This paper is part of a broader research initiative examining algebraic thinking. It presents a case study involving a 4 year-old female student, examining her functional perspective through individual work. Our interest lies in early childhood functional thinking. Specifically, our research objective is to describe how the child completed two tasks involving linear functions and their respective inverse

As prekindergarten and kindergarten (PreK/K) programs continue to expand into public elementary schools, a key actor in this process of integration and alignment is the school principal. While there is a growing body of scholarship that examines how principals integrate and align these programs with the later grades of elementary school, little is known about how principals identify the support prekindergarten

Classmates’ academic and executive function (EF) skills are important predictors of individual EF and achievement. The present study investigated the effects of peer EF, using a battery of measures, on individual EF and academic achievement in preschool. Peer effects were assessed for 321 preschool-aged children from 48 classrooms. Using hierarchical linear modeling, peer EF predicted student gains

The rapid proliferation of digital media has significantly transformed childhood experiences, necessitating an understanding of its impact on preschoolers’ development. This study illuminates the nature of YouTube interactions among preschool-aged children, underlining the importance of this research in the broader context of digital media’s role in early childhood. Addressing a vital gap, the work

Early writing includes both transcription skills (e.g., handwriting and spelling) and composing skills (e.g., the generation, manipulation, and translation of ideas into writing), yet early composing is not as well understood in academic research or by classroom educators. This study seeks to understand 1) how children retained or modified core idea units from pre-writing verbalizations to post-writing

In this study, we measured attitudes, beliefs, and intentions about implementing outdoor learning experiences among 56 early childhood professionals before and after attending Growing Up WILD™ (GUW) training. Online pre- and post-surveys were distributed to participants measuring a range of attitudes (i.e., comfort and confidence), beliefs, and intentions (i.e., planning). Overall, after attending

Creativity is widely recognized as a crucial factor for both personal and social advancement. Given that the early years lay the foundation for future learning and development, fostering creativity during this period is of paramount importance. To facilitate and optimize creativity in the classroom, it is essential to understand teachers’ conceptualization of creativity and their instructional approaches

Early childhood digital pedagogy (ECDP) has been widely implemented and studied, but the empirical evidence has not been systematically reviewed. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the existing studies to understand the practices and profiles of ECDP and the redefined roles of teacher, child, and technology. Thirty-eight studies on ECDP published from January 2010 to October 2024 were collected

This study explored how seven Montessori teachers from across three countries perceive and practice literacy. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant over the 2022–23 school year. Qualitative analyses, in which interview transcripts were coded using an open-coding technique, revealed three themes about how Montessori teachers from Canada, Mexico, and Italy perceive

Early writing is an important early literacy skill related to later reading and writing development. Writing assessment and instruction, however, tends to focus on just part of early writing development, transcription (i.e., handwriting and spelling), whereas composing (i.e., text generation) is an essential component of early and later writing. In fact, several assessments of early writing do not

This cautionary article urges general education preschool teachers to evaluate their responses to challenging student behavior. The manuscript delivers practical advice to improve teachers' responses to challenging behavior by refreshing their understanding of the various consequences that influence behavior recurrence. It highlights the need to avoid punitive measures that could harm teacher–child

This qualitative case study explores the affordances of home-based multimodal literacy activities through the case of Mason’s (pseudonym) home writing experiences, a six-year-old bilingual kindergartener. Utilizing a play-based family literacy framework, the study examines 15 handmade mini-books created by Mason, revealing three key themes: (1) agency, creativity, and joy in Mason’s writing, (2) the

The experience of joy and shared joyful moments benefits children’s learning, development and wellbeing. The arts engage the senses, imagination and creativity in meaning making and expression of ideas. Learning through the arts is often collaborative and embodied. This paper reports on a study which explored the use of arts-based practices in teaching writing with children mostly aged seven to nine

Given that social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for children’s current development and future success, effective teaching can enhance this process. This qualitative study investigated which competencies were prioritized most frequently in social and emotional teaching (SET), why, and how. Data collection included: (1) observations of three preschool teachers’ SET in their interactions with

