The recently revised NAEYC position papers and the fourth edition of NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Guidelines (NAEYC. 2022. "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth through Age 8," edited by S. Friedman, 4th ed. Washington: National Association for the Education of Young…

Recent Illinois legislation requires school principals in the state to be qualified to provide school leadership for children from preschool to grade twelve instead of kindergarten to grade twelve. Illinois is the first state to make such a change and may well serve as a model for change in school leadership preparation on a national level. The…

When people say that children grow up faster today, they are confusing appearance with reality. Children may be avid consumers of adult culture. They may adopt adult mannerisms and styles. They certainly get to grips with new technology far more easily than grown-ups. But when it comes to everyday freedoms--like walking to school alone, or meeting…

The quality of the verbal environment sets the stage for young children's developing perceptions of themselves and others. This document provides hands-on, practical advice for practitioners to support children's self-perception and coping skills by establishing and maintaining a positive verbal environment. Positive verbal environments enhance…

Contemporary reflection on queer-radical and queer-deconstructionist curricula has only marginally included a radical deconstruction of the principle of curricula itself. This article explores this "hidden discourse" by referencing the idea of curricular subjectivity and proposes a contextualizing perspective on the politicized interplay between…

Kindergarten has changed significantly in the last two decades: children now spend more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills than they do learning through play and exploration, exercising their bodies, and using their imaginations. Many kindergartens use highly prescriptive curricula geared to new state standards and linked to…

The "Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century" provides a mandate for discussion of the spiritual within secular state schooling, but this discussion has never occurred. This is a serious omission given what could be called an "undercurrent of concern" for the ways in which young people…

Advocates of children's right to play are caught between the need to provide developmentally appropriate and challenging places for play and restrictions that result from fears of liability. It may be that implementation of the suggestions of research on playground safety has resulted in the creation of playgrounds that are colorful, cute, and…

Examines how postmodernist thinking can disrupt traditional beliefs about child development and appropriate practice by asserting a more critical and skeptical approach to knowledge and truth statements. Asserts that postmodernism, by opening up possibilities for multiple points of view, can be simultaneously daunting and liberating, and that…

Responds to Lubeck's critique of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) guidelines and their underlying premises. Maintains that guidelines are a starting point for decision making, that not all DAP classrooms look the same, and that it is important for early childhood educators to be knowledgeable regarding developmental milestones.…

This paper asserts that infant-toddler teachers, like preschool teachers, need to be cognizant of individual children's developmental levels, chronological ages, and general developmental stages, as well as infant-toddler theories and developmentally appropriate practice for infants and toddlers. In that spirit, the paper describes the purpose and…

Intends to make the possible purposes of kindergarten education explicit in order to promote better conceptualization and research. History shows that the definition of appropriate kindergarten experience has changed over time. Different educational traditions lead to different conceptions of appropriate experience for kindergarten children. (RH)

Examines the role of children's play as part of developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Suggests that schoolchildren's play is creative, and more complex than that of younger children. As work and play intertwine throughout the layers of the classroom, the combination helps them learn to manage time responsibly. (AA)

This paper reflects on the current state of research in early childhood education and proposes that there is a renewed interest in research evident at present. Multiple perspectives of viewing early childhood are increasing, with research stretching the comfortable boundaries wider than seen before in Australia. This paper discusses how early…

There is currently widespread international concern with delivering high-quality early childhood education and care to young children. Crucial to this effort is an appropriate way of defining and monitoring quality. This article explores the micro-context of quality care, that is, the nature of interactions between children and others (both…