Dimensions of Early Childhood - Southern Early Childhood ...

Southern 

Early Childhood 

Association 

Dimensions 

Volume 35, Number 1 Winter 2007 

Inside this issue: 

• Buddying or Bullying? 

• Cardboard Boxes! 

• Responsive Infant 

Caregiving 

• Kentucky’s Quality- 

Improvement Strategies 

• Index to Volume 34 

of Early Childhood

Southern 


Association 

Editor - Janet Brown McCracken 

Cover photo by Subjects & Predicates 

Dimensions of 


Copyright ©2007, Southern Early Childhood 

Association (SECA). Permission is not 

required to excerpt or make copies of articles in 

Dimensions of Early Childhood if they are distributed 

at no cost. Contact the Copyright Clearance 

Center at (978) 750-8400 or www.copyright.com 

for permission for academic photocopying 

(coursepackets, study guides, etc.). 

Indexes for Dimensions of Early Childhood are 

posted on the SECA website at www.Southern- 

EarlyChildhood.org. Additional copies of Dimensions 

of Early Childhood may be purchased from 

the SECA office by calling (800) 305-SECA. 

Dimensions of Early Childhood (ISSN 1068-6177) 

is SECA’s journal. Third Class postage is paid at 

Little Rock, Arkansas. SECA does not accept 

responsibility for statements of facts or opinion 

which appear in Dimensions of Early Childhood. 

Authors are encouraged to ask for a copy of 

SECA’s manuscript guidelines. Submit manuscripts 

that are typed and double spaced with references 

in APA style. E-mail manuscripts for review to the 

editor at editor@southernearlychildhood.org. 

SECA serves the interests of early childhood 

educators concerned with child development, 

including university researchers and teacher educators; 

early childhood, kindergarten, and primarygrade 

teachers; and early childhood program administrators 

and proprietors. The association has affiliates 

in 13 Southern states. Non-affiliate memberships are 

available to anyone living outside the 13 affiliate 

states. For information about joining SECA, contact 

the executive offices at P.O. Box 55930, Little Rock, 

AR 72215-5930, (800) 305-7322. Members receive 

a one-year subscription to Dimensions of Early 

Childhood and discounts on SECA publications and 

conference registration fees. 

Southern Early Childhood Association 

P.O. Box 55930 

Little Rock, AR 72215-5930 

(800) 305-7322 

e-mail: editor@southernearlychildhood.org 

Web: www.southernearlychildhood.org 

Dimensions 

of Early Childhood 

Volume 35, Number 1 Winter 2007 

—Refereed Articles— 

3 

Buddying or Bullying? 

A School-Wide Decision 

Jeanetta G. Riley and Janet S. Boyce 

11 

Cardboard Boxes: Learning Concepts Galore! 

Laverne Warner and Linda Wilmoth 

17 

Responsive Infant Caregiving: 

Eight Proven Practices 

Lisa Leifield and Tisha Bennett Sanders 

29 

Kentucky’s Statewide Early Childhood 

Professional Development System 

Beth Rous, Jaime Grove, and Kim Townley 

—Departments— 

2 

President’s Message 

What Are You Caught Up In? 

Terry Green 

38 

Index to Volume 34, Dimensions of Early Childhood 

39 

Book Reviews: Books for Early Childhood Educators 

E. Anne Eddowes, Editor 

Winter 2007 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Volume 35, Number 1 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Terry Green 

President 

302 Clay Street 

Henderson, KY 42420 

Georgia Lamirand 

President-Elect 

2013 Rocky Point Drive 

Edmond, OK 73003 

AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVES 

Dee Ard 

-Alabama- 1805 Townshend Trace S.W. 

Decatur, AL 35603 

Diana Courson 

-Arkansas- 

2 Woodlawn 

Magnolia, AR 71753 

Janice Sean 

-Florida- 124 Wilds Branch Rd. 

Marshall, NC 28753 

Beth Parr 

-Georgia- 15 Jameswood Avenue 

Savannah, GA 31406 

Kathy Attaway 

-Kentucky- 401 Persimmon Ridge Drive 

Louisville, KY 40245 

Susan Noel 

-Louisiana- 211 Maureen Drive 

Youngsville, LA 70592 

Beverly Peden 

-Mississippi- 21 Crossgates Drive 

Brandon, MS 39042 

Susan Carrigan 

-Oklahoma- 2427 Foliage Drive 

Ada, OK 74820-4626 

Judy Whitesell 

-South Carolina- 309 Moss Creek Dr. 

Cayce, SC 29033 

Debbie Ferguson 

-Tennessee- 3906 Franklin Rd. 

Nashville, TN 37204 

Judy Carnahan-Webb 

-Texas- 

11927 Waldeman 

Houston, TX 77077 

Toni Marie Cacace-Beshears 

-Virginia- 504 Madera Road 

Chesapeake, VA 23322-7100 

Melanie Clark 

-West Virginia- 3272 Birch River Road 

Birch River, WV 26610 

Sandra Hutson 

1010 St. Peter St. 

New Iberia, LA 70560 

MEMBERS AT LARGE 

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 

Janie Humphries 

Louisiana Tech University 

Gloria Foreman McGee 

Tennessee Technological 

University 

Stephen Graves 

University of South Florida 

STAFF 

Glenda Bean 

Executive Director 

Dr. Herman T. Knopf 

133 Old Pond Lane 

Columbia, SC 29212 

Nancy Mundorf 

Florida 

Nancy Cheshire 

Fairmont State University, 

WV 

PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 

Terry Green 

What are you caught up in? 

