Describes how Canada's University of Victoria worked with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council representing Aboriginal communities to develop the generative preschool curriculum model, an early childhood education (ECE) training program embracing community- and culturally-appropriate practice. Concludes that early indicators of program impact support…

Describes the federal Children's Health Insurance Program, designed to provide free or low-cost health insurance to children in uninsured families with low or moderate incomes. Outlines state innovations in providing outreach to eligible families. Maintains that active early-childhood community involvement is critical to state's efforts to reach…

Describes why partnership programs are a current focus of attention for providing integrated services for children, youth, and families. Reviews some current school-community linkages and explores features of effective programs supporting families and children. Suggests building on practice of early childhood teachers and training educators to…

Explores an anecdote about a parent withdrawing her child from a child care program as a metaphor for the current status of early childhood to illustrate the pedagogical, practice, and policy dilemmas challenging the field. Maintains that pedagogy, practice, and policy are inseparable and that early childhood professionals must be cognizant of…

Examines how provocation and willingness to become engaged can contribute to collaboration and enhance the learning process among young children. Discusses the role of collaboration in the emergent curriculum, factors to consider before expecting learners to collaborate, ways of sustaining conflict, and use of doubt to practice critical thinking…

Describes how two teachers changed daily techniques in a child care home and center to promote developmentally appropriate practice and literacy in creative ways. Areas and activities presented include reading aloud together, using books with different genres and themes, sequencing as a reading prerequisite, using experience charts and…

Describes the types of classroom art experiences that should be provided for young children and discusses reasons teachers continue to rely on recipe art lessons. Suggests learning center activities and materials, as well as ways that teachers can facilitate creativity. Considers how coloring books dampen children's motivation to draw. (KB)

Describes how teachers and caregivers can create music environments in early childhood settings that connect to other areas of development. Discusses how music environments can accommodate free-choice participation, describes the caregiver's role, and suggests music activities. Includes definitions of musical concepts for young children, also tips…

Discusses how early childhood teachers can become more comfortable with young children's questions about sexual orientation and social conventions. Summarizes research findings about children's developing sexuality, and describes how teachers can respond when issues of children's developing sexuality arise in classrooms. Suggests appropriate ways…

Discusses how an integrated-thematic preschool curriculum can be designed by meet the needs of intellectually gifted young children by providing depth, connections between the disciplines, opportunities to address content at different levels, and learning center and group activities. Describes characteristics of intellectually gifted young…

Describes successful practices and procedures for designing effective infant care programs for children born to teenage parents, including supervisory support for nurturing caregiver-child relationships, continuous staff training in infant development, low teacher-child ratios, active parent involvement, a child development curriculum, and…

Presents recommendations for teachers' course of action in advocating for first-grade students exhibiting problems or concerns in the following areas: (1) excessive quietness and fear of being incorrect; (2) worrisome child behaviors combined with parents who are extremely confrontational toward authority; and (3) suspected child abuse. (KB)

Describes the planning involved in implementing child-led parent/school conferences to review student portfolios in one second-grade classroom. Notes that the second graders conducted parent conferences very effectively, there was almost 100% attendance at the portfolio night, and no parent asked for a private conference with the teacher. Includes…

Presents lessons learned from 12 years of administering a national accreditation system. Lessons for early childhood education practice include setting standards for quality, interpreting standards for practice, and administering good-quality programs. Professional development lessons relate to professional preparation and ethical responsibility.…

Describes a national project to recognize child care programs that succeed in balancing competing interests of staff, children, and families. Discusses lessons learned from 10 selected programs, including using funding beyond parent fees, educating parents about program costs, advocating by the director, professionalizing staff, tailoring parent…