Spotlight on Young Children

Nurturing Children's Social and Emotional Learning and Well-Being Children's relationships and experiences during their formative years have a far-reaching impact, and early childhood educators play a critical role in fostering the social and emotional competence children need to process and learn from these interactions. Explore how teachers can use the opportunities embedded in their curriculum, practices, and routines to support positive, healthy behaviors in children from birth through age 8. The revised and updated edition of this volume reflects recent advances in brain science, the field's heightened recognition of children's cultural contexts as central components of their social and emotional development, and more. It covers a wide range of timely and timeless topics, including how to • Establish trusting relationships to teach, model, and reinforce positive behaviors • Honor each child's dimensions of diversity and support the development of their individuality and humanity • Engage in social justice projects that increase children's empathy and sense of agency • Mitigate the effects of trauma in children's lives • Implement strategies that relieve anxiety and teach coping skills Each article in this collection also includes questions to prompt deeper thinking on the content, highlighting connections to developmentally appropriate practice. Using the guidance in this resource, help children develop the social and emotional skills essential to their future well-being and success.

Preventing and Responding to Challenging Behavior Addressing challenging behavior is a daily concern for early childhood educators. It's estimated that roughly 10 to 14 percent of children from birth to 5 years old demonstrate serious behavioral concerns, resulting in significant impacts to their learning and social interactions. Children engage in challenging behavior for many different reasons; preventing and responding to that behavior begins with understanding why it occurs. This book curates and organizes articles from Young Children and Teaching Young Children that • Help teachers build trust and connections with children • Highlight evidence-based positive behavior intervention and support strategies • Aim to prevent suspension, expulsion, and other punitive discipline • Support teachers and families in implementing effective teaching strategies for social and emotional skills children can use instead of challenging behavior • Show how to adapt practices to consider the cultures and contexts of children  Each article in this collection is accompanied by questions to prompt deeper thinking on the content. With this resource, fully see and hear children as you honor and support their well-being, as well as your own.

A collection of articles from Young Children, NAEYC's award-winning journal. Tied to the forthcoming NAEYC new position statement on equity and diversity, this book includes practical ways teachers can advance equity as they plan learning experiences. Provides tools and guidance educators can use to recognize implicit bias and learn how to develop strategies that create equitable learning opportunities for all children.

The debate surrounding testing and accountability in early childhood education continues, but one thing is universally agreed upon: effective observation and assessment of young children's learning are critical to supporting their development. Educators balance what they know about child development with observation and assessment approaches that both inform and improve the curriculum. This foundational resource for all educators of children from birth through third grade explores What observation and assessment are, why to use them, and how Ways to integrate documentation, observation, and assessment into the daily routine Practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive Ways to engage families in observation and assessment processes How to effectively share children's learning with families, administrators, and others Find inspiration to intentionally develop and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate observation and assessment practices to build responsive, joyful classrooms.