As a culturally diverse urban school, St. Mary's Nursery School has a unique landscape for work with young children. This diversity brings with it a myriad of different perspectives about the world, about education, and about children. At the school, using some of the tenets from Reggio Emilia have helped staff identify and use practices that…

In Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state's largest school district, nearly 3,000 students don't know where they'll be sleeping each night. As parents or guardians move about, enrolling and re-enrolling in schools can become overwhelming--especially when there is no firm address to provide--so families often keep children out of school. This…

This article describes a language-based intervention model that the authors successfully implemented with Latinx families and their children with language delays. The model can be adjusted to a variety of settings (e.g., homes, schools, clinics) to provide a research-based, bilingual intervention that can increase the language skills of Latinx…

The pandemic unquestionably challenged the education world during 2020. In spite of the difficulties, however, there are reasons to be optimistic. Around the world, educators are gathering the tools, attitudes, and evidence needed to bring about long-needed education reforms, at a faster pace. The Yidan Prize Foundation is focused on the big ideas…

ANEER, the National Initiative for Early Childhood Education in Rural Areas, is an innovative and impactful project bringing preschools to remote Moroccan villages. Launched by Zakoura Foundation in 2015, in partnership with the Moroccan Ministry of Education and UNICEF, the free ANEER program aims to create the most favorable conditions for a…

Innovation often means finding new ways to make better use of resources that already exist in our communities. A new initiative to connect schools and libraries was just the right catalyst to enhance family engagement. The New York Public Library (NYPL), which has 88 neighborhood branches across The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, was one…

The Reggio Emilia approach is an international example of high-quality early care and education programs and this article offers innovative, practical strategies in which Reggio Emilia-inspired educators can link this approach while implementing the research-based EAT [Ecological Approach to] Family Style Dining program to foster a positive…

Policymakers and educators emphasize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction as key to individuals' and nations' future economic prosperity. It can be considered to be of particular value to students in developing countries and for disadvantaged students in developed countries. As families play a critical role in a…

This article begins with two examples that demonstrate adult interactions with young learners during conversations in informal learning environments. Family visits to informal learning environments provide opportunities to learn together, interact, engage in conversations, and learn more about one another. This article explores family learning in…

Reading, writing, and communicating, also known as literacy, are important cognitive skills to teach within society. Early literacy is knowledge about reading and writing before actually being able to read and write and is the foundation to future reading and writing skills (Ghoting & Martin-Diaz, 2006). The role of families in developing early…

As climate change, overpopulation, and inequalities begin to take their toll on our planet and on global human development, sustainability has become increasingly important for a prosperous future. How can we ensure quality of life for future generations? How can we make choices and cultivate environments in which sustainable practices are the…

Much thought must go into preparing children for the transition from home or a child care environment to school. Transition experiences need to consider the whole child, including children's cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical readiness for learning. It is equally vital to explore ways to involve families, who are children's first and most…

Argues that education must be a continuing process throughout an individual's life span, taking place in the family, school, and community. (AJ)

Outlines reasons and gives suggestions for teaching accurate nutrition information in a context relevant to each child and his or her family. (Author/ED)

Offers suggestions for ways parents can participate in schools. Suggestions include individual activities, such as reflecting on one's assumptions about school, activities with children, such as providing a space and time for homework, cooperation with teachers by asking for needed resources to help in homework supervision, activities at school…