The purpose of this study was to examine which early childhood (EC) teachers’ qualifications (i.e., degree, major, and teaching experience) are linked to teachers’ Metacognitive Awareness (MA) and science teaching efficacy, and to investigate the relation among EC teachers’ MA components and science teaching efficacy. A total of 153 Head Start teachers from eight U.S. states completed validated surveys

Race-related data are not routinely collected as part of the Canadian kindergarten teacher reported Early Development Instrument (EDI) data collection even though they could be used to inform provision of supports for students and educators. Therefore, the goal of our exploratory study was to gather an understanding of teacher perceptions regarding the assessment of items on the EDI in the context

This research delves into the dynamics of 5–6-year-old children’s interactions within makerspaces, which are emerging as innovative environments in early childhood education. Despite their growing popularity, there is a notable absence of research evaluating the activities in these spaces for young learners. To address this gap, we conducted a comparative case study, observing three kindergarten classrooms

While problematic behaviors can hamper children’s early positive development, the teacher–child relationship can play a crucial role in mitigating children’s externalizing problem behavior (EPB).This review aims to systematically examine and synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of interventions designed to enhance teacher–child interactions (TCIs) and assess their impact on reducing EPB among children

With a view of children as social negotiators, this study explored how preschool children’s voices were nurtured through the implementation of an early-writing/applied phonics approach called Kid Writing (KW). The approach encouraged children to compose writing from their lives as they were guided by an adult who scaffolded the writing process. An analysis of classroom observations, focus groups, and

This article builds on conversations about the nature of a pedagogy specifically for babies, which are defined in this paper as 0–2 year olds. To do this, we explore articulations of social purpose and social pedagogy among 15 baby room educators working in UK nurseries. Our findings suggest four types of social purpose and four types of social pedagogy that inform what baby educators do, how they

At present, research exploring educator’s understandings of displays of student work is scant yet such displays are regularly exhibited within the community spaces of early learning and elementary schools. These displays communicate messages to those within the space about teacher and student agency, curricular priorities, children and their work, and the relationship between teaching and learning

Although quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) and strong collaborations between families and ECEC educators are important for all children, they may be particularly important for children and families who utilize nighttime or weekend ECEC. This study focuses on ECEC educators’ discourses about closeness versus distance in educational collaborations between parents with nonstandard schedules

The body of literature for a professional field is created by voices from people who share their ideas with others through scholarly writing. How do emerging scholars acquire the requisite academic writing skills to publish and contribute to publishing research in our profession? Mentorship is a time-honored practice that could be considered. One possible way to prepare people to amplify their voices

Research on immigrant populations shows that child care choices are dependent on the population’s region of origin. While the Russian immigrant population in the United States comprises the largest group of immigrants from Eastern Europe and is likely to increase in the future, there is virtually no research on Russian immigrant families’ child care search and selection criteria. This qualitative study

Extensive studies have documented cognitive and social-emotional benefits associated with bilingualism. However, past research has considered the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of being bilingual separately, despite research suggesting the convergence of these two domains. This tendency persists even for research that decenters English acquisition and focuses more broadly on benefits associated

As early as preschool, Black children are more at risk than their peers to receive exclusionary practices. These negative early childhood school experiences can create greater risk for entrance into the preschool-to-prison pipeline. However, familial protective factors can help reduce exposure and mitigate this systemic pipeline for young children. The purpose of this study was to determine the familial

Young children are natural scientists, exploring the world around them from infancy. While early childhood classrooms abound in opportunities to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), early educators need to intentionally design and implement accessible learning experiences so that all children can develop STEM knowledge and skills. As such, it is essential to understand teachers’

The present study focuses joint school and university development work in preschool-projects try to increase educational quality. The aim of this study was to explore perceived conditions and perceptions of projects among participants in development projects in eleven preschools. In addition, we were interested in the perceived outcomes of the projects. All projects were aimed at strengthening the

