This third edition of Good Practice in the Early Years includes chapters on current key issues for early years practitioners such as multi-professional working, inclusion, child protection and children's rights and participation. As well as exploring key areas of good practice, the contributors explore the dilemmas that can arise from implementing good practice. An invaluable resource for all early years and childhood students and practitioners, this guide provides case studies and exercises to encourage readers to develop their understanding and knowledge of good practice in all early years settings.
A must-have guide for everyone working in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Bestselling author Dr Alistair Bryce-Clegg is known for his original and creative ideas and witty and accessible writing style. This book does not disappoint! It is filled with brilliant ideas and practical approaches to use as an Early Years practitioner, including advice for planning sessions, setting up an engaging environment matched to children's interests and encouraging and developing outdoor learning. With a focus on child-led learning, wellbeing and creating the best environment for all young learners, Best Practice in the Early Years is the perfect tool to evaluate, refine and improve provision in your setting. Packed with detailed explanations, thought-provoking questions and inspiring new approaches, this book is a must for all Early Years practitioners eager to ensure their practice is the best it can be for every child in their care.
Recruiting and retaining skilled staff is a long-standing challenge for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. OECD countries are increasingly demanding that ECEC staff be highly skilled and highly qualified, but a combination of low wages, a lack of status and public recognition, poor working conditions, and limited opportunities for professional development mean that recruitment and retention are frequently difficult. What can countries do to build a highly qualified and well-trained ECEC workforce? What is the best route to increasing staff skills without exacerbating staff shortages? How can countries boost pay and working conditions in the context of limited resources? Building on past OECD work on early childhood education and care, and drawing on the experience of OECD countries, this report outlines good practice policy measures for improving jobs in ECEC and for constructing a high-quality workforce.
The long-awaited new edition of NAEYC's book Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs is here, fully revised and updated! Since the first edition in 1987, it has been an essential resource for the early childhood education field. Early childhood educators have a professional responsibility to plan and implement intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that promote the social and emotional development, physical development and health, cognitive development, and general learning competencies of each child served. But what is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)? DAP is a framework designed to promote young children's optimal learning and development through a strengths-based approach to joyful, engaged learning. As educators make decisions to support each child's learning and development, they consider what they know about (1) commonality in children's development and learning, (2) each child as an individual (within the context of their family and community), and (3) everything discernible about the social and cultural contexts for each child, each educator, and the program as a whole. This latest edition of the book is fully revised to underscore the critical role social and cultural contexts play in child development and learning, including new research about implicit bias and teachers' own context and consideration of advances in neuroscience. Educators implement developmentally appropriate practice by recognizing the many assets all young children bring to the early learning program as individuals and as members of families and communities. They also develop an awareness of their own context. Building on each child's strengths, educators design and implement learning settings to help each child achieve their full potential across all domains of development and across all content areas.
Good Practice in Implementing the Pre-school Curriculum, Second Edition is the leading early years curriculum text. Updated throughout to reflect QCA's new framework for early learning, it is the essntial guide for students and nursery managers.
Making a play-based curriculum work in early years settings. Early Years practitioners have been advocating for play to be at the heart of early years for many years. Now is the time to make this a reality. Using in the moment planning, child initiated play and other strategies, this book supports early years practitioners to enable the children in their setting to choose what they do and how they want to learn. Dawn Rigby shares her passion for a play-based curriculum, her own setting′s journey, what worked and the challenges faced along the way. This practical book: shares examples of good practice; gives advice on how to make play the central focus of early years practice; explores why a play-based curriculum matters; includes practical support on developmentally appropriate practice.
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
This title covers issues such as: play in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) in England, safeguarding children, the healthy child and many more. It encourages students and practitioners to consider their own practice and to examine those in a wide range of early years settings.
This book explores the science inherent in good early years practice and provides a rich range of ideas to inspire you to ‘have a go’ in your setting. It provides a balance between theory which underpins good practice and plenty of ideas of how you might put the theory into practice. With a focus on how children learn about the world they live in and activities intended to develop scientific understanding the book offers an holistic approach, with key topics including: How children construct scientific meaning Tuning into children's initial scientific understanding How play supports the development of children's science ideas Providing a rich environment for learning early years science Developing children's scientific experiences This handy guide is ideal to support you if you are studying on an early years course, or if you are an established early years professional who wishes to enrich early scientific learning in your setting. Lois Kelly and Di Stead are Education Consultants specializing in primary science. This clearly written and engaging book examines Science in the Early Years through a variety of activities, including role-play, toys and technology. The vital importance of sensory experiences and language is emphasized throughout. The wide experience and knowledge of the authors guarantees a highly enjoyable read. The links to all curricula in the UK are extremely beneficial and I particularly liked the way that photographs and Key Points text boxes have been used throughout the book. The breadth and depth of writing about science makes this a highly desirable book for any practitioner working or studying in the Early Years. Kathy Brodie, Independent Early Years Consultant As an Early Years consultant who is passionate about children's thinking, exploring, questioning, investigating and most of all engaging…I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked it because it provokes practitioners to think about 'science' as the discovery and exploration of the world around us and not just as a National Curriculum subject. The mix of authors, their writing styles and the content of each chapter makes it a really easy and engaging read. Definitely one to add to your reading list if you work with children in the Early Years. Alistair Bryce-Clegg, Early Years Consultant As the title suggests, this book from the first page onwards inspires the reader to learn more about how to develop, enhance and incorporate effective practice in science in the early years. In addition to developing an understanding of how to approach the teaching of science, it gives a clearly articulated and accessible theoretical insight into how young children learn. To compliment this there are points of reflection, case studies, practical tasks and examples from the field. This is a valuable book for both students and practitioners alike as it goes beyond just giving suggestions for what to do; it explains the why and the how as well. Joanne McNulty, Manchester Metropolitan University This is a warm, accessible book, strongly grounded in research. It interweaves real life examples of science in the early years with underlying pedagogic principles and inspires new possibilities. The enthusiasm of the authors is contagious! Kendra McMahon, Bath Spa University
Building on past OECD work on early childhood education and care, and drawing on the experience of OECD countries, this report outlines good practice policy measures for improving jobs in ECEC and for constructing a high-quality workforce.