We all get caught up in many things in our lives: a great book, a favorite 

sport or hobby, who will win on “Survivor” or “Dancing With the Stars.” 

Sometimes we get caught up in things that are not so positive, such as gossip in 

the office or a disagreement with someone. When we are caught up in something, 

it usually means we are spending a good deal of time thinking about it 

or doing it. 

I recently found myself completely caught up in watching a 3-year-old child 

and her mother who were sitting across from me on a plane. As do all mothers 

who travel with young children, the mother brought an array of interesting toys 

in a bag. But this child had her own ideas about how to spend her time on the 

flight. She pulled the aircraft safety information card from the pocket on the 

back of the seat and spent the next 45 minutes completely caught up in a number 

of learning activities. That’s right, the little fold-out pamphlet with the picture 

instructions of what to do in an emergency. She counted the pictures, made up 

stories about each one, named all the people in them, and even created songs 

about the pictures and what the people in them were doing. She asked her 

mother questions about what the words said, and tried to see how many 

different places around her seat the card would fit. 

I was completely caught up in this girl’s ability to direct her own learning 

and her mother’s ability to support it. It certainly made the time pass quickly. 

But it also gave me pause to think about what we as early childhood educators 

get caught up in. We spend a lot of time caught up in the debate about which 

curriculum is most effective, or how best to assess children. We spend an 

inordinate amount of time caught up in the discussion (and sometimes the 

complaining) about what legislators are doing to and not doing for young 

children and their families. 

All of these issues are very important, but while debating them, we must 

keep our eye on the prize. The prize is each individual child and family with 

whom we engage every day. They are the reason for all the other discussions, 

and we must not forget. We must remember to let ourselves get caught up in 

and carried away by the wonder of young children’s learning and each family’s 

strengths. If we do, we will not get caught up in and mired down by the 

politics and practices. 

Go. Watch a child play for an hour, with no other agenda, and no interruptions. 

It will renew your spirit and you will be reminded why you got caught 

up in working with young children and their families in the first place! 

2 Volume 35, Number 1 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Winter 2007

How can teachers and families reduce bullying in early childhood programs, 

elementary schools, and after-school programs? This article presents steps to create 

caring communities of learners. 

Buddying or Bullying? 

A School-Wide Decision 

Due to space limitations, this 

article could not be included in the 

Fall 2006 theme issue of Dimensions, 

From Biters to Bullies to Bullets: 

Guiding Positive Prosocial Behavior, 

Nancy Mundorf and Stephen B. 

Graves, Guest Editors. 

Ben made a rude gesture toward his classmate, 

Keaton. Immediately, Keaton looked utterly dejected. 

Later, Keaton explained to his teacher that Ben’s signal 

was intended to reenact a weekend episode in 

which Ben and his older brother had rubbed Keaton’s 

face in dog waste. 

This situation, observed in the second author’s 

fourth-grade classroom, illustrates one 

of many types of incidents of bullying 

that children face at school, child care 

programs, and recreational environments. 

Bullying and harassment are 

increasing problems in educational 

settings around the world (Cowie, 

2000; Lipman, 2003) as evidenced by statistics like these. 

❑ In one study, approximately 90% of kindergarten 

through second grade children in a U.S. school 

reported being a recent victim of aggressive behavior 

(Orpinas, Horne, & Staniszewski, 2003). 

❑ In a study of kindergarten through third graders in 

25 urban and suburban U.S. schools, adults failed 

to intervene in 71% of the observed bullying 

episodes (Gropper & Froschl, 1999). 

❑ Every 2.4 minutes, an act of bullying occurs on an 

elementary school playground (Craig, Pepler, & 

Atlas, 2000). 

❑ Approximately half of the 2,766 Dutch children 

aged 9 to 11 who said they had been bullied never 

reported it to a teacher (Fekkes, Pijpers, & Verloove-Vanhorick 

(2005). Furthermore, when the 

incidents were reported and teachers intervened, 

the bullying did not decrease and in some instances 

actually increased. 

❑ In a study of 37 school shootings in the United 

States, 66% of the attackers had “felt persecuted, 

bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by others 

Jeanetta G. Riley and Janet S. Boyce 

Measures to prevent bullying 

can help both the 

bully and the victim. 

prior to the incident” (Vosseduil, Fein, Reddy, 

Borum, & Modzeleski as cited in Dake, Price, 

Telljohann, & Funk, 2004, p. 372), with some 

harassment having occurred over an extended period 

of time. 

In some countries, such as Norway, England, and 

Canada, the concern about bullying is so great that 

national governments have required 

schools to initiate anti-bullying policies 

(Smith, Ananiadou, & Cowie, 

2003). The purpose of this article is 

to increase the awareness of those 

working with young children about 

the serious effects of bullying and to present a practitioner-friendly 

bullying prevention plan. 

In the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative (U.S. 

