experience of the educational project of Reggio Emilia illuminates how disruption of conformity can be activated through the…

When her director first asked her to teach an art class in the infant room, the author must admit that she thought her director was crazy. She nodded and smiled, pretending confidence, all the while thinking, "Teach art to infants? What does that even mean?" But when a teacher is trying to get a job at one of the best early childhood…

Infant/toddler teachers take a child-centered, emergent approach, meaning that they observe the children at play, ask themselves what they are interested in learning, and design developmentally appropriate curricula to meet and extend those interests. This curriculum development technique leads to "possibilities for the child to develop deeper…

The benefits of drawing for children are wide-ranging but are likely to be mediated by the art curriculum and other governmental guidance to teachers relevant to drawing/art. Furthermore, such statutory regulations vary between cultures, and therefore curricula represent an important influence on the cultural differences found in children's…

Provides guidelines for conducting art activities with very young children, paying particular attention to the function of play equipment as artistic catalyst, approaches to creativity, and the role of the adult in providing a supportive presence. (RH)

Based on the SEFAM (Supporting Extended Family Members) program, the manual is intended to help organize a program for fathers of handicapped young children. A program for fathers and infants focuses on unique father concerns and resources. The first chapter further explores reasons for father programs while the second describes program components…

This monograph consists of seven papers that discuss issues related to the teaching approach used in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The papers are: (1) "Images from the World: Study Seminar on the Experience of the Municipal Infant-Toddler Centers and the Preprimary Schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy" (Lilian G. Katz), which…

As the numbers of children enrolled in child care from infancy have increased, there is a growing acceptance of this now prevailing mode of childrearing. Asserting that the "necessary evil" perception of child care contributes to the mediocrity of the American child care system, this book contends that this characterization is misguided…