Noting that the growing crisis in the quality of early childhood programs is fueled partly by the lack of well-trained, knowledgeable, reflective teachers, this book details teaching cases that reflect typical challenges in teaching to be used as a tool for professional development. The cases provide a basis for discussing teacher decisions and actions, thereby developing problem-solving abilities, decision making skills, and powers of reflection. Forty-nine cases cover the spectrum of center-based early childhood settings, including Head Start, nursery schools, private child care centers, kindergartens, and public preschool and primary programs, as well as a variety of cultural contexts in urban, suburban, and rural locations. The cases are grouped in seven large sections, each focusing on important issues in early childhood education and representing age levels from infancy through second grade. Each case concludes with questions for discussion. The sections are titled as follows: (1) "Challenges of Working with Parents"; (2) "Challenges of Curriculum"; (3) "Challenges of Classroom Communities"; (4) "Challenges of Children with Special Needs"; (5) "Challenges of Stress in Children's Lives"; (6) "Challenges in Antibias Practice"; and (7) "Challenges of Workplace Settings." Each section includes resources for further reading. (KB)