This volume makes a comprehensive assessment of the status and quality of early educational experiences at preschool and early primary grades in India. It raises a serious concern that despite high enrolment in preschools, children's school readiness levels remain low at ages five and six, and raises a vital question---are Indian children getting a sound foundation for school and for later life? It addresses three important issues from the Indian perspective: children's school readiness at age five; families' readiness for school; and, most importantly, the readiness of schools for children. India is one of many countries across the global South facing an early learning crisis. High quality early childhood education may be key to improving these outcomes for children, yet little is known about early childhood education programs in India and their impact on children's school readiness. This volume is based on a longitudinal, mixed methods research study which is perhaps the first of its kind in India. The study covers public provisions along with steadily expanding private pre-schools and schools in rural India and provides interesting narratives and insights into the multiple pathways children are adopting in these critical early years, particularly in the context of the expanding role of the private sector. Written in a lucid and narrative style, this volume is of interest to a diverse readership of researchers, educationists and early childhood education policy makers and practitioners in terms of both its design and findings.

This book explores how stretching stories through posthuman and autoethnographic perspectives can produce new stories that decolon(ial)ize traditional thinking and approaches to Early Childhood Education (ECE). It demonstrates how stories can provide a different way of knowing, and a way of knowing differently: a way of decolon(ial)izing current discourses of early childhood education within educational institutions. The book uses research and practice in ECE to act as a canvas, a context with which to explore how autoethnography can become other when viewed through a posthumanist lens. As a consequence the chapters and stories within allow for an interplay between the posthumanist and the autoethnographic, an interplay that allows for a very specific type of meaning to emerge; a meaning that traffics in numerous and disruptive possibilities rather than settled certainties. In so doing, authors rethink and perturb the notion of child-centered approaches to knowing, be(com)ing, and doing within the Early Childhood Education context.

How does early years policy impact on practitioners, children, settings and families? What are the implications of current policy for the future? How can early years professionals shape and craft practice in ways that genuinely focus on the needs of children and families, rather than the interests of policy makers? This exciting new text explores the changing context and increasing importance of early years policy. It takes a broad look at policy developments and shows how these have affected children, settings, parents and the early years workforce. Divided into two parts, the first examines theoretical perspectives and sets out the early years policy context, looking at issues surrounding accountability, international influences on policy and the Early Years Foundation Stage. The second half of the book directly shows how policy has influenced practice, and considers: the upskilling of the workforce and the impact of this on practitioners; the development of the learning environment including outdoor provision; sustained shared thinking and its link to high quality learning and teaching; the impact of policy on parents. Offering a fresh perspective on early years policy, this timely textbook will be essential reading for students on undergraduate and postgraduate Early Years and Childhood Studies courses and those working towards Early Years Teacher status.

This selective bibliography makes it easier than ever to find quality children's books that focus directly on religious themes or characters. Dole offers more than 675 critical evaluations of recently published (since 1990) materials appropriate for preschool through middle school students. Material is arranged alphabetically by author within subject-based chapters (e.g., God, Prayer, Christian Church History and Biography). Works covered range from age-appropriate reference materials to folktales, prose, poetry, plays, and picture books. Reflecting publishing trends, the largest sections of the book are those on Christianity and Judaism, but Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and African, Chinese, and Native American beliefs are also addressed. Useful as a ready reference and collection development guide, this book is an ideal reference and collection development tool for school, public, and church libraries.

This book is a guide for teachers seeking to use multicultural literature in the early grades. It also serves as a valuable resource for classroom teachers who routinely use multicultural literature as part of their practice. In addition, the book is written for both undergraduate and graduate children's literature and multicultural literature courses as well as for workshops or seminars focusing on teaching preschool to grade 3 children with multicultural books. Starting with exploring that particular culture, each chapter includes a step-by-step guide on how to select and evaluate literature on the culture. The classroom examples then showcase strategies and activities for classroom teachers. Finally, resources provide suggested children's books and resources for understanding the culture.

This book conceptualizes the nature of mathematical modeling in the early grades from both teaching and learning perspectives. Mathematical modeling provides a unique opportunity to engage elementary students in the creative process of mathematizing their world. A diverse community of internationally known researchers and practitioners share studies that advance the field with respect to the following themes: The Nature of Mathematical Modeling in the Early Grades Content Knowledge and Pedagogy for Mathematical Modeling Student Experiences as Modelers Teacher Education and Professional Development in Modeling Experts in the field provide commentaries that extend and connect ideas presented across chapters. This book is an invaluable resource in illustrating what all young children can achieve with mathematical modeling and how we can support teachers and families in this important work.

