This uniquely compiled volume addresses the current trends and issues in the field of early childhood education, reflecting the evolving nature of the field and teacher training in the United States and worldwide, preparing readers with the skill set necessary to meet the new needs and challenges that face the teaching profession today. Comprehensive and authoritative, this edited text includes 15 chapters written by over 32 experts in the field, covering a variety of approaches to teaching young children, the historical foundations, as well as the philosophy and theory behind the applications described. The text addresses current tensions within early childhood education, covering new developments in curricula, methods, and assessment strategies. By clarifying and addressing current tensions, definitions, identities, functions, and boundaries, it helps readers stay on the cutting edge of the field.  An important resource and guide for pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as those professionals who currently guide or work with children in early childhood settings, Approaches to Early Childhood Education, Sixth Edition,is the best preparation tool on the market for preparing future early childhood educators–tomorrow’s leaders in the field–with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the ever-changing needs and challenges of teaching in today’s world. 

Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, co-editor on this edition, is Jack Reilly Professor of Child and Family Studies and Director of the Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood and Provider Education at Syracuse University. He was trained as a child development specialist and has conducted research on families and children in several countries around the world. A Fulbright Scholar to the University of West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, an Indo-US Submission Scholar at the University of Delhi, he is the author or co-author of several books, chapters, and journal articles on parent-child relationships and early childhood education across cultures.

 

James E. Johnson, co-editor on this edition, is Professor-in-Charge of Early Childhood Education at The Pennsylvania State University-University Park. Trained as a Life-Span Development Psychologist, as a postdoctoral fellow with Irving Sigel at Educational Testing Service in Princeton he worked on developing Sigel’s Educating the Young Thinker model of Early Childhood Education curriculum and teaching.  He is author or co-author of several books and many chapters and articles on the role of play in early development and education. A former Fulbright senior research scholar, and past-president of The Association for the Study of Play, he currently serves as a series editor for Play & Culture Studies and is co-editor in chief of a forthcoming two-volume Handbook of The Study of Play.

Part I : INTRODUCTION

 

Chapter 1:        History of Early Childhood Education in Multicultural Perspective

                            Blyth F. Hinitz, College of New Jersey

Chapter 2:        The Program for Infant/Toddler Care

                            J. Ronald Lally and Peter L. Mangione,

                            WestEd, San Francisco, California

Chapter 3         The Head Start Program

                            Douglas R. Powell, Purdue University

Chapter 4         Home Visiting Programs

                            Barbara Hanna Wasik, Adrienne Villagomez, Sheena Berry, and Priya Mulholkar,

                            University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 

Part II : CORE THEMES

 

Chapter 5         Including Everyone: A Model Preschool Program for Children with and Without Disabilities

                            David Smukler, State University of New York at Cortland

                            Ellen Barnes, Jowonio School, Syracuse, New York

Chapter 6         More Than the Sum of Its Parts: Creating Multicultural and Linguistically Responsive Early Childhood Classrooms

                            Aisha Ray and Luisiana Melendez. Erikson Institute

Chapter 7         Early Prevention Initiatives

                            Karen L. Bierman, Celene Domitrovich, and Harriet Darling,

                            The Pennsylvania State University

Chapter 8         Assessment for Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom,

                            Jie-Qi Chen and Gillian McNamee, Erikson Institute

         

Part III : SPECIFIC APPROACHES—UNITED STATES

 

Chapter  9        Creative Curriculum

                            Diane T. Dodge, Cate Heroman, and Kai-leé Berke, Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Chapter 10       The High/Scope Model of Early Childhood Education

                            Lawrence J. Schweinhart and David P. Weikart (deceased)

                            High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Chapter 11       Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education

                            Elena Bodrova, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning

                            Deborah J. Leong, Metro State College

Chapter 12       The Developmental–Interaction Approach at Bank Street College of Education

                            Harriet K. Cuffaro and Nancy Nager, Bank Street College of Education

Chapter 13       The Project Approach: An Overview

                            Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

                            Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada

 

Part IV :  SPECIFIC APPROACHES—EUROPE

 

Chapter 14      The Piramide Method

                            Jef J. van Kuyk, CITO Corporation, Arnhem, The Netherlands

Chapter 15       Reggio Emilia in the 21st Century:  Enduring Commitments Amid New Challenges

                            Rebecca S. New, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

                            Rebecca Kantor, University of Colorado-Denver

Chapter 16       Montessori Education Today

                            Martha Torrence, Cambridge Montessori School

                            John Chattin-McNichols, Seattle University

Chapter 17       The Waldorf Approach to Early Childhood Education

                            Christy L. Williams, Fairbrook First Steps Christian Preschool

                            James E. Johnson, The Pennsylvania State University