Effective Early Childhood Professional Development

With this authoritative research volume, administrators and policy makers will discover the latest findings on best professional development practices in early childhood education-and learn how to scale up successful efforts across an entire district or s

Effective teaching leads to positive student outcomes, and professional development for early childhood teachers is key to improving both. But what exactly do we mean by 2professional development3? What effect does it have on school readiness? Which models and approaches really work? This is the book the early childhood field needs to take the crucial first steps toward definitive answers. Top experts in early childhood education help readers: define professional development; examine research across a range of settings Head Start, public preschools, private programs on professional development and school readiness; consider both the extent and the content of professional development; learn from detailed explorations of promising professional development models; investigate key economic considerations and policy implications; identify areas for further exploration.

Attention has increasingly turned to the preparation and ongoing education of early childhood educators as governments have become increasingly aware of the importance of early childhood education as a key part of educational provision.

This book provides a critical insight into comparative approaches to the professional learning and development of early years educators – taken to include all those working in a professional capacity with young children in educative settings, including home-based care and education. It also analyses leadership development for the early years workforce, and the evaluation of the success or otherwise of professional development initiatives involving early years educators. The book includes perspectives on relevant policy development at local and national levels and critical consideration of research literature on the effectiveness of professional development programmes for early years educators. The book is essential reading for professionals working in early years settings, for those engaged with the professional learning of early years educators, and for academics researching professionalism in early years education. It provides international perspectives on the professional learning and development of those working in early years education. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Professional Development in Education.

The essential resource to the issues surrounding childhood care and education with contributions from noted experts The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource that offers a review of the historical aspects, best practices, and the future directions of the field. With contributions from noted experts in the field, the book contains 30 interdisciplinary essays that explore in-depth the central issues of early childhood care and education. The handbook presents a benchmark reference to the basic knowledge, effective approaches to use with young children, curriculum design, professional development, current policies, and other critical information. The expert contributors address the myriad complex policy and practice issues that are most relevant today. The essays provide insight into topics such as child development and diversity, the sociocultural process of child development, the importance of the home environment in the lives of young children, early childhood special education, teaching and learning literacy, and much more. This important resource: Presents a comprehensive synopsis of the major components of the field of early childhood care and education Contains contributions from leading scholars, researchers, and experts in the field Offers the foundational knowledge and practices for working with young children Puts the focus on how early childhood works and presents an understanding of culture as a foundational component of both child development and early childhood education Written for academic scholars, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and students of early childhood care and education, The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource to the major issues for dealing with childhood care and education with contributions from noted scholars in the field.

The long-awaited new edition of NAEYC's book Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs is here, fully revised and updated! Since the first edition in 1987, it has been an essential resource for the early childhood education field. Early childhood educators have a professional responsibility to plan and implement intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that promote the social and emotional development, physical development and health, cognitive development, and general learning competencies of each child served. But what is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)? DAP is a framework designed to promote young children's optimal learning and development through a strengths-based approach to joyful, engaged learning. As educators make decisions to support each child's learning and development, they consider what they know about (1) commonality in children's development and learning, (2) each child as an individual (within the context of their family and community), and (3) everything discernible about the social and cultural contexts for each child, each educator, and the program as a whole. This latest edition of the book is fully revised to underscore the critical role social and cultural contexts play in child development and learning, including new research about implicit bias and teachers' own context and consideration of advances in neuroscience. Educators implement developmentally appropriate practice by recognizing the many assets all young children bring to the early learning program as individuals and as members of families and communities. They also develop an awareness of their own context. Building on each child's strengths, educators design and implement learning settings to help each child achieve their full potential across all domains of development and across all content areas.

Comprehensive and authoritative, this forward-thinking book reviews the breadth of current knowledge about early education and identifies important priorities for practice and policy. Robert C. Pianta and his associates bring together foremost experts to examine what works in promoting all children's school readiness and social-emotional development in preschool and the primary grades. Exemplary programs, instructional practices, and professional development initiatives?and the systems needed to put them into place?are described. The volume presents cutting-edge findings on the family and social context of early education and explores ways to strengthen collaboration between professionals and parents.

This book frames content in a way that defines the " what, why, and how" of becoming an early childhood educator. It prepares readers for the variety of roles (advocate, facilitator, planner, mediator, etc.) they must assume in working with children, parents, colleagues, principals, administrators, and the community at large. Its innovative coverage focuses on helping readers fulfill these roles in a caring, competent, knowledgeable manner, through case studies, verbatim comments, and numerous opportunities for reflection. Organized around the twelve essential roles and responsibilities of effective early childhood educators as delineated by the NAEYC "Guidelines for Preparation of Early Childhood Professionals (2000)," coverage includes demographic changes in families, advances in psychology, political influences, cultural diversity, and issues of inclusion. For future teachers of children from birth to age 8.