Examines the traditional place of play in contemporary early childhood programs in light of new directions in theory and curriculum, the push for educational outcomes, and perceived pressures of the global market economy. Maintains that a new focus on teaching through play may provide a way to reconcile demand for outcomes with a concern for…

Examines the demands made on the beginning reader. Considers implications for classroom practice to promote reading development, and examines the resources used by teachers to introduce children to reading. Argues that the use of Big Books in the teaching of reading is a means to make the reading process visible and accessible to all children.…

Advocates providing opportunities for child-initiated literacy experiences within a free play setting in early childhood education programs. Presents a rationale for meaningful academic content in preschools, including the need for early adult models and advantages of free-play over structured settings. Details methods of promoting literacy in…

In recent years the number of children, ages 3 to 5, in early childhood programs has rapidly grown. As a result, an emphasis has been placed on developing curriculum guidelines that specifically address the needs of young children. One of these guidelines recommends that children be provided with an opportunity to participate in regular movement…

This report presents a revision of the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework (2000), renamed The Head Start Child Development and Learning Framework: Promoting Positive Outcomes in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children 3-5 Years Old. The Framework outlines the essential areas of development and learning that are to be used by Head Start programs…

Teachers involved with professional-development opportunities inevitably differ in their content knowledge, access to resources, and instructional practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate how a standardized assessment observation tool, selected to gather summative information for grant-evaluation purposes about preschool teachers'…

This monograph presents the methods and results of the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison Study through Age 23, which compares the relative effectiveness of three preschool curriculum models: (1) direct instruction; (2) traditional nursery school; and (3) High/Scope. Part 1 of the monograph provides an overview of the study and surveys…

This paper examines several issues involved in collaborative research between a kindergarten teacher-researcher and a university professor as they developed an early childhood anti-bias curriculum. Literature on collaborative research in early childhood settings is reviewed, and the concept of anti-bias, culturally inclusive education is defined.…

This study investigated the impact of a program called "New Friends: Mainstreaming Activities To Help Young Children Understand and Accept Individual Differences" in teaching preschool children about similarities, differences, and disabilities, and assessed its effectiveness in improving nondisabled children's attitudes toward, and…

This paper reviews the history of early childhood education in China between 1949 and 1990. After the Communist revolution in 1949, China's educational policy was modeled after the Soviet Union's. Preschool pedagogy emphasized conditioning children's behavior and providing a comfortable environment for children. The number of nurseries and…

This practicum report describes an intervention during the 1990-1991 school year that involved restructuring a kindergarten classroom to include more developmentally appropriate activities. Expected outcomes were stated in the following terms: (1) the arrangement of the classroom will allow free, orderly movement; (2) the county's kindergarten…

This study examined parental beliefs regarding developmentally appropriate preschool programming. A survey instrument based on National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) was designed to assess beliefs concerning: (1) curricular goals; (2) teaching strategies; (3)…

A study sought to determine whether or not parents felt that education in nonviolent living skills was important to their choice of a preschool for their child. Questionnaires were distributed to parents at four preschools and to parents of children attending a test site preschool with a peace studies program. A teacher focus group was also…

This booklet discusses the importance of pretend play in the education of young children in Australia. The booklet notes that pretend, or socio-dramatic, play is characterized by imitative role playing, make-believe objects and situations, persistence, interaction, and verbal communication. Pretend play can appear as early as age 2 and peaks at…

This paper describes the Gallaudet University Child Development Center (an early childhood program serving the children of university staff, faculty, and students), focusing on its model integration program at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (District of Columbia). The program uses a "split placement" model to promote…