The goals and purposes of kindergarten have been changing rapidly in recent years. Today, in addition to providing learning experiences that support the development of the whole child, kindergarten teachers are also held accountable for guiding their students towards mastery of the academic skills and content presented in their state's standards. The Learning-Centered Kindergarten is designed to help all kindergarten teachers - preservice, novice, and experienced - align their practices with the new expectations and prepare themselves for professional success in the kindergartens of today and tomorrow. The book's focus on a 'learning-centered' kindergarten brings together the established developmental kindergarten knowledge base, the current research on standards-based best practices in elementary school settings, and the newest findings on human learning to form a principled, practical, and effective approach that will help teachers improve their classroom practices and maximize student success.