This guide was developed by the New Jersey Department of Education to assist adults working with young children in providing high quality education experiences. Articulating the optimal relationships between and among families, the community, and schools, the guide describes developmentally appropriate teaching practices; identifies expected…

Recognizing that parents have a great range of options in choosing and creating an education for their child, this book is designed to help parents make an informed, conscious choice about their child's schooling. Chapters in the first part of the guide provide an overview of American education, the mainstream public sector and alternative…

This publication presents a digest of pertinent research and recommended practices for the first steps of providing early intervention services for young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Chapter 1, "Initial Identification and Referral: Child Find, Screening, and Tracking: Serving Culturally and Linguistically…

This book is designed to provide guidance on effective practices that are related to better outcomes for young children with disabilities, their families, and the personnel who serve them. Practices were identified through focus groups of stakeholders: practitioners, personnel trainers, researchers, administrators, and family members. These…

This early childhood curriculum (ages 3-6) uses games, music, art, drama, and storytelling to teach young children effective, nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts and provides caregivers with tools for helping young children develop key conflict resolution skills. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 provides guidance in assessing the…

Noting that early childhood education is recognized as critical to a child's educational career, this 7-part videotape series focuses on developmentally appropriate practices in the components of quality early childhood programs, providing an opportunity for acquiring working knowledge, observing classroom models, and reflecting on one's own…

In 1999, a task force was appointed to develop early childhood education (ECE) program expectations or standards for New Jersey's ECE programs. The standards were based on the task force's review of research, curricula, standards, and guidelines developed by local boards of education, other states, and professional organizations; feedback on draft…

This chapter is a part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the dual-language ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District…

This set of training videotapes teaches the key points of the "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs--Revised Edition." The videos present more than 3 hours of programming produced in short stand- alone programs ranging in length from 3 to 20 minutes. The videos are designed to be used in a variety of ways to stimulate…

The Head Start on Science and Communication Program (HSSC) is a model that fosters science learning for young children through a systematic approach to language development. The HSSC program emphasizes the development of language skills through an explicit teacher-directed and exploratory child-centered approach to acquiring science knowledge and…

Examines the need to help rural youth become employable in today's changing circumstances, especially young adolescents in middle school programs. Discusses elements in effective School-to-Employment (STE) programs, basic job skills appropriate to middle-school exploratory STE programs, and the need for program articulation between middle and high…

Proposes a model of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) that includes culturally appropriate practice (DCAP). Suggests that teacher preparation must readdress cross-cultural child development and learning style; reintroduce self-awareness and ways of understanding and valuing the study of culture, ethnicity, and teaching; and restructure…

Provides guidelines for teachers in inclusive classrooms to help children with disabilities learn language and communication skills during everyday activities and routines. Key elements described include collaboration among team members, collecting naturalistic assessment data, developing activity-based objects, preparing an activity matrix, and…

Describes one effort to integrate the early school experience of young children into comprehensive networks of support for children and their families. Suggests integration of services for children ages birth to 6 years, addresses problems related to a wide range of family characteristics, supports public school and community collaborative…

Examines how the terms "child development knowledge" and "teacher preparation" have come to be understood in ways that place limits on how we think about children and the preparation of teachers. Illustrates some of the differences between modernism and postmodernism, then considers why a universal practice premised on a universal theory of…