Department of Education, n.d.), the U.S. Department 

of Education set a goal that by 2014 all students would 

gain academic proficiency as evidenced by standardized 

test scores. NCLB outlined a plan to accomplish this 

academic goal by improving schools so that the kindergarten 

students of 2002 would graduate from high 

school prepared for college and/or the work place. 

NCLB also includes the goal that schools will provide 

safe environments for students to learn. Aggressive 

behavior such as bullying has a negative impact on the 

Jeanetta G. Riley, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department 

of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Murray 

State University, Murray, Kentucky. She has 23 years of 

experience teaching children in the early elementary grades. 

Janet S. Boyce, A.B.D, Ph.D., is an Instructor at The University 

of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg. She has 9 years 

of experience teaching children in elementary school and 10 

years teaching self-esteem workshops for children. 


quality of life for students and may 

affect student academic performance 

(Dake, Price, Telljohann, & 

Funk, 2003; Davis, 2005). Students 

who feel secure in their surroundings 

are more likely to be competent, 

capable learners who reach 

their full potential. When teachers 

and administrators work to create 

safe learning environments, therefore, 

students are more likely to succeed. 

The decision to eliminate bullying 

and harassment at primary grade 

levels can have a progressively positive 

effect on the social and academic 

development of children throughout 

their education. Much of the research 

indicates that the greatest percentage 

of bullying occurs in the elementary 

schools (Dake et al., 2003; 

Eslea & Rees, 2000). 

While many children are responsive 

to the emotional needs of others, 

that sensitivity tends to decrease 

with age (Rigby & Slee, 1991). 

Therefore, a program to eliminate 

bullying that begins in the early 

years may have the greatest longterm 

impact and result in several 

benefits for children. 

❑ Young children tend to have a 

sense of fairness that guides 

their behaviors. They expect to 

be treated fairly and usually 

want others to be treated fairly. 

They are often willing to work 

toward creating a caring community 

within a classroom. 

❑ A well-planned educational 

program to help primary students 

accept diversity and realize 

the benefits of creating a 

safe learning environment takes 

less time and is more effective 

than similar programs at older 

ages (Rigby & Slee, 1991). 

❑ Children’s mental and emotional 

health is improved as 

they all endeavor to create a 

safe place to learn and play. 

Subjects & Predicates 

Children who feel secure in their surroundings are more likely to be competent, 

capable learners who reach their full potential. When teachers and administrators 

work to create safe learning environments, students are more likely to succeed. 

What Is Bullying? 

Various definitions exist for the 

term bullying. Each suggests that 

bullying consists of intentionally 

hurtful behaviors inflicted upon a victim 

or victims. Roland defines bullying 

as “longstanding violence, physical 

or mental, conducted by an 

individual or a group and directed 

against an individual who is not able 

to defend himself in the actual situation” 

(cited in Roland & Idsoe, 

2001, p. 446). 

Teachers and students 

are more committed 

to something they 

help create. 

Bullying is comprised of direct 

and indirect behaviors (Banks, 

1997). The direct behaviors include 

“teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, 

and stealing that are initiated 

by one or more students against a 

victim” (p. 1). Additionally, “bullying 

may be … indirect by causing a 

student to be socially isolated 

through intentional exclusion” (p. 1). 

Bullies also experience the feeling 

of power over those whom they can 

hurt (Davis, 2005). According to 

Craig and Pepler (2003), bullying 

involves gaining dominance over 

another individual. As hurtful 

behaviors are continually directed 

toward a victim, the bully feels a 

sense of dominance, while the victim 

feels the powerlessness associated 

with victimization. 

One of the most often quoted 

definitions of being bullied comes 

from the research on bullying in 

schools by Olweus (1995). He 

defines being bullied as being 

“exposed, repeatedly and over time, 

to negative actions on the part of 

one or more other students” (p. 

197). The repetitive nature of bullying 

may leave the victim feeling 

defenseless and isolated. 

Effects of Bullying 

Some victims of bullying may 

not show symptoms. Others may 


demonstrate overt behaviors that 

clearly indicate a problem. Victims 

of bullies often suffer from a variety 

of short- and long-term negative 

physical and psychological effects— 

such as health problems, loneliness, 

depression, and lower self-esteem 

during childhood—that persist into 

adulthood (Camodeca, Goossens, 

Terwogt, & Schuengel, 2002; 

Rigby, 2003). 

Victims of bullying often endure 

emotional stress that can affect their 

well being and learning. When in a 

situation in which bullying is likely 

to occur, a victim may be under 

continual stress while anticipating 

the next episode of abuse. Research 

on brain functioning indicates that 

emotional stress during the school 

day can lead to a decrease in learning 

(Jensen, 1998). 

Meanwhile, bullies also suffer 

negative consequences during childhood 

and into adulthood. For 

example, Dake et al. (2003) found 

evidence that adolescents who were 

bullies tended to cheat, fight, steal, 

and engage in self-destructive behaviors 

such as alcohol and tobacco use 

more often than other adolescents. 

Olweus (1995) found that approximately 

40% of boys who were identified 

as bullies during their middle 

school years had criminal records by 

their mid-twenties. Implementing 

measures to prevent bullying behaviors, 

therefore, can help both the 

bully and the victim of bullying. 

