This book aims to provide a series of starting points which will help readers to understand more about many key topics in early childhood education and care. In the rapidly changing field of early childhood education and care, it is becoming increasingly important for students and practitioners to have an awareness of the many topics that relate to provision for young children. This book has five main aims: (1) to provide starting points; (2) to describe key points; (3) to maintain a clear focus; (4) to suggest connections between ideas; and (5) to provide a confident beginning to the study and understanding of important terms in early childhood education and care. Each entry is written to provide a starting point for understanding a key term. The entries are brief, covering basic points and principles and providing details of further reading for those who wish to take the study of any topic further. This publication was intended as an introductory resource, and further reading is listed at the end of each entry to assist readers in following up entries where they wish to know more. The book begins with the Acknowledgement, Introduction, Making the Most of This Book and a List of fiqures and tables. It then continues with the 30 brief entries mentioned in the Introduction. They are as follows: (1) Assessment; (2) Birth to Three; (3) Brain Studies and Neuroscience; (4) Child Minding and Home Care; (5) Developmentally Appropriate Practice; (6) Early Intervention Studies; (7) Early Literacy Development; (8) Family Literacy; (9) Foundation Stage; (10) Gender; (11) High Scope Preschool Curriculum; (12) Heuristic Play with Objects; (13) Inclusive Education; (14) Index for Inclusion; (15) Information and Communication Technology; (16) Key Person; (17) Media and Popular Culture; (18) Montessori Method; (19) Parental Involvement; (20) Persona Dolls; (21) Play; (22) Quality; (23) Reggio Emilia Approach; (24) Schemas; (25) Special Educational Needs; (26) Steiner-Waldorf Kindergarten; (27) Sure Start; (28) Te Whariki; (29) Treasure Baskets; and (30) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The book concludes with a Glossary, Further resources, Journals, Organisations, and Internet Sources. (Contains 8 figures and 5 tables.)[This book was published by Paul Chapman Publishing.]