Practice-based coursework in higher education programs is considered a critical aspect of early childhood practitioner preparation. Many undergraduates also have formal (e.g., childcare) or informal (e.g., nannying, babysitting) work experience outside of their degree programs, which may influence their caregiving competencies. In this study we…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction, have been linked to adolescent substance use. As a result, there exists a pressing need for trauma-informed, substance use preventive intervention for adolescents with a history of ACEs. The primary aim of this qualitative study is to increase our…

This study demonstrates the richness of traditional children's games as an instructional tool for promoting holistic child development at the early childhood development (ECD) level. The study examines traditional children's games from rural Zimbabwe. Valuable insights were drawn from different dimensions of indigenous knowledge systems, ranging…

This document supports high-quality Child Outcomes Summary (COS) ratings by helping teams connect their observations of children's functional skills and behaviors with three child outcomes: (1) Positive Social-Emotional Skills; (2) Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills; and (3) Use of Appropriate Behaviors to Meet Needs. Effectively aligning…

This study examines the perceptions of parents and caregivers on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), or in-school programs designed to teach social and emotional skills. The study aims to replicate the main findings from the Fordham report (Tyner, 2021) and examine how the rank-order method used in the study may have influenced the interpretation…

Super Parents is a group-based, Extension-led parenting program developed to enhance the parent-child relationship. Implemented by trained Head Start staff using the train-the-trainer model, this effort is achieved by teaching positive parenting practices, increasing parents' knowledge of child development, instructing parents in activities and…

Kindergarten readiness has received significant attention in recent years in response to concerns regarding preparing young children for school and beyond and mitigating persistent achievement gaps. Currently, there is little consensus around what factors drive and define kindergarten readiness. In this study, we sought to expand understanding of…

Psychological science has much to contribute to enhancing teaching and learning in the classroom. Teaching and learning are intricately linked to social and behavioral factors of human development, including cognition, motivation, social interaction, and communication. Psychological science can also provide key insights on effective instruction,…

Conceptualizations of childhood are powerful determinants of adults' interactions with children, and technology and social networking systems are affecting the nature of teachers' knowledge of childhood. We analyzed questionnaire responses from 57 elementary-level teachers from Quebec regarding children's use of "Facebook". Through…

Social and emotional learning, or SEL, involves the processes through which individuals acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage their emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish and achieve positive goals, develop and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible…

Rwanda's vision for Early Childhood Development is presented in its national ECD Policy as well as its integrated ECD Strategic Plan of 2011. Since then, the ECD development is notable with curriculum reform and school infrastructure development. With the target to accelerate ECD enrolment by 2018 (1 preschool per village), it requires enormous…

This guidance document is designed to support state and local technical assistance (TA) providers in implementing effective professional development (PD) on the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process with early intervention and early childhood special education practitioners. This document provides an overview of national resources and materials…

Learning communication is one of the major developmental tasks in early childhood. Few tasks in early childhood are as important for children as being able to communicate with the people in their world to have their needs met. This also includes gaining skills to understand and express thoughts, feelings and information. Understanding…

This paper draws on the literature on effective African American teachers of African American students to investigate the enactments of culturally relevant critical teacher care (CRCTC) in two fifth-grade teachers' classrooms in a large, urban school district. Using interview and observation data, the findings illustrate the teachers' knowledge of…

A growing body of evidence supports the importance of nurturing children's thinking. This article reports on an investigation of the influence of teachers' implementation of the Visible Thinking approach developed within the Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero on very young children's concepts of thinking, as measured by the…