Scaffolding is the process through which a learner is provided with support to complete a task that surpasses their individual abilities (Van de Pol et al., 2010). The purpose of this article is to describe a framework to support early childhood educators' reflection and intentional planning of scaffolding to support children's development within…

STEM is not just about learning four discrete subject-specific content areas (McClure et al., 2017), but also an approach of higher order thinking (i.e., the ability to think critically, logically, and creatively, and solve problems; Baharin et al., 2018). In this article, the authors use STEM learning to describe children's learning about STEM,…

Early intervention (EI) providers--who deliver Part C services under the purview of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children birth-3 years old with/at risk of disabilities--play an important role in promoting the development of young children and their caregivers. Enhancing caregiver capacity to meet the developmental…

Systematic coaching can help early intervention (EI) practitioners gain the skills needed to support children's regulation leading to gains in social engagement and decreases in challenging behavior for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Responsive social interactions are important for children's cognitive, communicative, and…

The preschool years are fundamental for children's social development as they navigate novel and complex social situations, which include interaction sequences and relationship features. As young children notice aspects of human difference, they develop schemas by classifying and situating attributes (e.g., skin color, hair type, communication…

The recent attention being given to early childhood trauma and its negative effects on long-term learning and development has led many policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to focus on developing practices that support children and families who are experiencing trauma. Given the fact that many young children spend a significant amount of…

It is generally accepted that warm and meaningful parent-child interactions during children's earliest years of life play an important part in supporting young children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. In addition, connections between children's home and any out-of-home early childhood experiences are viewed as important to…

A good deal of scholarship on social justice in early childhood education explores antibias curriculum and pedagogy at the classroom level. Antibias education refers to a specific approach to social justice teaching that was first developed by a group of educators in California in the 1980s (DermanSparks & A.B.C. Task Force, 1989). Since then,…

Active family involvement in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is regarded as a beneficial factor in young children's learning and development. One definition of family involvement is the active role parents take in their child's development and the knowledge and participation they share with professionals who are part of the child's daily…

Given the importance of social and emotional competence and confidence in early childhood, there has been growing attention on providing young children deliberate experiences to practice and acquire essential foundational skills for health and well-being. This article shares examples to illustrate how children can easily apply simple tools within…

Both of these toddlers struggle with communication. Parents and practitioners working with very young children often struggle to find ways to enhance their toddlers' communication skills. They may question: When do I teach? What should I teach? Where do I teach? How do I teach? This article will provide suggestions and techniques to support the…

Given the increasing diversity of families within the United States, early educators have many opportunities to work with children and families from diverse backgrounds. It is likely that these encounters will include children who, at first glance, exhibit behavior that educators may consider worrisome and "challenging." However, many…

The Division for Early Childhood/National Association for the Education of Young Children's (2009) joint position statement on inclusion stresses the importance of (a) developing practices that support young children of diverse abilities in inclusive learning environments, (b) being part of supportive school communities, and (c) engaging in…

On any given day, early intervention (EI) providers must manage the individual needs of children with a range of disabilities in a variety of contexts and with varying caregiver/family priorities. Recommended and evidence-based practices as defined by Part C policy (Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004) and the Division…

Executive functions (EFs) involve a number of interconnected systems that, when compromised, can result in difficulties that affect a child's ability to perform tasks across early childhood settings, including the home and community-based settings. In retrospective research studies, researchers have found that a young child's…