Early childhood education has reached a level of unprecedented national and international focus. Parents, policy makers, and politicians have opinions as well as new questions about what, how, when, and where young children should learn. Teachers and program administrators now find curriculum discussions linked to dramatic new understandings about children's early learning and brain development. Early childhood education is also a major topic of concern internationally, as social policy analysts point to its role in a nation's future economic outlook. As a groundbreaking contribution to its field, this four-volume handbook discusses key historical and contemporary issues, research, theoretical perspectives, national policies, and practices.

Volume I:PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionGuide to Related TopicsAbecedarian ProgramAcademicsAccreditation of Early Childhood ProgramsAct for Better Child Care (ABC)Action ResearchAddams, Jane (1860-1935)AdoptionAdvocacy and Leadership in Early Childhood EducationAlmy, Millie (1915-2001)American Associate Degree Early Childhood Educators (ACCESS)Ashton-Warner, Sylvia (1908-1984)Assessment in Early ChildhoodAssessment, Visual ArtAssociation for Childhood Education International (ACEI)Association for Constructivist Teaching (ACT)AttachmentAttention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)AutismBandura, Albert (1925- )Bank StreetBehaviorismBehavior Management and GuidanceBiculturalismBilingual EducationBinet, Alfred (1857-1911)Black Caucus (NAEYC)Blow, Susan Elizabeth (1843-1916)Bowlby, John (1907-1990)Brain DevelopmentBronfenbrenner, Urie (1917-2005)Bruner, Jerome (1915- )BullyingCenter for the Child Care Workforce (CCW)Cerebral Palsy (CP)Child Abuse and NeglectChild Abuse and Neglect, Prevention ofChild ArtChild CareChild Care and Development Fund (CCDF)Child Care and Early Education Research ConnectionsChild Care Subsidies and Tax ProvisionsChild Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing ProgramChild Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM)Childrens Defense Fund (CDF)Childrens MediaChildrens MuseumsChild Study MovementClassroom DiscourseClassroom EnvironmentsCognitive DevelopmentComenius, John Amos (1592-1670)Computer and Video Game Play in Early ChildhoodConstructionismConstructivismContemporary Issues in Early ChildhoodConvention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989)Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)The Creative Curriculum for PreschoolCultureCurriculumCurriculum, Emotional DevelopmentCurriculum, MathematicsCurriculum, MusicCurriculum, Physical DevelopmentCurriculum, ScienceCurriculum, Social StudiesCurriculum, Visual ArtDay NurseriesDeaf ChildrenDevelopment, EmotionalDevelopment, LanguageDevelopment, MoralDevelopment, Psychosocial Theory ofDevelopment, SocialDevelopmental DelayDevelopmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, ATaxonomy ofDevelopmental-Interaction ApproachDevelopmentally Appropriate Practice(s) (DAP)Developmental Systems TheoriesDewey, John (1859-1952)Direct Instruction ModelDisabilities, Young Children withDivision for Early Childhood (DEC)DocumentationDomestic ViolenceDown SyndromeVolume II:Early Care and Education Programs, Administration ofEarly Child Development and CareEarly Childhood Education Journal (ECEJ)Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ERS)Early Childhood Music Education Commission (ECME)Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP)Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ)Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)Early Head StartEarly InterventionEarly Years: An International Journal of Research andDevelopmentEcology of Human DevelopmentEducation 3-13Eliot, Abigail Adams (1892-1992)Emergent CurriculumEnvironmental Assessments in Early Childhood EducationErikson, Erik H. (1902-1994)European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ)Even StartExchangeFamiliesFamily LiteracyFamily Systems Theory (FST)FathersFeminism in Early Childhood EducationFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)Frank, Lawrence Kelso (1890-1968)Freud, Anna (1895-1982)Freud, Sigmund (1856-1939)Froebel, Friedrich (1782-1852)Gay or Lesbian Parents, Children withGender and Gender Stereotyping in Early Childhood EducationGesell, Arnold (1880-1961)Gifted and Talented Children in the United StatesGood Start, Grow SmartGordon, Ira J. (1923-1978)Grade RetentionGroupingHailmann, Eudora Lucas (18351904)Hailmann, William Nicholas (1836-1920)Hall, G(ranville) Stanley (1844-1924)Hawkins, David (1913-2002) and Hawkins, Frances Pockman (1913- )Head StartHigh/ScopeHigh/Scope Perry Preschool StudyHill, Patty Smith (1868-1946)History of U.S. Early Childhood Care and EducationHunt, Joseph McVicker (1906-1991)Hymes, James L., Jr. (1913-1998)IEA Preprimary ProjectImmigrationIncarcerated Parents, Children ofInclusionIndividualized Education Plan (IEP)Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)Infant CareIntelligenceIntelligence Quotient (IQ)Intelligence TestingInteragency Education Research Initiative (IERI)International Journal of Early Childhood (IJEC)International Journal of Early Years EducationInternational Journal of Special EducationInternational Kindergarten Union (IKU)International Reading Association (IRA)Isaacs, Susan (1885-1948)Journal of Early Childhood ResearchJournal of Early Childhood Teacher Education (JECTE)Journal of Early Inte