Early childhood educators frequently look for new ways to help children build social and emotional skills. Teachers want to use effective tools and strategies whether they are redirecting aggressive behavior or encouraging self-esteem and friendship. Persona dolls are one approach to supporting children's social-emotional development. Persona…

Many early childhood educators are seriously concerned about bullying and aggression. Children's negative social behaviors also dominate the media and are the focus of much current research. Recent studies result in some progress in understanding the early origins and harmful effects of physical and relational aggression and designing…

The author's years of work with preservice early childhood teachers, new professionals, and organizations that recruit beginning professionals have helped her identify key activities and documents to be incorporated into a professional portfolio. A well-organized portfolio can help newer practitioners effectively express their beliefs and…

This study explores how early childhood education programs engage immigrant families in their children's learning, how programs learn about these families and incorporate their cultures into the classrooms, and what programs are doing in terms of their staff's professional development related to working with immigrant children and families. The…

Reports a study conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and opinions of preschool children concerning a public figure through use of a questionnaire administered orally. (ED)

Discusses the efforts of a dedicated lawyer and her Children's Defense Fund of the Washington Research Project, through which she directs her attention to the basic rights of children. (RK)

Uses four children's explanations to illustrate their use of assimilation and inference in a butterfly life-cycle activity. Describes how interviewing young children about their understanding, and recording and reflecting upon their answers, can allow teachers to better understand how students process information and construct knowledge, and…

Describes a four-stage unit of study on the world of adult work that was used in a class of kindergartners and first graders. Students first focused on the school employees' jobs and then on parents' occupations. (BB)