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Early childhood education programs are expected to provide exemplary care for all children—poor and affluent, children of color and White children—while also adapting care to include children’s families and cultures. These two sets of expectations are often difficult for teachers and programs to meet. In this book, Carollee Howes shows how high-quality programs successfully adapt child development guidelines within cultural contexts, and why quality needs to be and can be measured in culturally specific ways. This important book: Closely examines ECE programs considered exemplary for low-income children of color. Shows how directors and teachers successfully use practices derived from their cultural communities to implement universal standards of child care. Identifies the commonalities in good early childhood programs that are shared across class, race, and ethnic communities. Offers best practices based on extensive assessments, interviews, and observations.

The Collaborative Construction of Pretend explores the origins and development of social pretend play in children. It begins with the infant's first attempts to play pretend with an adult; discusses the beginnings of toddler pretend with peers; and investigates the fully developed social play of preschool and school age children. The author argues that social pretend play can fulfill several different developmental functions and that these functions change with development. Each of these functions are rooted in the individual development of the child and in the social context. Thus the book looks at developmental progressions not only in the forms of social pretend play but in the meaning of the play to the child.

The authors draw on their experiences as a developmental psychologist and as a teacher educator to provide ways for teachers to create positive child-teacher relationships and classroom climates. This forward-looking volume applies attachment theory to child-teacher relationships...explores strategies that teachers can use to foster positive student behavior...provides narrative examples from early childhood classrooms serving primarily low-income children of color...and uses stories from exemplary classrooms as well as those in which teachers are struggling with relationships.

The Collaborative Construction of Pretend explores the origins and development of social pretend play in children. It begins with the infant's first attempts to play pretend with an adult; discusses the beginnings of toddler pretend with peers; and investigates the fully developed social play of preschool and school age children. The author argues that social pretend play can fulfill several different developmental functions and that these functions change with development. Each of these functions are rooted in the individual development of the child and in the social context. Thus the book looks at developmental progressions not only in the forms of social pretend play but in the meaning of the play to the child.

Early childhood education programs are expected to provide exemplary care for all children—poor and affluent, children of color and White children—while also adapting care to include children’s families and cultures. These two sets of expectations are often difficult for teachers and programs to meet. In this book, Carollee Howes shows how high-quality programs successfully adapt child development guidelines within cultural contexts, and why quality needs to be and can be measured in culturally specific ways. This important book: Closely examines ECE programs considered exemplary for low-income children of color. Shows how directors and teachers successfully use practices derived from their cultural communities to implement universal standards of child care. Identifies the commonalities in good early childhood programs that are shared across class, race, and ethnic communities. Offers best practices based on extensive assessments, interviews, and observations. “Will have immediate relevance for policy debates, for understanding the mechanisms of program effects, and for educators who wish to deepen their knowledge of practice.” —Robert C. Pianta, University of Virginia “I urge all higher education faculty, in-service teacher trainers, accreditation observers, researchers, text-book writers and policymakers of standards to read this book.” —From the Foreword by Louise Derman-Sparks

The authors draw on their experiences as a developmental psychologist and as a teacher educator to provide ways for teachers to create positive child-teacher relationships and classroom climates. This forward-looking volume applies attachment theory to child-teacher relationships...explores strategies that teachers can use to foster positive student behavior...provides narrative examples from early childhood classrooms serving primarily low-income children of color...and uses stories from exemplary classrooms as well as those in which teachers are struggling with relationships.

A large-scale longitudinal assessment was conducted of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) child care center accreditation process. The assessment focused on the extent to which centers seeking NAEYC accreditation improve in quality, the level of quality and staff stability achieved, and support needed. Classroom observations and interviews with directors and teaching staff in 92 child care centers resulted in the following major findings: (1) centers that become NAEYC-accredited demonstrated higher overall quality at the beginning of the accreditation process, and showed greater improvement in quality than centers that were unsuccessful in obtaining accreditation; (2) nearly 40 percent of NAEYC-accredited centers continued to be rated as mediocre in quality; (3) nonprofit status, higher teacher wages, retention of skilled teachers, and NAEYC accreditation were predictors of high quality; (4) all centers had teacher turnover rates approaching or exceeding 50 percent during the study period, and quality of care, not accreditation, was related to retention of skilled teachers; (5) retention of skilled teachers was related to above average wages, working with well-trained teachers, and a climate of low turnover; (6) regardless of accreditation, highly trained teachers who left jobs earned considerably less than colleagues who remained; (7) accreditation was related to receiving intensive support; and (8) high- or moderate-intensity support was associated with quality improvement. (Four appendices detail findings, describe measurement instruments, and compare NAEYC accreditation criteria and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Contains 41 references.) (KB)