Exam board: CACHE Level: 3 Subject: Early Years and Child Care First teaching: 2015 First exams: Various dates Help your students master the knowledge and skills they need for the new CACHE Level 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Childcare & Education (Early Years Educator) Written by experts Carolyn Meggitt and Tina Bruce, this is the only resource for the Level 3 Diploma in Childcare & Education (EYE) endorsed by CACHE. The approachable writing style makes learning key concepts both easy and enjoyable for all learners, and all aspects of the qualification are covered and linked to specific learning outcomes. This book will support your students through their assessment and the start of their careers. - Communicates all the requirements of the new qualification fully with clearly stated learning outcomes and key terms - Shows how concepts are applied in real settings with numerous case studies - 'In Practice' boxes give students the opportunity to check and reflect on their understanding - Includes activity boxes linked to assessment criteria to prepare learners for examinations and assessment

This comprehensive guide to the core areas of Early Learning and Childcare is designed to equip students and practitioners to synthesise theory, research and practice to become reflective, evidence-based practitioners. From national and international policy, to theories of childhood, to professional development: the book is a rich resource that will accompany and support throughout the reader's studies and professional practice. Each chapter features the following: - Key points covered at the start of each chapter. - Case studies showing a view from practice. - Thought provoking questions throughout chapters at key points. - Further questions at the end of each chapter encouraging reflection and critical engagement. The book features a diverse and experienced author team, who are imbedded in work across the sector - including not only academics, practioners, service managers but also the expertise of those working in professional organisations, local authorities, and national organisations.

This book offers a perspective on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ESDEC) that is far removed from the 'business as usual' notion of an extended, predominantly environmental, educational curriculum for preschools. It presents a vision of sustainable development that has relevance to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from birth to school; it is relevant as much to homes, family support and health settings as it is to educational settings, and is as much concerned with health and wellbeing as with education. The book provides a perspective that is fundamentally embedded in notions of interdependency. It places an emphasis upon the importance of recognising the interdependency of peoples within and between nation states; the ecological interdependencies of the natural world; of humanity and nature; and most significantly the interdependency of adults and children. These emphases have their origins in the grassroots studies included in the ten chapters representing countries from around the world. The book reflects the idea that only global solutions and initiatives are capable of addressing the global challenges of climate change, environmental pollution, and global threats to ecological systems and biodiversity.

1. This practical guide provides all of the information practitioners need to consider when making the decision to engage with young children and their carers. 2. This is the first book to provide practical guidance on how to attract young children and their carers into the museum. This will ensure that the book is essential reading for experienced and junior professionals, who are working in museums large and small around the world. 3. There is no competition to this book. Drawing on current neurological research and best practices in early childhood education and development, this guide presents case studies from a variety of different institutions around the world and will be truly unique as a result.

Children love outdoor play. Now teachers can combine the magic and excitement of the outdoors with activities that encourage and support learning With more than one hundred new teacher-created, classroom-tested outdoor activities, Let's Take It Outside engages children's minds and bodies as they explore the limitless bounds of the outdoors while also building key skills in areas like math, literacy and language, science, art, and music. Perfect for ages three to six, the activities in Let's Take It Outside take kids on an outdoor adventure as they make mud-dough letters, go on a rainbow scavenger hunt, and play animal charades. Let's Take It Outside is the result of a nationwide contest among teachers. The best of the best activities are selected and organized by theme for easy use. Themes include counting, alphabet, colors, shapes, art, touch, sound and sight, plants and gardening, bubbles and air, light and shadow, animals and insects, dramatic play, and large motor skills.

This book is a concise and accessible guide to observation as a tool for supporting learning for children aged 0 - 5. It provides comprehensive coverage of the what, why, and how of observation, brought to life with extensive case studies and contextualised alongside other crucial Early Years' topics, including child development and play. This book encourages readers to consider their own context and practice, with reflective questions at the end of each chapter and specific chapters on linking observations to the curriculum and sharing insights with parents and colleagues. The focus on both learning and self-reflection makes 'Observing Learning in Early Childhood' ideal for students, newly qualified teachers, and current practitioners alike. Dr. Stella Louis is a freelance early years consultant, with 34 years' experience of working with children and families across the UK, South Africa and Australia.

