Elizabeth Peabody, a radical feminist, used early 19th-century ideas of the "woman's sphere" to suggest that a career in early childhood education was "the ideal solution to the problem of what educated American women should do with their lives," and she credited Froebel's "genius" in identifying a way in…

The articles in this special issue make clear that the field of early education is characterized by a breadth and depth of knowledge unimaginable 200 years ago, even to someone as exceptional as Elizabeth Peabody. This radical feminist used early 19th-century ideas of the "woman's sphere" to suggest that a career in early childhood education was…

It is well documented in the literature that relationships influence the lives of young children (birth to second grade). Consequently, it is essential that young children's caregivers and teachers build professional relationships with children's parents, because these relationships influence the children's present and later learning environments…

This article presents the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators' (NAECTE) position statement on early childhood certification for teachers of children 8 years old and younger in public school settings. The association requires public schools to employ and assign teachers with early childhood certification/endorsement to early…

Intentional, systemic philosophical change on an educational program level and on an individual level is often a slow and cyclic process. In this article, we reflect on the journey of philosophical change and growth from a traditional philosophy to an inquiry-based, Reggio-inspired one that occurred on both levels in an early childhood teacher…

History shows that educational systems and educational theorists have consciously or unconsciously structured the education of young children toward one end or the other of the continuum between "internals" and "externals". Systems in which teacher-guided learning was based on efforts to satisfy individual needs, systems that encouraged…

Professional development is a topic that is near and dear to the author's heart. The author has spent more hours than she can count trying to get her colleagues in the U.S. Department of Education to understand that early childhood professional development has to be part of the education continuum. She would argue that even if they had the luxury…

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…

Explores the feasibility of developing guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early childhood teacher education, based on DAP principles for young children. DAP higher education practices include facilitation of identity development, respect for student interests, and social accountability. Components of DAP in higher…

Explores constructivist teaching assumptions of early childhood teacher preparation programs: (1) active adult learning is valued; (2) educational reform begins in university classrooms; (3) translating best practices and research into teaching contributes to classrooms and student teacher supervision; (4) maintaining links to K-12 education…