Given the emerging evidence on the importance of learning content-specific vocabulary in the early years, many early childhood teachers try to incorporate science vocabulary teaching as part of classroom activities. In this article, the authors argue for the importance of teaching science vocabulary in engaging ways using read-aloud and the…

Child Trends and Start Early have partnered to better understand what early childhood systems builders need to build and support more equitable systems. The briefs in this series, called Conversation Starters, define a new framework for early childhood systems that center families' experiences and raise key considerations and next steps for…

Anxiety rates are skyrocketing among young learners--and their teachers need explicit training on how to understand and support these students. A concise, reader-friendly guide written especially for teachers, this urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3-8, identify the associated behaviors,…

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of remote service delivery in early childhood intervention (EI), and this increased use is promising for young children with disabilities living in rural communities. However, the increase in remote service delivery requires a greater understanding of using evidence-based practices (EBP) delivered by EI…

In 2022-23, SRI Education conducted an evaluation of a pilot implementation of the Maine Early Childhood Consultation Partnership® (ECCP®) for Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services. Created and developed by Advanced Behavioral Health, Inc., ECCP® is an evidence-based, manualized model of infant and…

Children with disabilities between the ages of 0-5 and their families are supported by a broad coalition of special education and general education teachers and providers who collaborate in the planning and delivery of services. When services are provided in early care settings (e.g., home care, center-based care, general education Pre-K),…

This study investigated the role of children's gender stereotypes and peer playmate experiences in shaping their desire to play with peers who hold counterstereotypical preferences (e.g., a boy who likes dolls or a girl who likes trucks). Children (N = 95; 46 girls, 49 boys; 67% White, 18% Black, 8% Latinx, 4% Asian, 3% other; median household…

Patterning, as a component of early mathematic knowledge, is a common activity carried out at elementary levels in which children are not equally successful. This study aimed to measure different variables affecting performance on patterning tasks in early childhood. For this purpose, the success of Pre-K (N = 33), K (N = 31) and first-grade…

Wellbeing is fundamental to an individual's ability to function and live well. Maori have some of the worst wellbeing statistics in New Zealand (Chalmers & Williams, 2018). From a te ao Maori perspective mana (power, authority) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) encapsulate the critical relationships inherent in Maori understandings of…

This study focuses on a close examination of how children express themselves at ECEC in play situations, which form an integral and large part of a typical day. The main research question has been: How can children's social and emotional expressions be understood through analyses of communication and interaction during free play? A qualitative…

What does it mean to be a Froebelian in the 21st century? It is not a new question but one that is more urgent than ever. Not only since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but for years, young children and their well-being have been thrust aside, and Early Childhood Education and Care worldwide has been treated as subordinate. The Global Education…

The New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, encourages teachers to intentionally implement learning experiences so children learn about and through the visual arts. Acknowledging the tensions between intentional teaching and play-based learning, teachers are urged to be neither hands-off nor very structured in designing visual arts…

In its discussion of the three levels of teaching and learning -- whole school philosophy, classroom policy and specific teaching frameworks -- "Educating Young Children," originally published in 1992, addresses the twin themes of teacher ethics and pedagogic theory. In developing their argument the writers draw on both empirical…

The benefits of an optimistic thinking style have slowly been seeping into early childhood teaching practice through research on resiliency, leadership, health, and what has been termed "grit." Yet there remains a large vacuum in teacher education on both the importance and mechanics of teaching young children to become optimistic…

When school closure was mandated due to COVID-19, staff at a university lab preschool in Trinidad rapidly switched to remote teaching. Although the six teachers were experienced early childhood educators, they were unfamiliar with teaching remotely using video conferencing tools and websites. Guided by a consultant and an educational technologist,…