Background/Context: In the context of increasing accountability mandates in the preK-12 education system, the importance of professional development (PD) supports for early childhood educators is recognized. Education leaders emphasize the importance of partnering with teachers to inform the development of effective PD approaches. This partnering…

Federal attention is focused currently on investing and improving the quality of early childhood education, so that children's potential and talent development can be used as a natural resource for the future of our country. This article engages readers in transitioning their thinking about early childhood gifted education from a traditional…

A curriculum was designed to give preschool caregivers basic nutrition background through a programed self-instructional unit; incorporate nutrition education into existing parts of a typical preschool day; and provide learning activities designed to help preschoolers relate food/nutrients to health. Development of materials, caregivers'…

This guide contains developmentally appropriate movement activities designed to help teachers of children ages 3 through 5 plan and administer a successful movement education program. The book is organized into three parts. The first part presents a model upon which teachers can base their selection of physical activities for children, addresses…

This volume presents a number of articles on different aspects of the Head Start Strategy for Spanish-Speaking Children written by participants in that effort. The first section describes Bilingual-Bicultural Curriculum Development and Evaluation projects and includes descriptions of four curriculum development projects and an evaluation of the…

This handbook was developed to assist educators and parents in fostering children's self-concept through developmentally appropriate kindergarten experiences. Guidelines for parental involvement, classroom volunteers, and families under stress are included. The handbook describes basic characteristics of children from ages 3-8 in terms of…

Based on the conviction that interaction with homeless people can erode negative stereotypes and be a contributing part of a teacher education curriculum, students enrolled in an Early Childhood Education (ECE) course at Kent State University were allowed to substitute an observation of children at a homeless shelter for other course requirements.…

This document provides guidelines for administrators, practitioners, and parents to use in developing high quality preschool education programs for 4-year-olds. Ideas presented in the document are based on principles set forth and confirmed by research on individual needs of young children, child development, and the conditions under which…

The planning and implementation of a pilot CDA training project is described in this final report to the Office of Child Development by the Human Services Department, Social Science Division of the St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Staff training, selection of candidates and curriculum development are emphasized early in the report. The…

The overarching aim of this research in the proposal was the following: In a number of early childhood centres and early years school classrooms that have already begun to explore in this area, to investigate effective pedagogy designed to develop five learning competencies over time. This project was developed in response to curriculum reform in…

The purpose of this report is to provide the Center for Excellence (CfE) in Early Childhood Development with a set of recommendations regarding how to measure school readiness in Ventura County. This report defines school readiness according to the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) which identified the following three important components of…

This curriculum guide for training preschool teachers in postsecondary institutions is based on the competency-based program developed by North Carolina's Department of Community Colleges. The curriculum is organized so that the individual can exit either at the completion of four quarters of study with a diploma or at the completion of the total…