This is the eighth volume in an annual series designed to provide an academic forum for the publication of original research, critical reviews and conceptual analyses of theoretical and substantive issues related to the education, care and development of young children.

This is the ninth volume in an annual series designed to provide an academic forum for the publication of original research, critical reviews and conceptual analyses of theoretical and substantive issues related to the education, care and development of young children.

Hardbound. The papers appearing in this volume reflect current thinking about the contexts of our thought, methodology, the nature of experience while teaching and program improvement, and how we conceptualize play in the curriculum.

This volume revisits a number of themes that have appeared in earlier Advances publications, including Social Contexts of Early Development and Education and Reconceptualizing Play. New social contexts for early education and care often require that we aim our inquiry at social conditions that have not existed in the past, as well as elaborating long-standing concerns. Studies of some of the social contexts of early education point to how many of the needs of the field are unique, depending on where and when we do our work, and with whom we work. Reconceptualizing Play points to the multiple...

This 15th volume of "Advances in Early Education and Day Care" focuses on the implementation of professional development for early childhood educators, describing a number of models for improving early childhood care. These models differ by setting, urban, rural, public, private, center and home based child care. These programs also differ by implementation model. Mentoring, workshops, online information and college courses are examples of how professional development was implemented. The systematic assessment of both the providers and the children described in these chapters will be of...

This volume of "Advances in Early Education and Day Care" examines early education from perspectives around the globe. The eight chapters come from a variety of locations including China, Israel, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Zambia, The United States and Canada. These chapters discuss professional development in several contexts, children's understandings and programs for children. This volume should give the reader an idea of the range of work that is being done around the globe. The unique feature of this volume is that it brings together insider perspectives on early education in different...

Education, according to John Dewey, should be viewed as dynamic and ongoing with direct teaching of integrated content knowledge. This volume offers readers an examination of the content areas in early childhood curriculum that honor Dewey's belief in active, integrated learning. When young children learn in a way that is most natural to them, they unconsciously integrate subject areas into a complex whole based on their current interests. The ability to apply and integrate academic skills such as language arts, numeracy, scientific investigation, social studies, technology, and health and...

Some chapters focus on interventions for the child, and others on training for the parents and professionals. The combination of current information and evidence contained in these chapters includes an emphasis on the importance of supporting families with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and indicates how team support (including families as part of the team) is crucial for these children. Parents of children with special needs may have their own challenges and this may create an additional need for support and resources for the family and the professional. The dynamic...

This being the 20th volume in the series of Advances in Early Education in Day Care, it encourages reflection on previous volumes. Family involvement has been an issue in early education going back to Pestalozzi almost two centuries ago. Although the issue has been discussed in many different ways since then, there are still areas where we have much to learn. This series approached this topic in 1998 with the publication of volume 9 edited by Stuart Reifel, Carl Dunst and Mark Wolery. What advances in the area of family involvement in early education have been made since the publication of...