In China, formal preschool education for children from one to six years old is accessible to only 20-25% of Chinese children, though deemed very important by parents. Discusses the teacher training curriculum, the preschool curriculum, and recent initiatives to improve the quality and availability of preschool education through research, parent…

Describes Improvised Musical Play (IMP), a teaching strategy that uses simple rhythms, chanting, and singing to make participation in social play with nondelayed peers easier for developmentally delayed children. (BB)

Discusses the ambivalence felt by early-childhood teachers about young children's sexual behaviors. Focuses on the importance of context in understanding normal sexual development in young children and specific behaviors that might signal an underlying problem. Presents a continuum of young children's sexual behaviors, ranging from normal to…

Discusses the professional standards established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Explains the necessity of periodic revision of the guidelines and the benefits of doing so. Outlines the essential elements of NAEYC guidelines: child development and learning; curriculum development and implementation;…

Discusses the need for universities to better meet the needs of the early intervention and special education community. Describes the Concentration in Infants and Young Children within the M.Ed. in Special Education program at Arizona State University West. Features include an Individualized Student Learning Plan to guide student progress,…

Describes the contexts and learning processes which contributed to change in the theories of play and the associated classroom practice of nine early childhood teachers in England. Data from surveys, interviews, and observations indicated that all participants were engaged in an ongoing process of professional learning. A three-stage model of…

Discusses the importance of empowerment for early childhood teachers. Maintains that empowering early childhood teachers increases motivation, allows for an emergent curriculum, and bridges home and school. Notes that empowering teachers to manage their own classrooms involves extensive on-site training and support but that as teachers grow in…

Describes the Project to Reinvent NAEYC Accreditation, the first comprehensive revision of the accreditation system of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since its inception in 1985. Presents questions guiding the thinking of the NAEYC National Commission on Accreditation Reinvention. Invites NAEYC member input…

Presents scenarios illustrating how early childhood educators can educate principals, parents, and others about developmentally appropriate practices, including sharing current early childhood research, position papers, and training opportunities. Argues that educators should be prepared to support their practices and teaching strategies,…

The TEACH Early Childhood Wisconsin is an initiative to address the crisis in recruitment, compensation, and retention of high-quality early childhood teachers and providers. The plan involves advanced training for infant/toddler caregivers, infant/toddler credential, administrator credential, and scholarships for higher education. Efforts are…

Draws on examples from Australia to illustrate ways early childhood professionals can contribute to meeting the challenges of resettling young refugee children. Describes a repatriation program to help rebuild nations, a program establishing play centers inside refugee centers, and using preschools/child care centers to support refugee families…

Discusses how adults can infuse music in young children's routines to nurture powerful learning connections. Includes discussion of musical development, its impact on other developmental domains, and brain development and music. Highlights four music activities to illustrate developmentally appropriate music experiences, asserting that…

This paper focuses on what teachers need to know to develop self-regulation in young children and what is and what is not successful in promoting it. Self-regulation is a deep, internal mechanism that underlies mindful, intentional, and thoughtful behaviors of children. Self-regulated children can delay gratification and suppress their impulses…

The state of children's fitness is the responsibility of all who are involved with children. As early childhood professionals, they have a duty to educate the whole (thinking, feeling, "moving") child. Moreover, teachers of preschoolers can be more realistic than parents in their assessment of children's physical inactivity levels, and preschool…

The Head Start Male Role Model Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Program is based on the assumptions that men are valued as nurturers of small children; that low-income Black and Hispanic males can be successful as educators and role models to young children and other men; and that early childhood education can be a remunerative and…