The words "routine" and "ritual" are sometimes used interchangeably. Yet there are some important differences. Routines are repeated, predictable events that provide a foundation for the daily tasks in a child's life. Teachers can create a predictable routine in early childhood settings for infants and toddlers, and they can individualize those…

Discusses the importance and applications of problem-solving skills, especially at the preschool and early childhood levels of education. (BB)

Suggests that parents can encourage independence, self-reliance, and healthy self-concept by involving children in appropriate household tasks. Describes a six-week project designed to encourage parents to attain this goal. (KS)

Provides information enabling teachers to support children and families during divorce. Research and theory concerning the effects of divorce on children, parenting through divorce, and the role of the school are summarized. Practical suggestions for the teacher are presented, and relevant books for children, teachers, and parents are identified.…

Discusses how teachers of young children can help them and their families in learning about death and in dealing with bereavement. The emphasis is on openness of facts and feelings and aiding in mastery of unpleasant feelings. (BF)

Provides suggestions to help early childhood teachers work more effectively with teenage parents and become significant adults in teenage parents' lives. Suggestions include fostering positive identification and addressing individual teenager needs. Presents Erikson's stages of psychosocial development as a basis for recommendations to develop…

Discusses ways young children, families, and caregivers can work together in toilet learning. Describes signs of child readiness, and ways teachers can be supportive at this stage. Presents a classroom plan to facilitate toileting for 2- and 3- year-olds. Includes tips for parents and for caregivers related to toileting materials, toileting…

Documentation lets teachers visibly assess children's interests and abilities and serves as a tool for recording, reflecting, and supporting children. It also provides parents, children, and others a window into what is happening in the classroom. In The Children's School, the laboratory school at Mills College, teachers are always in search of…

Recommends ways in which early childhood educators and other professionals can be sensitive to and supportive of the special identification needs of young interracial children and their families. (BB)

Discusses research which shows the development of compliance in infants and young children. Describes the relationships between compliance and attachment to parents, childrearing style, timing and setting of control techniques, and development of self-control and problem-solving abilities. Discusses the importance of mother-child relationships for…

Summarizes the results of a study of parents' perceptions of their preschool children's emergent literacy. Notes similarities and differences between the perceptions of parents with high and low literacy levels. Suggests ways in which parents' perceptions can be used to develop effective home-school partnerships. (BB)

Presents a summary of readers' responses to a survey on recurring ethical dilemmas in early childhood education: the dilemma concerns divorced parents and what early childhood educators can do that is most beneficial to the child when the noncustodial parent (mother) requests confidential information about the child and its father. (BB)

Discusses how one preschool boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) learned to compensate for his disability and to change his behavior after being integrated into a family day care setting which facilitated parent-provider teamwork. (BB)

Maintains that parents of a handicapped child, for example, a child with cerebral palsy, are "walking a tightrope." Successful intervention with the disabled child in the classroom is possible only when there is strong teacher-parent communication. This position is illustrated by an account of a parent's personal experience. (BB)

Discusses effects of peer relationships on preschoolers' social development. Peer acceptance is important for successful social interaction and adjustment to school, whereas antisocial behavior is associated with rejection. Family interaction and experience are connected to peer acceptance. Suggests approaches that teachers may use to facilitate…