Gender and Bullying 

Bullies traditionally have been 

thought of as boys. Both observational 

and survey studies indicate 

that boys tend to bully more often 

than do girls (Fekkes et al., 2005; 

Gropper & Froschl, 1999; Olweus, 

2003). 

However, both boys and girls 

engage in bullying activities, although 

the nature of the bullying varies 

according to gender. Boys initiated 

physically aggressive types of bullying 

more often than did girls, and girls 

engaged in relational aggression, such 

as gossip, exclusion, and manipula tion, 

more often than boys (Kochenderfer 

& Ladd, 1997; Olweus, 2003). 

Children deserve a safe 

place to learn. 

This trend may be changing. 

Recent research has found evidence 

that physically aggressive bullying is 

common with male and female bullies 

(Gropper & Froschl, 1999), and 

the number of girls who exhibit 

physically aggressive behaviors continues 

to increase (Prothrow-Stith & 

Spivak, 2005). 

As for reporting being bullied, boys 

were found to be much less likely to 

tell someone about the bullying than 

were girls (Cowie, 2000; Hunter, 

Boyle, & Warden, 2004). The cultural 

expectation by adults that girls 

need protection and boys should 

handle their own problems may 

influence children’s decisions about 

whether to report these incidents. 

Effects on Bystanders 

While the bully and the victim 

are obviously involved in bullying 

episodes, bystanders also play a role. 

Bystanders, either individuals or 

groups, are witnesses to the bullying 

episode, and all children at one time 

or another have observed bullying 

(Prothrow-Stith & Spivak, 2005). 

These children may actually reinforce 

the bullying behavior if they 

make no attempt to report or stop 

the behavior. 

Children who witness bullying 

may not understand how to intervene 

in appropriate ways, and they 

may fear reprisal from the bully or 

other bystanders if they report the 

harassment. Regrettably, they may 

believe that reporting is useless 

because the adults will not attempt 

to help. 

Although teachers are not always 

aware of the many episodes of bullying 

that occur, too often even when 

adults witness bullying they ignore 

it rather than intervene to stop it, 

and children know this (Gropper & 

Froschl, 1999; National Association 

of School Psychologists, 2002). 

Bystanders may get caught up in 

the moment and become drawn 

into the bullying episode themselves 

(Craig et al., 2000). Such bystander 

reactions could also reinforce the 

bullying behavior and leave the victim 

feeling helpless and alone. 

Bullies may become adept at hiding 

their harassment (Craig et al., 

2000), and sadly, most victims do 

not report the incidents to anyone, 

preferring to quietly tolerate the 

abuse in hopes it will subside 

(Cowie, 2000). 

Instead of allowing vulnerable 

children to suffer in silence, school 

staff can decide to take steps to create 

a safe learning environment for 

all children, including a policy that 

refuses to accept bullying behaviors. 

Providing an avenue for victims and 

bystanders to feel safe enough to report 

bullying is critical (Davis, 2005). 

The principal, teachers, and children’s 

families can work together to 

help create an atmosphere within 

the school that promotes “buddying, 

not bullying” so that students 

will have a sense of belonging to a 

cohesive community that promotes 

a secure learning environment and 


helps children learn how to stand up 

for each other. 

Creating a Buddying, 

Not Bullying Program 

Young children should have the 

opportunity to be emotionally healthy, 

happy, and safe everywhere, but that 

does not happen by accident. Adults 

have choices: 

❑ Teachers, administrators, and 

families can ignore bullying 

incidents and allow the intolerable 

behavior to continue, 

❑ They can attend to the bullying 

once an incident has occurred, or 

❑ They can decide to take action 

beforehand and make a difference 

in the lives of all students. 

The first choice is as unethical as 

the bullying itself. The second 

choice creates an ideal situation for 

the bully who knows how to lay low 

and not let adults see him or her in 

action. The third choice empowers 

staff and families to work together 

to reduce the victimization caused 

by bullies, thus helping all children 

remain or become caring individuals. 

The decision to create a supportive, 

caring environment free of bullying 

offers a challenge to any youth 

program staff. Most of the examples 

here are based in elementary schools, 

but the principles apply to child 

care, after-school programs, 

recreation al facilities, and any setting 

in which groups of children are 

supervised. 

Nancy P. Alexander 

Children who witness bullying may not understand how to intervene in appropriate 

ways, and they may fear reprisal from the bully or other bystanders if they report the 

harassment. Regrettably, they may believe that reporting is useless because the adults 

will not attempt to help. 

In elementary schools, often a 

guidance counselor has been 

assigned the task of teaching students 

about bullying. While the 

counselor helps set the tone, no one 

person can do it alone. The staff 

must work together to determine an 

appropriate course of action. After 

the decision is made as to how to 

deal with bullying, all staff members 

must be responsible for implementation 

of the plan. 

Although the principal can lead 

the school in a no-bullying campaign, 

the greatest impact will occur 

when the entire staff and families in 

the community commit to promoting 

the idea. This will most readily 

happen when all of the stakeholders 

are involved from the beginning and 

take part in creating the school’s 

pro-active program. Teachers and 

students, for example, are usually 

more committed to something they 

help create (Levine, 1995). 

