Clarifies issues surrounding teaching of the alphabet to preschoolers. Considers the meaning of "teaching" and examines links between letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, and learning to read. Presents suggestions for teaching the alphabet within developmentally appropriate practice guidelines, including beginning with the familiar, creating a…

Presents a five-step process for creating therapeutic stories to help young children facing psychological problems. Includes sample story vignettes and a story appropriate for children going through the grieving process. (KB)

Examined images of preschool, teachers, and principals presented in 57 children's picture books published between 1953 and 2000. Found that school was portrayed realistically in only 14 books, most teachers were portrayed as white females who stand or sit at the front of the class, and most principals were portrayed as older white males who are…

Proposes a four-phase model to promote ethical literacy among preservice and practicing early childhood teachers: awareness, differentiation, analysis of ethical dilemmas, and application of the NAEYC Code in daily practice. Includes a sample case for ethics discussion. Each phase includes a rationale, common myths about professional ethics, and…

Relates Vygotsky's concept of zone of proximal development to a fishing story, thereby providing a scaffold allowing preservice students to better understand the educational concept. Concludes that educators should use the right bait (determined by how engaged children are), technique, and progress at the right pace (evidenced by children's…

Provides a historical and contemporary description of school-age child care and after-school programs. Focuses on funding, community initiatives, affordability and supply, program outcomes, program quality, and the role of community planning. (KB)

Discusses the values transmitted to infants and toddlers by a majority of Americans and by many early childhood education leaders. Points out how mainstream infant/toddler programs encourage the characteristics of individualism, independence, choice and exploration, initiative, equality, and expressiveness. Examines parents' role in infant/toddler…

Maintains that the United States tolerates an ineffective system of early education and professional preparation. Notes challenges to the field, including insufficient teacher preparation, outdated teacher professional development approaches, ineffective use of research findings to improve early childhood programs, and failure to understand,…

Discusses lessons learned from 75 years of operation of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Notes that individuals, when united and organized, can make a greater difference. Also cites as important setting and promoting standards, providing opportunities for experts to exchange information about child development and…

Describes the growth of Early Head Start (EHS) programs, focusing on one EHS partnership with child care providers in Delaware to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. Includes discussion of partnership strategies that promote quality programming, ways the early care and education coordinator supports child development, strategies for…

Offers suggestions for using talk time with toddlers in an early care setting to promote communicative interaction. Discusses how talk time was introduced and its usefulness in promoting language development, and identifying and helping delayed talkers. Describes talk time themes and strategies, including a caution not to use the time to correct…

Describes a first-grade teacher's collaboration with a university professor to combine a supportive classroom with on-the-spot conferencing and publishing to support and document growth in student writing. Discusses underlying theories of the practice and illustrates the four-step process for conferencing and publishing. Asserts that on-the-spot…

Describes how one teacher helped preschool children draw. Shows how she guided a 4-year-old to use stencils to draw fish independently, helped children use their knowledge of shapes to guide their drawing of animals, and guided children to draw what was important to them. Asserts that helping children to express their ideas independently in…

Discusses how adults can infuse music in young children's routines to nurture powerful learning connections. Includes discussion of musical development, its impact on other developmental domains, and brain development and music. Highlights four music activities to illustrate developmentally appropriate music experiences, asserting that…

Examines the place of art appreciation in early childhood education programs. Discusses historical changes in philosophies of art education and young children's capability for appreciating art. Presents suggestions for including art appreciation in the preschool curriculum, and describes ways to tie art activities to children's interests,…