This open access book brings together current childhood research and contemporary ethical theory to draw attention to how children depend upon a scope of action for risky play for their mental and physical development. In many countries, the opportunities for children to play away from adults' close attention have decreased. At both school and home, protection and avoidance of harm take increasing priority. This book draws a distinction between do-good ethics and avoid-harm ethics to highlight ethical tensions and dilemmas encountered by professionals who work with children, and suggests better ways to balance these ethical dimensions in approaching risky play.

From shy to confident, quiet to enthusiastic, all children have different personalities and sometimes they just need a little help when it comes to making friends. How can we best help children communicate clearly and build strong friendships? Penny Tassoni, leading Early Years education consultant, author and trainer, uses simple words, accompanied by delightful full-colour illustrations by Mel Four, to support children as they make friends. There's lots to talk about in Time to Make Friends which makes this book ideal for sharing. It also includes a page of practical advice and tips for practitioners, parents and carers making it the perfect resource for supporting this essential life skill.

You never know what adventures await in your dreamtime travels, or what fantastic characters you'll meet If Dreams Could Talk is a delightfully illustrated book that recounts a child's magical dream. We meet a cheerful gnome riding a beautiful giraffe, a handsome owl playing the guitar, and a lovely little blue fairy. These and other appealing characters share life lessons to inspire young and old. They encourage us to appreciate the world around us, listen to our hearts, and, above all, keep dreaming Everyone dreams, and sometimes we learn important things along the way. What have you dreamed lately?

This book brings together a range of scholars from 10 different countries to address the contemporary state of play in national standard language education - i.e. the L1 subjects. It seeks to understand the field from within a comparative-historical and transnational frame. Four thematic threads are woven through the volume: educationalisation; globalisation; pluriculturalism; and technologization. The chapters range over various aspects of L1 as a school subject: literature, language and literacy; reading and writing; media and digital technology; the dialogue between curriculum inquiry and Didaktik studies; the continuing relevance of Bildung; the significance of history and nation; and new challenges of culture and environment in the face of climate change. The book concludes with a reflection on the prospects for L1 education today and tomorrow, in a now thoroughly globalised context and, accordingly, deeply implicated in a necessary new project of nation re-building.

This book explores international perspectives on quality improvement within the field of early childhood education and care. Many countries and governments are focusing on preschool quality as a way to improve entrenched inequalities and reduce social disadvantage and segregation: this book draws together various global case studies to showcase how different countries tackle aspects of quality improvement. The concept of quality is understood in different ways both culturally and contextually, and the implementation of measures to improve quality will differ from country to country. The book draws together case studies from numerous contexts to showcase various ways of working with aspects of quality improvement. Sharing important insights into policy and practice, this book guides a shared understanding of the complex nature of quality improvement within early childhood education and care.

This book presents the Preschool Peer Social Intervention (PPSI), a manualized comprehensive social curriculum to enhance peer-interaction for pre-schoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in three key domains: play, interaction, and conversation. The book outlines the PPSI's transactional approach in each of the three intervention domains and incorporates developmental features and age-appropriate play, interaction, and conversation skills while accounting for individual differences in social communication abilities. The intervention is designed to be implemented within the child's natural social environment, such as preschool, and it includes the child's social agents, namely, their peers, teachers, and parents. PPSI intervention curricula addressed in this book are based on typical play, interaction, and conversation development, taking into account the social and communication challenges found to characterize young children with ASD in these domains. Building up the ability to play, interact and converse more efficiently with peers may render a substantial impact on preschoolers with ASD, with vast potential for improving not only these children's immediate social experience with peers, but also their future social competence that relies on these early building blocks.

The subject of this book is young children's emotional-social learning and development within early childhood care and education settings in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The focus on emotional complexity fills a gap in early childhood care and education research where young children are frequently framed narrowly as 'learners,' ignoring the importance of emotional functioning and the feelings with which children make sense of themselves and the world. This book draws on original data in the form of narrative-like framed events to creatively illustrate the complexities in children's diverse ways of feeling, thinking, playing, being, and becoming. Events illuminate the feelings and meanings of observed experiences in holistic and contextualised gestalts. Awareness of unconscious processes, the feeling of feelings, and cultural dimensions of development and meaning-making are addressed. The book emphasises the emergent and psychodynamic nature of children's development and learning with strong links to the role of play and playfulness in the events, drawing on two ethnographically inspired research projects that present theory, experience and practice in real-life events.