The first order of business is to 

identify the goals of the process and 

outcome. When promoting and 

guiding students to a new way of 

thinking, a positive approach is best. 

Rather than focusing on a name 

such as “no bullying,” a title for the 

initiative such as “Buddying, Not 

Bullying” could emphasize a sense 

of camaraderie. The name may be 

evident right from the start, or may 

emerge as work continues to build 

the program. 

Each staff member has a role to 

play if bullying behaviors are to 

stop. These are six essential components 

of any program that focuses 

on a proactive approach to promote 

buddying and stop bullying. 

1. Students will learn how to 

identify bullying behavior. 

2. Bullying behavior must be discredited 

so it loses power. 

3. Students, teachers, and fami- 


lies discus honor and what it 

means to stand up for what is 

right. 

4. A community of learners who 

care about each individual’s 

well being will be created. 

5. Practical teaching strategies, 

such as role playing how to 

handle a situation when it is 

necessary to stand up for what 

is right, are implemented to 

give children time and skills to 

practice. 

6. A communication system for 

students to effectively report 

bullying in an environment of 

safety will be established. 

Step 1: Identify Bullying 

Behavior 

Bullying is not an occasional 

unkind act. Bullying is distinguished 

by repeated acts of aggression 

and unequal power between 

bully and victim (Lipman, 2003). 

While older children may be able to 

separate the two, younger children 

may not be able to differentiate 

between an infrequent act and continual 

aggression. Both behaviors 

hurt, and neither should be acceptable 

in a caring classroom. 

To help children of all ages to 

identify unacceptable acts, carry on 

classroom conversations in which 

children discuss times when they 

have seen or have been the victim of 

a bully or someone being mean. 

With younger children, teachers 

may find that one-on-one or small 

groups elicit the most responses to 

these sensitive topics. 

During such discussions, the 

term bully can be introduced and 

bullying behaviors identified. Children’s 

books about bullying and 

unkind acts help to introduce the 

topic and provide suggestions on 

how to resolve problems (see Ellis, 

Gallingane, & Kemple, 2006). 

Step 2: Discredit the 

Bullying Behavior 

Discussing the underlying reasons 

why people bully enables children 

to examine their feelings and 

consider the feelings of others. Children 

who have these insights and 

understandings can empathize with 

those who have been bullied. 

Discussions of this nature also 

help children understand that bullies 

hope to gain a sense of power 

over others. Teachers and parents 

can help children realize that bullies 

present themselves as powerful, but 

they often really are acting from 

their own hurt and anger, which 

causes them to feel a need to prove 

Practice justice, 

compassion, and human 

dignity. 

something to themselves and to others. 

Step 3: Stand Up for What 

Is Right 

Children learn the meaning of 

integrity, honor, and respect as they 

witness adults and children who regularly 

demonstrate these characteristics. 

All schools need to promote or 

even “awaken justice, compassion, 

and human dignity” in students 

(Furth, 1970, p. 128). This is even 

truer today when the focus of many 

curriculums leans toward achieving 

ever-higher tests scores. Furth went 

on to say, “our society needs a 

change of heart—and this is harder 

to come by than a change of curriculum” 

(p. 129), a statement as true 

today as it was nearly 40 years ago. 

When presented with opportunities 

to observe and discuss justice, 

compassion, and human dignity, 

children rise to the occasion and feel 

motivated to help create a community 

that exemplifies these characteristics. 

Through stories, books, movies, 

and discussions, students build a 

sense of what it means to stand up 

for what is right. 

Possibly the most important 

avenue for children to learn these 

character traits is by watching 

adults. Every member of a school’s 

staff must be prepared to live in a 

way that upholds the goals and 

beliefs of the buddying program. 

Children have a right to expect 

adults to lead the way in this 

endeavor. The second author reports 

this example of living honorably 

with students: 

After students were encouraged 

to stand up for what was right, 

they would come to me and let 

me know when I corrected the 

wrong person. I had to be ready 

and willing to accept that I was 

wrong, let the class know, and 

then correct my mistake. It was 

very rewarding to have a student 

come forward and tell me 

when she/he was to blame 

rather than the other student. 

Step 4: Create a Caring 

Community 

After students have had opportunities 

to discuss, read about, and 

witness ethical behaviors, teachers 

can conduct group meetings within 

classrooms. During these meetings, 

primary-age children might list the 

characteristics of the kind of safe 

community they wish to create at 

their school. 

Students can then use their ideas 

for creating a safe learning place by 

making posters to place in the halls 

to promote their caring community. 

For example, one poster might be 


thoughts with one another in small 

group settings to help them get to 

know each other better. To further 

support the theme, parents might 

design a T-shirt to continue to promote 

community in the school. 


Most young children are likely to need explicit direction and practice on how to handle 

a bullying situation should it occur, in school or the wider community. When children 

are bullied, having friends who will support them in the situation is important. Children 

must know that they can rely on adults to listen to them and follow through when bullying 

is reported. 

chosen by children’s vote as the 

school-wide buddying poster. Copies 

can then be made and displayed 

around the school and community. 

Additional activities to involve children 

could include creating their 

own songs and skits that promote 

the caring community theme. 

