The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how kindergarten teachers describe their use, as well as the effectiveness and value, of developmentally appropriate practices for teaching kindergarten curriculum in a mid-size urban school district in New Jersey. It was not known how kindergarten teachers describe their use, as…

This study investigated the pedagogical strategies implemented by preschool teachers to scaffold social and emotional learning (SEL) in socioeconomically disadvantaged children (ages 3-4) during the 2020-2021 school year amidst COVID-19 in the United States. The participants consisted of eight teachers (representing four teaching teams of one lead…

We might call this decade the era of early childhood. In the US, federal and state governments invest in the creation of public pre-kindergarten (preK) programs and create standards that articulate goals for practice and benchmarks that can be used to evaluate success. How have these trends provided a context for the evolution of preK curriculum?…

Background/Context: Early childhood education joined the standards movement in 2002 with the Good Start, Grow Smart initiative (Brown, 2007), with advocates arguing that standards were a tool for creating more continuity and coherence in PreK systems (Bowman, 2006; Kagan 2012). Critics posed concerns about a perceived poor fit between…

In March 2020, most preschool programs physically closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For state-funded preschool programs, guidance differed in terms of what programs were required to provide to students. While some states mandated the provision of remote learning, others did not, and still others opted to provide alternative types of…

This qualitative case study explored how an infant teacher provided meaningful learning experiences for infants through play and the teacher's educational rationale behind these experiences. Findings were based on multiple sources of data, including classroom observations (natural observation and videotaped observation) for approximately 12 weeks…

There are multiple explanations for why many children do not have access to well-prepared pre-K teachers. The five programs profiled in this report show that it is possible to give pre-K teachers rich, research-based training that prepares them to work with young children. However, there is a scarcity of opportunities focused on the developmental…

This brief identifies important elements of high-quality early childhood education programs as indicated by research and professional standards. These include: (1) Early learning standards and curricula that address the whole child, are developmentally appropriate, and are effectively implemented; (2) Assessments that consider children's academic,…

The consequences of lack of reading and poor reading skills are problematic for all students, regardless of background; however, for middle grade striving readers with academic difficulties these problems can lead to lower self-efficacy and motivation to engage in literacy tasks. Using the perspectives of urban, middle grade special education…

This article presents the WDT Framework, which consists of three levels of integrating field-based technology experiences into early childhood education coursework. Early childhood teacher education programs have historically utilized field experiences for the purpose of helping pre-service teachers build their understanding of developmentally…

To investigate the current practices of schools and school counselors working with students with chronic illness and the protocols for providing these services, the authors conducted a mixed design, grounded theory study, with an eye toward pinpointing any trends or patterns in service provision. They identified a collaborative, developmental,…

The New Jersey Department of Education has been stressing the value of early childhood education for the past 12 years. Research has clearly demonstrated the value of high-quality preschool programs for preparing children for school and even later life. Particularly in light of the Core Curriculum Content Standards and elementary curriculum, which…

As the demand for services from therapists in the educational environment continues to grow, both physical and occupational therapists seek innovative and effective ways to meet the identified needs of the child and school environment. Train-the-trainer model of service delivery can be used to meet the needs of both the therapist and the preschool…

As Universal Pre-K efforts sweep the nation, so does the development of state standards that define the skills and the knowledge that young children should be developing. The goal of these standards is to ensure the school readiness of all students. While the goals mentioned in this article are taken from the New Jersey Department of Education's…

Describes the three-stage growth of the Princeton (New Jersey) Montessori School. Examines how the philosophy of prepared environments evolved over 12 years upon reflection of concepts such as user-friendliness, ambiance, developmental appropriateness, effective communication, a welcoming space, faculty needs, storage, eating areas, resting areas,…