Describes the role of playworkers, nonformal educators who facilitate children's opportunities for unstructured and structured play experiences in a variety of settings. Identifies six issues confronting society today and indicates how playworkers can help address each: increased urbanization, inappropriate play objects, lack of physical play,…

Describes constructive play and its importance to child development. Outlines the developmental changes in constructive play in young children, and identifies the benefits of this type of play for young children. Discusses the learning experiences of constructive play with art materials in early childhood settings, and describes strategies for…

Describes recent reductions or elimination of recess at the elementary school level. Discusses the benefits of recess for children's intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development. Argues that recess has educational and social values and should not be eliminated from the school day. (KB)

Describes Vygotsky' view of play and its contribution to children's development. Presents developmental paths of play, focusing on the development of imaginary situations, explicit roles, and implicit rules. Describes how play leads to literacy and supports self-regulation, and ways early childhood teachers can facilitate play through promoting…

Describes insights and skills of a Head Start supervisor in rural Appalachia who mentors for a home-based family-education program. Discusses the three roles of mentor: administrator, teacher, and advocate. Suggests that mentors should provide an orientation to teaching and work to build relationships between family educators and families. (LBT)

Discusses factors highlighting the necessity of mentors in early-childhood education: high teacher turnover, teacher shortages, high rates of attrition in first three years of teaching, and problems faced by beginning teachers. Presents an alphabet of terms to describe roles of effective mentors. States that mentoring is a time of continued…

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…

Discusses West Virginia's Mentoring Apprentices Project (MAP) as a supplement to the Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS) program involving mentors, proteges, and program directors. Describes the five stages of MAP: (1) recruitment of participants; (2) orientation and MAP preparation; (3) classroom visits and conferencing; (4)…

Describes the Environmental Buddies program designed to pair fourth-grade (mentors) and kindergarten (proteges) children to work on science investigations centered around ecological themes. Details program components, including the following: investigations that interest and challenge both ages, careful student pairing, emphasis on mutual benefits…

Reviews current literature on mentor-program development and provides guidelines based on an Arkansas early-childhood-educator mentor program. Highlights areas of concern, including mentoring definition; effect of mentoring on mentor; communication and listening skills; characteristics and attitude of effective mentors; aiding mentors to insulate…

Multiage grouping, based on the belief that children benefit from engaging in learning environments that accommodate at least two age groups, allows for marked improvements in children's enthusiasm for learning mathematics. Children are challenged and stimulated by their interactions with multiage peers, and assessment information indicates they…

An 11-week kindergarten observation determined students' concerns about dismissal routines and devised alternatives. Children's concerns focused on the school bus, restroom, materials (homework and missing personal items), and saying good-bye. An alternative routine includes nurturing children's independence; refining the curriculum, adjusting…

Notes that young children need to express joys and sadness; discusses candle ceremony designed for discussions of grief. Suggests teachers inform parents of the ceremony and solicit their help in preparing children, resolve not to try to solve all problems that may be discussed, inform children the moments are private, and plan for difficult…

Presents suggestions for creating play-learning environments designed to promote children's early literacy. Suggests that stimulating and inviting environments, abundant in print-rich materials, realistic props, and manipulatives meaningful to children are most valuable. Themes include hospital, pizza restaurant, hardware store, flower shop, candy…

Urges teachers to be aware of the types of family violence, their prevalence, and the common effects of family violence on young children. Explores indicators of abuse and neglect, factors that protect against family violence, suggestions for creating a nurturing classroom climate, and the role of early childhood professionals in cases of abuse.…