To extend the work of creating a 

caring community, the PTA/PTO 

can engage in group discussions 

with teachers and student leaders 

about efforts to provide a safe learning 

community. Parents can become 

more involved as they participate in 

activities such as co-sponsoring a 

health fair to promote the theme of 

healthy, caring communities. Fair 

activities that incorporate the theme 

of caring communities might include 

cooperative games, presentations 

about open communication between 

parents and children, and a time for 

children to share stories and 

Step 5: Role Play 

Responses to Bullying 

The first four steps lay the foundation 

for the expected way of 

interacting among students. Most 

children are still likely to need 

explicit direction and practice on 

how to handle a bullying situation 

should it occur, in school or the 

wider community. 

When children are bullied, having 

friends who will support them 

in the situation is important 

(Cowie, 2000; Kochenderfer & 

Ladd, 1997). After discussions about 

the need for a united front when 

bullying occurs, children can role-play 

actions to take when they or their 

friends are confronted by a bully. 

Whether victim or bystander, 

children benefit from practicing 

how to gain assistance from friends 

or adults to dissuade the bully. For 

example, children need to know that 

it is acceptable to remind a bully of 

the school-wide agreement by saying, 

“We don’t do that at our school!” 

and then leaving the scene to report 

the incident. Other role-plays can 

include how to ask a friend to help 

report a bullying incident to an 

adult and how bystanders can leave 

the bullying scene to gain adult help. 

Children must also know that 

they can rely on adults in school and 

at home to listen to them and follow 

through when bullying is reported. 

Role playing how to report the specific 

facts of an incident to adults is 

important for young children. Children 

learn to describe participants in 


the situation if the victim and/or 

bully are unknown to them by role 

playing giving the details that must 

be reported so the adult knows the 

correct action to take. For example, 

the reporter needs to tell the adult 

❑ when the bullying occurred 

❑ where it occurred 

❑ who was involved 

❑ what happened 

Practicing all of these scenarios is 

recommended throughout the school 

Role play how to 

report bullying. 

year as children mature. 

Step 6: Establish a 

Reporting System 

Make sure children know which 

adults in the building and elsewhere 

in the community are responsible 

for receiving bullying reports. Make 

sure children know their names and 

where to find them—and that the 

adults know the children! 

With all these efforts, some children 

may still be reluctant to report 

bullying. In these cases, a system to 

anonymously report situations may 

be needed. For older children, a suggestion 

box could be established in 

which a student fills out a form and 

inserts it into a box that the principal 

regularly checks. 

Simple awareness of their behavior 

may deter some bullies from acting 

out their inclination to harass 

others at school. The students who 

are constant offenders need to be 

found out and appropriately counseled 

and/or disciplined. 

Resolving the bully’s underlying 

issues creates a challenge for teachers 

and families. Each bully’s motivation 

is specific to the child; therefore, 

the focus of a school-wide program 

is to eliminate the conditions 

that make it convenient for the 

bully to act out his or her aggression. 

Establishing clear expectations 

for positive behavior and consistent 

consequences, such as removal from 

the situation and contacting parents 

when inappropriate behavior 

occurs, are recommended strategies 

to help the bully (Davis, 2005; 

National Association of School Psychologists, 

2002). 

* * * 

When students, educators, and 

families come together as a community 

of learners to create something 

important for the good of everyone, 

they all have a sense of ownership 

and belonging. Children who know 

that the adults in their world care 

enough to help them establish a program 

for their protection and safety 

will contribute a great deal to the 

program’s positive atmosphere. 

Children will see school as not only 

a safe place, but a good place to 

belong, where people care about 

each other. What better way to help 

young children grow in justice, 

compassion, and human dignity? 

Hearing about bullying and living 

with it on a daily basis often 

makes the issue seem too overwhelming 

for one teacher to make a 

difference. There are no easy answers. 

However, if one teacher can influence 

others to pull together, major 

changes can be made. One school at 

a time, the problem of bullying can 

be turned around and result in a 

stronger community. Children deserve 

safe places to learn and play. 

References 

Banks, R. (1997). Bullying in schools. 

(ERIC Document Reproduction Service 

No. ED407154) 

Camodeca, M., Goossens, F.A., Terwogt, 

M.M., & Schuengel, C. (2002). Bullying 

and victimization among school-age 

children: Stability and links to proactive 

and reactive aggression. Social Development, 

11(3), 332-345. 

Cowie, H. (2000). Bystanding or standing 

by: Gender issues in coping with bullying 

in English schools. Aggressive 

Behavior, 26, 85-97. 

Craig, W.M., & Pepler, D. (2003). Identifying 

and targeting risk for involvement 

in bullying and victimization. The 

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48, 

577-582. 

Craig, W.M., Pepler, D., & Atlas, R. 

(2000). Observations of bullying in the 

playground and in the classroom. 

School Psychology International, 21(1), 

22-36. 

Dake, J.A., Price, J.H., Telljohann, S.K., 

& Funk, J.B. (2003). Teacher perceptions 

and practices regarding school 

bullying prevention. Journal of School 

Health, 73, 347-355. 

Dake, J.A., Price, J.H., Telljohann, S.K., & 

Funk, J.B. (2004). Principals’ perceptions 

and practices of school bullying 

prevention activities. Health Education 

and Behavior, 31(3), 372-387. 

