Presents a six-phase model of the interdependent relationship between cooperating teachers and their student teachers in early childhood settings: (1) anticipation/excitement for cooperating teachers and anxiety/euphoria for student teachers; (2) confusion/clarity for both; (3) onstage/backstage and competence/inadequacy; (4) letting go/hanging on…

Highlights program strategies to support families as they adjust to changes in welfare policy. Core strategies noted include using early childhood programs as a resource, adapting early childhood programs to better meet family needs, promoting access to high-quality child care, linking early childhood programs and welfare agencies, and creating…

Discusses the importance of adaptability in the 21st century, both for early childhood educators in readying children for the unknown and for children's future success. Maintains that adaptability is at the core of all early childhood education and that the field must continue to assure that the inventiveness and adaptiveness of children and…

Provides information for teachers and caregivers of young children regarding the family contexts of Chinese American children of immigrant parents. Includes information on cultural beliefs, languages, child rearing, and beliefs and practices regarding education. Discusses implications for teachers and child caregivers. (KB)

Argues that standardized testing encourages a standardized pedagogy in a nonstandard, diverse student population and is characterized by logical fallacies and procedural problems. Concludes that conventional tests create barriers to learning and educational policies with important consequences for children. Encourages early childhood teachers to…

Discusses how to integrate young children's interests into classroom learning activities. Emphasizes the need for early childhood educators to be creative and open-minded when encountering unexpected interests and classroom situations. (KB)

Discusses the use of authentic assessment during creative learning activities in kindergarten classrooms to document growth and support further learning. Provides an example of how authentic assessment was used to document the social progress of one child during kindergarten. Concludes that authentic assessment of children's activities and…

Examines views of early childhood theorists and educators regarding work in the lives of young children. Discusses young children's performance of chores around the world, work opportunities in one U.S. child care center, expanding chore choices in child care and early education settings, developmental issues related to work, and the promotion of…

Discusses the importance of empowerment for early childhood teachers. Maintains that empowering early childhood teachers increases motivation, allows for an emergent curriculum, and bridges home and school. Notes that empowering teachers to manage their own classrooms involves extensive on-site training and support but that as teachers grow in…

Describes components of high quality child care programs and the structural and social barriers to quality. Discusses how three early childhood practices have been detrimental to raising child care quality: voucher programs for child care, acceptance of license-exempt care, and the view that market economics will ultimately determine care quality.…

Describes the framework of the Annie E. Casey Foundation for addressing the family and community factors that make family and child success particularly challenging in poor neighborhoods. Discusses the importance of economic opportunities, strong social networks, and formal supports/services. Describes the Neighborhood Transformation/Family…

Describes NAEYC video training materials "Tools for Teaching" providing guidance on five essentials for early childhood teaching: creating caring communities of learners, teaching to enhance development and learning, constructing appropriate curriculum, assessing children's learning and development, and building reciprocal relationships with…

Identifies pioneers in the 75-year-old National Association for the Education of Young Children. Notes that they defined central issues for the field, worked to marshal public opinion regarding early childhood education, helped to develop public policy, and achieved support for early childhood programs. (KB)

Describes the Project to Reinvent NAEYC Accreditation, the first comprehensive revision of the accreditation system of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since its inception in 1985. Presents questions guiding the thinking of the NAEYC National Commission on Accreditation Reinvention. Invites NAEYC member input…

An extended-school program for at-risk first graders was designed to accelerate each child's progress in reading and writing over the summer. The instructional framework for the class consisted of independent reading, shared reading, interactive writing, journal writing, a spelling activity, learning centers, guided reading, and reading aloud.…