This classic in the field of early childhood education provides practical tips and research-based methods for developing teachers, plus ready-to-use checklists for observing children and the classroom environment. In addition to its success as a college text, the book is widely used by student interns, volunteers, assistants, CDA candidates, and…

The first years of life represent a unique window of opportunity for foreign language learning. However, key questions are: How much and what kind of foreign language exposure is needed to ignite learning? We conducted a foreign language (English) intervention in four public Infant Education Centers in Madrid, Spain. Intervention children (N =…

Now in its Third Edition, "Young Investigators" provides an introduction to the project approach with step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful investigations with young children. The authors have expanded their bestseller to include two new chapters--"How Projects Can Connect Children with Nature" and "Project…

Along with nutrition, physical activity, and secure attachments, sleep is a basic requirement for a child's growth and brain development. Sleep is important for health and wellness, especially for growing infants and young children. Unfortunately, the amount of time children spend sleeping seems to be declining. If only sleep-deprived children…

A young child's stress-sensitive neurobiological system is immature and open to being shaped by experience. When children enter preschool, external demands on them to adjust are different from the demands they experience at day care. In Finland, the last year before children transfer to the comprehensive school is called preschool. The preschool…

Advances in neuroscience are providing information about the brain and its development. Some researchers propose that childcare workers need to understand this information because it confirms their importance and their use of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Given the fact that childcare workers could benefit from this insight, it seems…

As an advocate for young children and families and an advocate for early childhood education, the author has long argued for improving quality and for investing more public dollars in ECE. To make her case, the author used several different arguments, including: moral; workforce productivity; brain research; and return on investment. The author…

An increasing focus on early childhood education and brain research offers a prime opportunity for higher education institutions to research and formulate thought concerning quality child care. Currently, there is limited research examining the impact and roles of child care centers on university campuses. To add to the base of knowledge, this…

As Arizona strives for a first-rate educational system, the foundation of care and education for our youngest children remains far too weak. This new report, "A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona's Early Care and Education Workforce," marks ten years of data on trends in the wages, benefits, and education levels…

Demand for child care services has grown steadily over the last few decades due to demographic trends, public policies, newly discovered links between brain development and early environments, and the number of parents entering the labor market for reasons such as welfare reform. As a result, most U. S. children under five spend time on a regular…

In this volume, gender and schooling in the early years addresses a broad range of issues including, but not limited, to gender equity in education. We explore, for example, the complex world of play in Fromberg's chapter and are reminded that for young children, play involves issues of power and hierarchy in ways that parallel the role of gender…