By bringing together research evidence on effectively supporting parents to engage with their children's early learning, and the role of education professionals in developing partnerships with families, this book focuses on partnerships between professionals and parents to enhance family learning for young children in literacy and other aspects of early learning. The move towards setting, home-based, and online learning has accelerated, and it is important for both students and practitioners to value parents' roles in their young children's learning; to consider how parents can support young children's learning in these scenarios, and how to apply this in practice with children aged birth to five. Through a wealth of case studies from real experience, the authors showcase an inspiring range of inclusive projects and approaches with families, including marginalised groups such as bilingual learners, fostering families, and families identified as 'vulnerable' including imprisoned fathers and children with specific learning needs.

The 50 Fantastic Ideas series is packed full of fun, original, skills-based activities for Early Years practitioners to use with children aged 0-5. Each activity features step-by-step guidance, a list of resources, and a detailed explanation of the skills children will learn. Creative, simple, and highly effective, this series is a must-have for every Early Years setting. Every year, an increasing number of children enter the Early Years setting either new to English or with English as an additional language (EAL), which can be daunting, not just for the child but for the practitioner too. How can Early Years practitioners ensure that the right support is in place for the child and themselves? What practical ideas can be used successfully to enrich an EAL child's understanding of a new language, while, at the same time, allowing that child to bond with their peers? 50 Fantastic Ideas for Children with EAL is an invaluable resource to help integrate children with EAL into the classroom with fresh, exciting and engaging activities that are easy to resource, require little preparation and are fun to carry out. The activities include simple speak-and-repeat games, visual ideas to support learning new words and phrases and activities that evoke feelings of being at home, allowing the children to feel welcomed and part of the school's diverse community. Traditional games are also featured to help children with EAL play with their peers, as well as feel that they can contribute to the learning of others. Perfect for promoting inclusion and self-esteem, 50 Fantastic Ideas for Children with EAL is ideal for supporting children as they navigate the ups and downs of having English as an additional language.

What better way to get young children excited about STEM than through beloved nursery rhymes? Children explore ways to keep Humpty Dumpty from breaking after a fall, design a system for Jack and Jill to bring water down the hill without carrying it, build a catapult to help the cow jump over the moon, and many more. Each nursery rhyme comes with three STEM activities and companion recording sheets. A joyful way to spark a love of science in little learners!

Through different approaches like toys and play, children explore and know the rules and symbols of their communities and recreate roles and situations that reflect their sociocultural and 21st century plurilingual world. As a result, they learn how to subordinate desires to social rules, cooperate with others willingly, and engage in socially appropriate behavior. When they are evaluated together psychologically, there is a current need for action to increase the amount and quality of play provided to children. Since discrepancies are observed between urban and rural areas, as well as among different cultures, there is also a need for a research initiative where cultures can learn and take advantage of the experiences of each other. International Perspectives on Modern Developments in Early Childhood Education is an essential scholarly publication that identifies ways of intertwining key areas of early childhood education, including international approaches, intercultural education, bilingual/plurilingual education, and the role of play and toys as means for meaningful intercultural and multilingual learning. By incorporating a view of different cultures, societies, languages, and educational experiences in early childhood education, this volume provides data for international and intercultural exchange for the benefit of children. Highlighting a range of topics such as educational systems, play therapy, and games, this book is ideal for early childhood teachers, educators, academicians, researchers, professionals, psychologists, sociologists, and students.

This edited volume provides an in-depth exploration of a theoretical framework supporting Early Childhood Science Education research and teaching best practices. Particularly by presenting the concept of the Precursor Model from an epistemological, psychological, and didactical point of view at Early Childhood Science Education. The book examines and discusses the nature of Precursor Models and their use for early science teaching and learning. It scrutinizes different aspects of the construction of such models applied in early childhood education settings and contexts. Several empirical studies are presented within diverse scientific domains, as well as in international educational contexts. By providing a vary of examples of precursor models it makes this book a great companion for teachers aiming to teach children to understand and reason about topics such as: floating and sinking; shadow formation; water state changes; air; clouds and rain; electricity; inheritance and selection; as well as variation within populations. Finally, this volume supports the development of science education from an early age by using the original framework of a precursor model to mediate teaching and learning science at school during early childhood.