This paper discusses the history of early childhood education in Australia, areas of change in contemporary early childhood education, and the philosophical bases of education. The paper also offers suggestions for the future. From 1880 until 1950, Australian children's services consisted of philanthropic enterprises. The period from 1950 to 1970…

Ecology is the relationship between persons and their environment. A caring ecological relationship is dynamic, able to be affected by the internal environment of the person and by the people/animal/plant/object external environmental surround in which a person lives. This paper attempts to examine the nature of ecology and how to facilitate the…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning the promotion of social skills and emotional development in early intervention and early childhood special education programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introductory section points…

Since the groundwork for social development is laid during a child's early years, early childhood programs should include regular, periodic, formal and informal assessments of children's progress in the acquisition of social competence. One assessment tool that can be used is the Social Attributes Checklist, which lists attributes of a child's…

Proposed is an integrative-organized approach to early childhood education to maximize the total development of the child. The overall goal of this approach is to provide an environment conducive to learning through active exploration and social interaction. Implementation of an integrative program requires an understanding of the organization of…