Early Childhood Care and Education term has been used to refer to group settings for children approximately between three to five years of age which are deliberately designed to stimulate and support their physical, mental, emotional, language, social development etc. It has been called by the psychologists, educationists and policy-makers by variety of names such as nursery school education, kindergarten education, pre-primary education etc. and the group settings in which Early Childhood Care and Education is provided to children are known by variety of names such as nursery school, kindergarten schools, Shishu Vihar, Sishu Vatikas.

A solid educational foundation in the early years of schooling is essential in order to lay the foundations for future academic success. In South Africa, pre-school education is provided through ECE (early childhood education) facilities and programmes that are mostly informal and unregulated, however there has been much recent policy and curriculum activity in the ECE sphere. The National Development Plan (NDP), released in 2012, recognises the key role played by ECE in cognitive, social and physical development and the National Curriculum Framework: For children birth to four years (NCF) is a response to challenges that the ECE sector is facing. The NCF builds on the desired results for children in this age cohort and flows into the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) which is taught in schools from Grade R. Playful early childhood care and education: from birth to four years supports teachers and caregivers in providing playful teaching and learning guidelines for children from birth to four years of age. It offers a creative and responsive curriculum for early childhood care and education, based on a pedagogy of play, and includes suggestions for involving parents, grandparents, care givers and the broader community. SUITABLE FOR ECE practitioners, teachers, parents, caregivers of children from birth to four years. ABOUT THE AUTHORS/EDITORS Lorayne Excell headed up the Foundation Division at the Wits School of Education. Her specialisation and research interests are in early childhood education. Lorayne has worked extensively with Vivien Linington over the last 15 years training Grade R practitioners, researching the early childhood education field and actively promoting what is now termed the 'pedagogy of play'. Vivien Linington lectures at the Wits School of Education and Varsity College. Her two fields of interest are early childhood education and educational theory. Together with Lorayne Excell she has researched and published in areas such as social justice, professional teacher development, the importance of high-quality early childhood education as well as the central role of play. CONTENTS - Early Childhood Care and Education - Who is the young child: constructions of children and childhood - A lens on development: a pathway of change - Professional spaces: reimagining the role of the teacher - I am because we are: the role of community in the development and learning of the young child - Playful pedagogies: creating playful spaces and places - A creative and responsive curriculum for early childhood care and education - Supporting playful teaching and learning: a pedagogy of possibilities - Nurturing care: a pathway to health - Building social and emotional wellbeing - Creativity in early childhood - From babbles to books: literacy and the young child - Opening the doors of learning: a playful approach to understanding the world and nurturing an inquisitive mind - Responsive spaces: observation and assessment in a democratic context - ECD policy in practice

This book provides a comprehensive text that brings together the core issues surrounding the training of early years students.

The essential resource to the issues surrounding childhood care and education with contributions from noted experts The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource that offers a review of the historical aspects, best practices, and the future directions of the field. With contributions from noted experts in the field, the book contains 30 interdisciplinary essays that explore in-depth the central issues of early childhood care and education. The handbook presents a benchmark reference to the basic knowledge, effective approaches to use with young children, curriculum design, professional development, current policies, and other critical information. The expert contributors address the myriad complex policy and practice issues that are most relevant today. The essays provide insight into topics such as child development and diversity, the sociocultural process of child development, the importance of the home environment in the lives of young children, early childhood special education, teaching and learning literacy, and much more. This important resource: Presents a comprehensive synopsis of the major components of the field of early childhood care and education Contains contributions from leading scholars, researchers, and experts in the field Offers the foundational knowledge and practices for working with young children Puts the focus on how early childhood works and presents an understanding of culture as a foundational component of both child development and early childhood education Written for academic scholars, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and students of early childhood care and education, The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource to the major issues for dealing with childhood care and education with contributions from noted scholars in the field.

This book, first published in 1992, provides an overview of programs for young children in countries and territories of the Pacific Rim. It focuses on programs which precede the beginning of formal schooling and that are part of the institutional structure of the country. The term early childhood education is used in a broad sense, and refers to education and care. The contributors to this volume have extensive knowledge and experience of early education in the countries that they write about.

Harry Morgan lays the foundations of what early childhood education is by integrating the history of the field with the philosophy and theories behind this discipline. With lucid and engaging prose, Morgan delineates the beginnings of early childhood education and how it has become an important field of study in education today. In this updated edition, a new chapter about critical race theory and its implications on early childhood education has been included.

Comprehensive and authoritative, this forward-thinking book reviews the breadth of current knowledge about early education and identifies important priorities for practice and policy. Robert C. Pianta and his associates bring together foremost experts to examine what works in promoting all children's school readiness and social-emotional development in preschool and the primary grades. Exemplary programs, instructional practices, and professional development initiatives?and the systems needed to put them into place?are described. The volume presents cutting-edge findings on the family and social context of early education and explores ways to strengthen collaboration between professionals and parents.

The general public often views early childhood education as either simply “babysitting” or as preparation for later learning. Of course, both viewpoints are simplistic. Deep understanding of child development, best educational practices based on development, emergent curriculum, cultural competence and applications of family systems are necessary for high-quality early education. Highly effective early childhood education is rare in that it requires collaboration and transitions among a variety of systems for children from birth through eight years of age. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education presents in three comprehensive volumes advanced research, accurate practical applications of research, historical foundations and key facts from the field of contemporary early childhood education. Through approximately 425 entries, this work includes all areas of child development – physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, aesthetic – as well as comprehensive review of best educational practices with young children, effective preparation for early childhood professionals and policy making practices, and addresses such questions as: · How is the field of early childhood education defined? · What are the roots of this field of study? · How is the history of early childhood education similar to yet different from the study of public education? · What are the major influences on understandings of best practices in early childhood education?