Course Resources

Course Media: "The Resources for Early Childhood"



Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
•   Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being
  
• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
  •  Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children
    http://www.naeyc.org/
  • The Division for Early Childhood
    http://www.dec-sped.org/
  • Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
    http://www.zerotothree.org/
  • WESTED
    http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  • Harvard Education Letter
    http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  • FPG Child Development Institute
    http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
  • Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
    http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  • HighScope
    http://www.highscope.org/
  • Children's Defense Fund
    http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  • Center for Child Care Workforce
    http://www.ccw.org/
  • Council for Exceptional Children
    http://www.cec.sped.org/
  • Institute for Women's Policy Research
    http://www.iwpr.org/
  • National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
    http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  • National Child Care Association
    http://www.nccanet.org/
  • National Institute for Early Education Research
    http://nieer.org/
  • Pre[K]Now
    http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
  • Voices for America's Children
    http://www.voices.org/
  • The Erikson Institute
    http://www.erikson.edu/
  Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
  Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)
• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education\

  Words of Wisdom from Dr. Lilian Katz

• "We are doing earlier and earlier to children what we shouldn’t do later.” These words of wisdom were offered by Lilian Katz – in reference to the current trend of aligning curriculum and programs in an effort to prepare children for the next step in their education. I had to applaud. In that one sentence, Dr. Katz summed up a good deal about how early childhood education (and education in general) in this country has gotten off track.
  Dr. Katz is an international leader in early childhood education who, for decades, has lectured and taught all over the world.  She shared her ideas through an inspiring keynote address to hundreds of early childhood professionals gathered in Providence, RI last Sunday for NAEYC’s Professional Development Institute. Her words of wisdom, delivered with honesty, humility and humor, help preserve what is good for young children – in the face of all that is now working against young children. I can’t hope to capture all her pearls of wisdom from that morning, but I hope to paint a picture of some of the themes.
  “Curriculum,” Dr. Katz explained, “should help children make deeper and fuller understanding of their own experience.” Going outside the classroom – and observing what is right there – that is where meaningful learning happens.  From maple leaves to industrial parks, Dr. Katz gave examples of early childhood experiences that tapped into children’s natural capacity for interest, and provided opportunities for children to draw from observation – to look closely and represent on paper what is really there – as in the Reggio Emilia approach.
  She cautioned, “please do not confuse excitement with learning,” adding, “You can be addicted to excitement and that is a dangerous thing.” These words rang true, and conjured up for me images of children excited by electronic gadgets that promise to teach. There is often excitement about the latest gadget/website/app, but the excitement quickly wanes and the child is left looking for the next exciting gadget…looking for something outside himself to stimulate something inside – rather than pondering his own questions, and investigating the real world around him.
  Dr. Katz also shared her concerns about television, and worries about its impact on young children.  She cited the practice of other countries’ aim to protect children from developmentally inappropriate images and news stories, by saving adult content until after 10:00 p.m. She wonders why haven’t we taken similar steps in the United States.
  She urged teachers of young children to have “continuous contingent interactions” with young children, explaining that recent brain research has shown how neurological connections happen when children engage in extended, meaningful conversations – back and forth exchanges where one person’s response is contingent on what the other has to say.
  She also offered some of her ideas about experiences that children should often have – and encouraged those of us in the audience to go back and talk with colleagues to make our own list. Some (but not all) of her experiences for children included:
  

  • being intellectually engaged and challenged
  • applying developing skills in meaningful ways
  • confidence in their own intellectual powers and questions
  • extended conversations and interactions with adults and peers
  • asking questions, making predictions and hypotheses
  • sustained involvement with worthwhile topics (projects children come back to for days and weeks)
  • feeling of belonging to community and school