Foreword by Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok
About the Authors
Authors' Note
Acknowledgments
Prologue to a Dream that Came to Be
Introduction
The Critical Need for Quality Early Child Care
1. The Little House on Village Avenue: What Makes a Good Child Care Center
Quality Care Is Not Just Day Care: How a Good Early Child Care Program Prepares Children for Life
The Toddler Classroom: Where a Skilled Child Care Professional Can Open Up the World to Children
Translating Principles Into Practice in a Good Child Care Program
High-Quality Child Care: Some Other Basics
2. The First Task of Early Child Care: Building a Trusting Relationship Between Caregiver, Child, and Family
Attachment, the First Basic Need of All Children
Creating a Stimulating and Nurturing Atmosphere in the Classroom
How Can a Teacher Handle Aggression in Children?
Flexibility and the Adult-Child Relationship: Why Rules and Schedules Need to Be Adapted
Building Human Relationships in Every Classroom
The Underlying Class Theme: We Are All People and I Am Somebody
Making Parents Welcome: An Essential Component of the Relationship Between Caregiver and Child
How Does Your Child Care Center Build Relationships Between Caregiver, Child, and Family?
3. The Second Task: Developing Wholesome Peer Relationships Among Children
Why Building Peer Relationships Is a Necessity Among Children
The Stages of Play
Teaching Children to Resolve Conflicts: An Essential Task of Early Childhood Educators
4. The Role of Curriculum and Staff Development in Early Child Care
The Importance of a Well-Planned, Appropriate Curriculum
Building the Important S-A-Ts in Children: Separation, Autonomy, Trust
Learning by Hands-On Experience
Staff Development Is an Ongoing Process
5. The School as a Reflection of Our Diverse Heritage
Diversity as a Natural Part of the Curriculum
Handling Ethnic Stereotypes Among Children
Cultural Diversity and Differing Expectations
Working With Children of Different Cultural Backgrounds: Some Helpful Hints
How Does Your Child Care Program Take Advantage of America?s Richly Diverse Cultural Heritage?
6. High-Quality Child Care as a Learning Experience
Learning as a Natural Process
Play Is the Work of the Child
The Learning Centers
The Daily Schedule
All the Things They Were Learning
Epilogue
Appendix A: Rosa Lee Young Curriculum Outline
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
Activities and Learning Experiences Throughout the Day
Toddler Activities and Learning Experiences Throughout the Day
Appendix B: Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8 (National Association for the Education of Young Children)
Appendix C: Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia and the Hundred Languages of Children
The Nine Baisc Principles of Reggio Emilia
Notes
Index