Davis, S. (2005). Schools where everyone 

belongs: Practical strategies for reducing 

bullying. Champaign, IL: Research Press. 

Eslea, M., & Rees, J. (2000). At what age 

are children most likely to be bullied at 

school? Aggressive Behavior, 27, 419-429. 

Ellis, S.M., Gallingane, C., & Kemple, 

K.M. (2006, Fall). Fiction, fables, and 

fairytales: Children’s books can support 

friendships. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 

34(3), 28-35. 

Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F.I.M., & Verloove- 

Vanhorick, S.P. (2005). Bullying: Who 

does what, when, and where? Involvement 

of children, teachers and parents 

in bullying behavior. Health Education 

Research, 20(1), 81-91. 

Furth, H.G. (1970). Piaget for teachers. 

Englewood Cliffs: NJ: Prentice-Hall. 

Gropper, N., & Froschl, M. (1999). The 

role of gender in young children’s teasing 

and bullying behavior. (ERIC Document 

Reproduction Service No. 

ED431162) 

Hunter, S.C., Boyle, J.M. E., & Warden, 

D. (2004). Help seeking amongst child 

and adolescent victims of peer-aggres- 


sion and bullying: The influence of 

school-stage, gender, victimisation, 

appraisal, and emotion. British Journal 

of Educational Psychology, 74, 375-390. 

Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain 

in mind. Alexandria, VA: Association 

for Supervision and Curriculum 

Development. 

Kochenderfer, B.J., & Ladd. G.W. (1997). 

Victimized children’s responses to 

peers’ aggression: Behaviors associated 

with reduced versus continued victimization. 

Development and Psychopathology, 

9(1), 59-73. 

Levine, S. (1995). The leader in you. New 

York: Dale Carnegie Institute. 

Lipman, E.L. (2003). Don’t let anyone 

bully you into thinking bullying is not 

important. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 

48, 575-576. 

National Association of School Psychologists. 

(2002). Bullying prevention: 

What schools and parents can do. 

Retrieved June 17, 2005, from 

http://www.naspcenter.org/ 

resourcekit/bullying_new_rk.html 

Olweus, D. (1995). Bullying or peer abuse 

at school: Facts and intervention. Current 

Directions in Psychological Sciences, 

4(6), 196-200. 

Olweus, D. (2003). A profile of bullying 

in school. Educational Leadership, 

60(6), 12-17. 

Orpinas, P., Horne, A.M., & Staniszewski, 

D. (2003). School bullying: Changing 

the problem by changing the school. 

School Psychology Review, 32(3), 431-444. 

Prothrow-Stith, D., & Spivak, H.R. 

(2005). Sugar and spice and no longer 

nice: How we can stop girls’ violence. San 

Francisco: Jossey-Bass 

Rigby, K. (2003). Consequences of bullying 

in schools. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 

48(9), 583-590. 

Rigby, K., & Slee, P.T. (1991). Bullying 

among Australian school children: 

Reported behavior and attitudes 

towards victims. Journal of Social Psychology, 

131(5), 615-627. 

Roland, E., & Idsoe, T. (2001). Aggression 

and bullying. Aggressive Behavior, 27, 

446-462. 

Smith, P.K., Ananiadou, K., & Cowie, H. 

(2003). Interventions to reduce school 

bullying. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 

48, 591-599. 

United States Department of Education. 

(n.d.). No Child Left Behind. Executive 

summary. Retrieved April 25, 

2006, from http://www.ed.gov/ 

nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html 

SECA and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 

The Southern Early Childhood Association’s Board 

of Directors has adopted St. Jude Children’s Research 

Hospital ® Trike-A-Thon and Math-A-Thon programs to 

join in the fight against childhood cancer. 

The St. Jude Trike-A-Thon is a free one-week 

curriculum that teaches children riding-toy safety with 

interactive stories featuring characters named Bikewell 

Bear ® and Peddles the Bunny TM . Children receive a 

coloring page for each lesson with safety reinforcement 

tips for parents printed on the back. At the end of the 

week, students 

can bring their 

trike or riding 

toy to school and 

prac tice the rules 

they have learned. 

The St. Jude Math-A-Thon is a fun free curriculum 

supplement for grades K-9. Students can participate 

using a paper Funbook or an interactive CD-Rom 

version. Each student can answer up to 200 problems 

to hone their math skills. 

For both programs, parents turn in donations from 

family, friends, and co-workers who have donated on 

behalf of their child’s participation. 

How do I get involved? 

It’s easy! 

For more information you can go to these 

Web sites: 

www.stjude.org/trike 

www.mathathon.org 

When you’re ready to start either a 

Trike-A-Thon or a Math-A–Thon project, 

call 1-800-573-9564 and the St. Jude team 

will send the program materials your way. 


How do teachers identify a compelling curriculum theme and then build on what children already 

know about it? Follow the story of Mrs. Keenan, who realized that empty boxes are an abundant, 

inexpensive, and rich source for hands-on learning with 3- and 4-year-olds! 

Cardboard Boxes: 

Learning Concepts Galore! 

