The COVID-19 pandemic has been an acutely challenging time for families and parents of young children. Periods of lockdown, and the economic and social dislocation associated with the pandemic, will have far-reaching consequences for children's education, life chances and social relationships. This article extends our understanding of these issues…

This study examines "First 10 Schools and Communities"--coordinated efforts to improve teaching, learning, and care during the first decade of children's lives. First 10 initiatives take two basic forms. First 10 School Hubs are anchored by a single elementary school, which provides direct support to families and collaborates with nearby…

Coupled with reflection, play leads to the development of thinking dispositions and promotes deep learning and understanding. The twenty-first century world demands that children learn how to learn by becoming reflective, self-regulating inquirers capable of metacognition (thinking about thinking). This manuscript aims to analyse how young minds…

Since 1809, there has almost always been a school in Macworth Point (now Falmouth), Maine, just north of Portland. In 1916 a brick, one-room schoolhouse was built on this property and named Pine Grove School. Unfortunately, it burned down a few days before the school opened and was rebuilt, and then expanded in 1941. In 1984, after a brief…

What is it like being a male early childhood educator? What advice do men in the field today have for men entering the profession? This article presents what six men at different points in their careers--a school principal, an education consultant, an English-as-a-second-language specialist, an infant/toddler teacher, a military child development…

This paper explores how early childhood development practitioners running centre-based programmes with children aged 3-6 years address the needs of an increasing number of children from diverse cultural backgrounds in their care. This is important as early childhood is a critical moment in which to create a positive awareness about diversity. A…

In low-income rural communities, access to early intervention and support services is restricted and resources needed to support children and families are limited. The aim of this study was to explore the role of local nonprofessional women, recruited as community home visitors (CHVs), to assist trained professionals in supporting parents with…

"Understanding the Reggio Approach" is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the Reggio Approach. Analysing the essential elements of the Reggio Approach to early childhood and its relationship to quality early years practice, this new edition is fully updated with the…

This study traces patterns of attendance, times of arrival and departure, and policies and practices surrounding enrollment and moving children from classroom to classroom in a child care center. It appears that children's efforts to acquire competence in developing friendships with their peers not only depends on their own capacities, but is also…

As care providers of young children, the early childhood profession is poised to be on the forefront of the green revolution. Sustainability, by definition, is the art and science of leaving for future generations, opportunities equal or better than those left us. There is no better place to employ this philosophy of sustainability than in child…

Few people are willing to admit that senior adults and young children share many common characteristics, including: (1) changes in development; (2) need for companionship; and (3) the desire to be understood. These two groups are connected mostly through direct interaction with middle-aged adults. One very practical way to build a greater sense of…

Teachers at the Freeburg Early Childhood Program know that experimentation with physical science is of great interest to young children, and can begin as early as the age of 3. The constructivist teachers at this experimental school at the University of Northern Iowa worked for six years to develop a center-based approach to physical science with…

This paper explores young children's rhythmic, musical, humorous and playful communication in the context of empowering themselves to create meaningful curriculum during teacher-controlled routine morning-tea times in an early childhood education centre. The data, presented as "events", formed part of an interpretive qualitative study…

This working paper explores the methodology and initial issues raised in seeking to involve young children in the design process. It reports a study concerned with how young children can play an active role in the designing and developing of children's spaces. The focus is on children under 6 years old in early childhood provision. (Contains 2…

Preparing foster children for school entry by focusing on the skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten calls for early intervention. However, existing programs to enhance school readiness have not been tailored to meet the educational, emotional, and psychological needs of foster children. This is the rationale behind development of the…