Early childhood educators work with children and families from a range of diverse backgrounds. As society becomes increasingly multiracial, multilingual, and multicultural, so too grows the need for educators' abilities to support children's development by instilling in them the tools they need to live together respectfully and stand up to…

Teachers of young children work hard to be professional and to be viewed by others as professionals. These efforts to maintain professionalism must include e-professionalism. E-professionalism involves behavior related to professional standards and ethics when using electronic communication (Evans & Gerwitz, 2008). Cellular telephones, social…

"Teacher leadership" is often described as a murky concept that refers not to a particular position, but rather to varied formal and informal leadership roles that teachers play within school communities. Teacher leadership may involve shaping curricula, choosing instructional materials, leading professional book clubs, planning staff development,…

"Professionalism" is typically defined as acting in accordance with agreed-upon professional standards or ethical codes. For entry into many types of careers, a professional needs a credential such as a license, certificate, or degree. To actually be professional requires that one accept and follow the ethical code adopted by the field. In nearly…

Teacher leadership is quite simply what teachers do for the good of children inside and beyond their classrooms. It is critical today to successfully reform schools and the profession. Inside the classroom, teacher leaders advocate for best practices and model expert teaching. Teacher leaders contribute to their professional community to improve…

The field of early care and education continues to change, and strong leadership is needed to ensure that it is moving in the right direction to benefit young children and their families. Early childhood programs face pressure at national, state, and local levels to meet performance standards, increase accountability, ensure efficiency, and offer…

Public school systems have recently become major players in providing services for children in their early years. In addition, a number of other services are available to young children including child care, Head Start, and Early Head Start programs. The link between program quality and professional development of early care and education…

Increasingly, infants and toddlers in the United States are being cared for outside of the home and/or by extended family (Capizzano & Adams, 2000). This social and demographic change has placed an unprecedented level of responsibility on people other than family--caregivers--to provide a nurturing, stimulating, and safe environment that will meet…

Explored the use of e-mail to develop a productive mentoring relationship with a student teacher through her student teaching and first year of teaching. Found that on-line discussions provided opportunities to state concerns and offer mentoring ideas in a calm environment. Also found that both mentor and student shared stories that encouraged…

Presents ways early childhood teachers can preserve records of their classroom experiences to enrich their own lives, and the lives of their descendants and those who study education. Discusses self-interviews and teacher journals, and outlines developing a timeline, tracking classroom traditions, collecting photographs and videotapes, and…

Alabama Child Care Resources provides an early-childhood-educator course. A mentoring component was added to transfer learning from course to practical work situations and to provide professional and personal growth for educators. The Specialized Training Achievement Recognition System (STARS) is used as an organized path for professional…

Describes the implementation of a pilot program for proactive inclusion at East Tennessee State University Child Study Center. Focuses on program characteristics critical to inclusion such as effective consultation strategies related to transitions, assessment and curriculum, and professional development; and family-centered services. (KB)

Advocates public policy education in higher education and student involvement in state public policy. Discusses ways to incorporate public policy education in university courses in family and consumer sciences curricula at the introductory, advanced, and graduate levels, including writing briefing reports, participating in professional…

Reviews three books of relevance to early childhood educators: (1) "Distinctions between Self-Esteem and Narcissism: Implications for Practice" (L. G. Katz); (2) "We All Belong: Multicultural Child Care That Works" (Australian Early Childhood Association); and (3) "Words Can Hurt You: Beginning a Program of Anti-Bias Education" (B. J. Thomson).…

Reviews "Investigating Mathematics with Young Children" (Althouse); "Homecoming for Babies after the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery: A Guide for Parents," with companion guide for professionals (Hanson and VandenBerg); "HIV/AIDS: A Challenge to Us All," with companion video (Pediatric AIDS Foundation); and "Modeling Healthy Behavior: Actions and…