The COVID-19 world health crisis has profound implications for the care and education of young children in homes and schools, the lives of preservice and inservice teachers, and the work of college/university faculty. This article begins by discussing the implications of a world health pandemic for education and the challenges of conducting a…

For many early childhood professionals, their initial foray into writing for publication consists of preparing a conference proposal for a workshop/training type of session and producing a manuscript suitable for publication as a practical article in a professional journal. The primary purpose of the article is to provide authors with templates,…

College and university faculty members specializing in early childhood education face some unique challenges in scholarly writing. The purpose of this research was to use open-ended interviews as a way to gather the collective wisdom of a group of key informants about academic writing and publishing in the field. Twenty-two editors and/or authors,…

Publishing outlets in the field of early childhood vary widely in terms of emphasis on theory, practice, and research as they relate to the care and education of the very young; these outlets also have different readerships (i.e., primarily for teachers, the teachers of their teachers, or the fellow scholars/researchers). Included in the mixture…

The complexity of words makes vocabulary development a multi-faceted process that presents challenges to early childhood educators, offers benefits to young learners, and must be supported through evidence-based strategies. All students, regardless of socio-economic status or background, need to make significant gains in receptive and expressive…

Discusses why early childhood educators should abandon their use of teacher-oriented decorative items: (1) such items evoke stereotypes with nostalgic appeal; (2) the decorations can undermine professional image; (3) the items communicate a message of subservience; (4) the items commercialize teaching rather than elevate the profession's status;…

Presents a bibliography of 34 teacher resources pertaining to children's literature with a multicultural theme. Resources include booklists and critical essays. (KB)

Argues against using cute ideas for busywork in early childhood classrooms. Asserts that cute activities insult children's intellects, mistake doing with learning, often miseducate, undermine professionalism, and frequently undermine educational equity. Posits that cute ideas interfere with communication between adults and children, between…

Identifies myths about the poor, such as attributing poverty to the breakdown of family, and responds to them with arguments from Richard Weissbourd's book "The Vulnerable Child: What Really Hurts America's Children and What We Can Do About It." Argues for using professional material like Weissbourd's book to better articulate and…

Discusses the qualifications for early childhood teachers. Considers personal qualities and subject matter competence, and identifies myths concerning who can become an outstanding teacher of young children. Maintains that the prime directive for any teacher is to model, facilitate, and further learning in every student without doing harm to any…

Provides a research-based rationale for using wordless books in early childhood settings. Offers a developmental sequence for introducing children to stories told through pictures. Suggests a general strategy and a wide array of early literacy activities, and recommends ways of communicating with families about the value of wordless books.…

Contrasts the "fictions of teamwork" existing in educational settings with the characteristics of true colleagueship, focusing on how gender socialization encourages women educators in early childhood settings to remain silent. Addresses ethical responsibilities, perspectives on conflict and criticism, view of excellence, responses to…

Using a story of horse training versus horse breaking and referring to Monty Roberts (the "horse whisperer"), this editorial draws three lessons: (1) resist the temptation to act out of fear and mistrust toward children; (2) focus on relationship building, allying with children rather than controlling them; and (3) recognize and admire those who…

Examines the campaign to convince educators to use direct instruction programs such as DISTAR. Maintains that, although direct instruction is appropriate for low-level tasks and in desperate circumstances, direct instruction programs such as DISTAR deprofessionalize what early-childhood teachers do because it ignores their specialized training,…

States that early-childhood educators must overcome negative experiences and feelings of inadequacy in the arts. Explores barriers that teachers must resolve to promote enjoyment and enthusiasm in the arts, including succumbing to stereotypes, evaluating children based on personal ability, reducing art to following instructions, focusing on…