Designed to spark an interchange of ideas, this book presents early childhood education as a nuanced, shifting, and complex field. Readers will bear witness to several decades of the lived experiences of influential leaders engaged in conversation about seven major topics: systems of early care and education, diversity and children's rights, developmentally appropriate practice, perspectives on play, curriculum and pedagogy, the care of infants and toddlers, and families and family engagement. Each chapter is accompanied by a "Reflections" essay from one of the volume editors that includes important source material and theoretical and research perspectives. Readers are invited to reflect thoughtfully on each topic to construct their own understanding of where the field has been and why it matters. Contributors reveal how they have been shaped by societal values and events, as well as how they have helped to shape the field as we know it. These reflective dialogues help readers develop greater understanding of the past and its influence on the present, while preparing readers to make decisions throughout their careers about what matters and why it is important to young children and their families. Book Features: Examines recent history in early childhood education via conversations that are forward-thinking and backward-reflecting. Illustrates how time and place have impacted ideology and practice in early childhood education in the United States. Offers new perspectives and creates new understandings through the experiences of well-known leaders in the field. Encourages readers to reflect on the past, present, and future of the field and reclaim its practice in an era that threatens standardization and technocracy.
Nancy File is a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Nancy E. Barbour is a professor emeritus at Kent State University. Andrew J. Stremmel is a professor emeritus at South Dakota State University.
Contents Foreword Diane M. Horm ?vii Introduction ?1 Nancy File, Nancy E. Barbour, and Andrew J. Stremmel 1. ?Systems of Early Care and Education ?5 W. Steven Barnett and Jacqueline Jones Reflections on the Systems of Early Care and Education Conversation ?25 Nancy E. Barbour 2. ?Diversity, Equity, and Children's Rights in Early Childhood Education ?31 Gloria Swindler Boutte and Dina C. Castro Reflections on the Diversity, Equity, and Children's Rights in Early Childhood Education Conversation ?43 Nancy File 3. ?Developmentally Appropriate Practice: The Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children ?49 Sue Bredekamp and Marilou Hyson Reflections on the Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conversation ?69 Nancy E. Barbour 4. ?The Place of Play in Early Childhood Education ?75 Jaipaul L. Roopnarine and Jeffrey Trawick-Smith Reflections on the Place of Play in Early Childhood Education Conversation ?95 Nancy File 5. ?Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education ?101 J. Amos Hatch and Marjorie Kostelnik Reflections on the Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education Conversation ?121 Andrew J. Stremmel 6. ?The Place of Infants and Toddlers in Early Childhood Education ?127 Mary Benson McMullen and Susan L. Recchia Reflections on the Place of Infants and Toddlers Conversation ?145 Nancy File 7. ?Families and Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education ?151 Douglas R. Powell and Mari Riojas-Cortez Reflections on the Families and Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education Conversation ?169 Andrew J. Stremmel 8. ?Closing Thoughts: Reflections and (Re)Claiming ?173 Katherine K. Delaney Afterword: A Final Word on Conversations ?183 Andrew J. Stremmel Index ?185 About the Editors ?193
