Articles

Toddlers are busy little people, working hard to explore their new world and learn everything they can. They move from one challenge to another in a matter of minutes and require a great deal of chasing, engaging, cleaning up after, and redirection.

Early grade teachers in New Jersey are learning how to implement developmentally appropriate practices - a key early-childhood education principle - while still providing rigorous instruction as part of a partnership funded by a Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant.

The holidays are almost here, which gives childcare providers and teachers a great reason to teach their young students how to give thanks.

Preschool children, especially those with what feels like a never-ending supply of energy, cannot be expected to sit for long periods of time. I learned that after circle time, for example, we needed to go outside or to the gym.

Children depend upon the adults in their life to provide a consistent, loving environment that promotes healthy attachment. The environment must be predictable and nurturing and must support exploration.

The process of learning self-control and self-discipline is linked very closely with how a child feels about themselves and their relationship to the world. It's important that we help build and strengthen children's ability to determine for themselves what's right and wrong, and how to control their own behavior.

People who have experienced or witnessed a tragic event such as a mass shooting are acutely affected, and even those who have knowledge of the event are affected in some way. Simply being aware of a national tragedy can have an impact on psychological coping responses for up to 6 months after the event (Silver et al., 2002).

The way you communicate with your students' families effects positive interaction between you and the children in your care. And, the way in which you interact with parents, can affect the extent and quality of their involvement with their children's learning at home.

A set of measures have been developed based on the Whole Teacher approach to professional development. These tools have been used in past and current early education research projects to examine the impact of the Collaborative's professional development programs on teachers' attitudes, knowledge, and practice.

As caregivers, your job is to encourage children to think about how people are alike and different, to ask all kinds of questions, and to find answers they can understand. Your words and attitude tell children that differences are wonderful.