Hurricane Katrina devastated the American gulf coast, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without food, water, shelter, and clothing. Men, women, and children perished, crushed by the effects of violent winds across four states, or drowned in massive ocean waves and in floodwater that swamped New Orleans and made the city…

Early childhood special educators often use a family-based approach to working with children and their families (Cook, Klein, Tessier, & Daley, 2004; Raver, 2004). Although this approach is not new, it is used inconsistently and is misunderstood by many early childhood teachers. Part of the difficulty stems from the discipline-specific training of…

Families are children's first educators and play a critical role in young children's literacy development. Young children's success as readers is related to their early literacy experiences in the home. Family literacy practices determine young children's literacy skills prior to formal instruction. However, families may not be aware of best…

Several years ago, an interaction occurred in a classroom at the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center, University of Cincinnati. It startled the teacher into an awareness of the fears, stereotypes, misconceptions, and biases that young children continue to harbor about American Indian people, a half century after her own…

What kinds of learning should be provided for a four- or five-year-old child who is beginning a school experience? First, he should have extended opportunity to explore the physical world. He should be helped to become increasingly sensitive to the world in which he lives. We want to provide full opportunity for doing and making. We want to…

Stresses the need for a concerted effort to educate children about the problem of sexual abuse. Suggests that teaching about this subject is most effective when planned as a personal-safety component of the curriculum. Discusses myths surrounding child sexual abuse. Guidelines for teaching, curriculum ideas, and sexual abuse indicators are…

Describes the usefulness of teacher-made books. Includes instructions for binding books for classroom use. (AS)

Presents Sylvia Ashton-Warner's (known for the organic education scheme and Key Vocabulary) message for American teachers. (AS)

Raises issues for public debate and discussion about the child's right to learn. Suggestions include immediate closure of harmful centers, state licensing laws, expanding present child care services in the public schools, and federal legislation of a Comprehensive Child Development Act that puts early childhood education programs into the public…

Outlines a planning strategy for an early childhood developmental curriculum that provides for the education of children, and makes allowance for the values and goals of their teachers and parents. (BB)

Describes the Minnesota Early Childhood Family Education Program, which is designed to offer support and information for all parents and their children from birth to kindergarten-enrollment age, and to provide a good early childhood education experience for young children. (Author/PCB)

Through the High Scope Curriculum Demonstration Project, which explored the use of microcomputers with children aged 3 to 7, it was found that microcomputers can be an educational asset when they are integrated into a developmental program in a way that supports the goals of the curriculum. (BB)

Third-graders can use read-aloud time to hone critical and creative reading skills by getting involved in a story. Children relate book experiences to their own experiences by evaluating characters' responses, recognizing characters' motivation, and adjusting interpretations. (BB)

Provides guidelines and suggests activities for the use of big books--oversized children's books--with young children in beginning reading programs. (BB)

Maintains that the manner in which adult participants in early childhood programs create the verbal environment in the classroom dictates children's estimation of self-worth. Presents the characteristics of negative and positive verbal environments, the importance of a positive verbal environment, and steps for establishing a positive verbal…