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of introductory meetings conducted in preschools on children’s school adjustment and teacher burnout. The study included 110 children in the treatment group and 109 children in the control group. A total of 24 participating teachers, with thirteen in the treatment group and eleven in the control group, were involved in the research. Teachers in the

Math language plays a crucial role in early math skill development. However, previous studies have measured math language using children’s knowledge or the environmental input of mathematical language, often limiting the scope to specific types of mathematical language. This study examined both numerical (e.g., number-related) and non-numerical (e.g., geometry, measurement, and spatial relations) mathematical

This study investigates translation strategies that enhance idea generation and linguistic construction in early childhood composing, focusing on high language-growth prekindergarten to first-grade classrooms. Our sample included 28 teachers from two under-resourced districts in the Northeastern United States, serving 324 children. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach, we analyzed

A growing number of early childhood education (ECE) programs are using trauma-informed trainings to support teachers in better managing children’s trauma-related challenging behaviors. However, there is not a great deal of research on how effective these programs are for improving children’s school-related outcomes. This study examines whether a 6-hour trauma-informed training provided to preschool

When preschool teachers attempt to initiate play-responsive science teaching, opportunities arise to develop or challenge the play further, for example, by introducing or focusing on science content. The aim of this article is to generate knowledge about how projected images and videos can be used in attempted play-responsive science teaching and what they can contribute to. Eleven preschool teachers

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) constitutes a major policy reform for Australian people with disabilities. Despite its ten-year implementation, little is known about the characteristics of the workforce delivering Australia’s NDIS early childhood intervention services (ECI). The present study sought to identify the range of skills, knowledge, and experience of ECI professionals as listed

In Norway, children aged one to five years can attend subsidized and publicly regulated Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers. These centers focus on holistic child development through play, care, and learning. Therefore, Norway should be capable of providing young children with the best possible ECEC environment, thereby laying a solid foundation for their future school success. However

The early childhood period has lasting effects on physical and mental health. Most U.S. families rely on daily non-parental care for children under five, highlighting the importance of integrating family preferences with educator practices through reciprocal family engagement (RFE). Systems change initiatives are promising to promote RFE due to the potential to realign early childhood systems (ECS)

The early years of childhood represent a critical time frame in emotional development. This qualitative study sought to elucidate the impact of parental relationships and parents’ emotional intelligence on young children’s development of emotional intelligence capacity, as well as changes in this development when a dyadic clinical intervention was applied. The study setting was a children’s psychiatric

The pursuit of a Ph.D. is a demanding journey that requires doctoral students to prioritize their well-being and be mindful of their response to pressure. Mindfulness practice has shown to be effective in reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. The current study explores the impact of an 8-week mindfulness program on the well-being of Ph.D. students in early childhood education. Four participants

This study explores award-winning nonfiction picture books from the last ten years (2013–2023) that feature collective action for social justice in early childhood education. Drawing from a critical content analysis of Orbis Pictus and Sibert Book Medal winners, we spotlight four books that showcase historical models of collective action. These texts challenge societal norms, inviting discussions on

This study explores the impact of integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into teacher training programs through children’s literature on the knowledge and attitudes of preservice teachers towards SEL. The research involved creating SEL-themed tote bags, developing lesson plans, and participating in an SEL book reading session to prepare future PreK-4 teachers to nurture essential SEL competencies

The prevalence of early childhood expulsion has been documented for close to two decades, with known disparities for children of color, children with disabilities, and children who have experienced trauma. While empirical data on the lasting impact of early expulsion events continues to emerge, there has been little research focused explicitly on how expulsion impacts caregivers (inclusive of any adult

Kindergarten readiness plays a very important role in children’s later school success. This study investigated factors associated with kindergarten readiness in early literacy skills, mathematical knowledge, and social foundations using a hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) approach. Assessment data of 617 kindergarteners (Aged 5) in 30 classrooms nested within 28 elementary schools in one state in