Laverne Warner and Linda Wilmoth 

Mrs. Keenan, a preschool teacher, observed her 

3-year-old granddaughter Riley pull, tug, and stack 

piles of holiday boxes on the floor. She remembered 

that her child care director had suggested using boxes 

as a curriculum theme, but she hadn’t given much 

thought about the idea until now. She said to herself, 

“I wonder if my children would be as interested in 

boxes as Riley is. We could explore boxes as a theme 

for my class when we’re back in school.” 

A few days later Mrs. Keenan began to consider seriously 

what the 3- and 4-year-old children in her class 

could learn by exploring cardboard boxes. Her first 

thought focused on the concepts that might be introduced 

to or reviewed with young children (see Figure 1). 

As Mrs. Keenan jotted notes to herself, her mind 

quickly turned to vocabulary terms that children would 

find captivating (see Figure 2). “Oh, goodness,” she 

muttered to herself, “This could be a fantastic study. 

What books could I read to the children? What other 

materials will I need to get started? 

“Certainly, we can use the boxes I’ve saved from gift 

giving, but I’ll need a wider variety. What a good way to 

involve families! I’ll ask as soon as we get back to school. 

Families will surely have items they’re willing to share. And 

Figure 1. Box Concepts to Explore 

Boxes are: 

• containers (they hold things) that are used for storage. 

• sometimes sturdy, while others are flimsy. 

• made in lots of sizes: small, medium, large, and huge. 

• often have lids that can be taken off and put back on, 

or folded among each other. 

• three-dimensional, with outside and inside surfaces. 

• made from different kinds of cardboard or other materials 

with a variety of surfaces and colors. 

• often labeled with writing and pictures. 

• symbolic (can become homes, cars, trucks, wagons, 

toys, and other constructions). 

Figure 2. Box-Related Vocabulary Words 

• types: box, container, crate 

• positions: top, bottom, side, behind, on top of, outside, 

inside, beside 

• action words: pack, unpack, salvage, discard, ship, 

store, collapse, lift, tote, fold 

• packing materials: Styrofoam ® , shredded paper 

• parts: lids, corners, edges, sides, flaps, slats 

• materials: cardboard, wood, paper, corrugated 

• sizes: small, medium, large, huge 

• strength: sturdy, flimsy 

• finishes: paint, print 

• reinforcements: tape, strapping tape 

I’ll pull out the treasure chest I made a few years ago. 

That will be a great focus to captivate children’s interest.” 

Mrs. Keenan’s creativity was flowing now, and she 

began to think about more curriculum content and skills 

children could learn from exploring boxes. In mathematics, 

for example, children could learn: 

• one-to-one correspondence (matching two sets of boxes) 

• counting (how many boxes in a stack or row) 

• patterns (arranging boxes) 

• names of shapes and sizes of boxes 

• seriation (largest to smallest, for example) 

• observing and describing similarities and differences 

between and among various boxes 

Laverne Warner, Ph.D., is a retired Professor of Early Childhood 

Education in the Department of Language, Literacy, 

and Special Populations at Sam Houston State University in 

Huntsville, Texas. She taught in public schools for 9 years. 

Her experiences include 2 years teaching kindergarten and 3 

years teaching first-grade children. 

Linda Wilmoth, M.Ed., is Director of The Children of The 

Woodlands Child Care Center in The Woodlands, Texas. The 

Children of The Woodlands is an accredited center by the 

National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. Mrs. 

Wilmoth has 20 years of experience as a child care administrator. 


• sorting boxes into groups (for 

example, gift boxes, or colored 

boxes) 

She remembered she had her center’s 

curriculum standards at home, 

so she pulled out the guide to find 

other content areas that might be 

taught with a box theme. She happily 

noted that some of the science 

guidelines were pertinent to the 

theme as well. 

• Investigate unfamiliar objects. 

(Mrs. Keenan thought she 

could find boxes that had 

compartments inside them. 

Oddly shaped boxes would be 

useful, too.) 

• Observe changes in objects. (cut, 

fold, paint, or decorate boxes) 

• Describe objects using scientific 

words. (some of the 

vocabulary terms are scientific 

words) 

• Design science constructions. 

(ask children to create box 

sculptures, collages, or pretendplay 

props such as rockets or 

school buses) 

“I’m on the right track with this 

theme,” Mrs. Keenan said. “Now I 

need to get back to my classroom 

and start organizing some materials 

and lessons so the children will learn 

at their maximum potential.” 

Pulling the Theme 

Together 

Mrs. Keenan’s experience with 

thematic unit development is based 

on her understanding of young children’s 

learning. She knows that 

much of children’s learning is 

accomplished through encounters 

they have with interesting people, 

Photos courtesy of the authors 

Families often have boxes they’re willing to share. This treasure chest was a great focus 

to captivate children’s interest. 

places, and objects in their environment. 

In her classroom, she depends 

on numerous child-directed, 

teacher-guided play activities to 

enable children to develop concepts 

about their world. 

Her planned curriculum connects 

children’s experiences with the life of 

the classroom as recommended by 

early childhood experts (Feeney, 

Christensen, & Moravcik, 2006; 

Wardle, 2003; Warner & Sower, 

2005). Mrs. Keenan’s planned 

instructional activities are relevant 

to children’s lives, meaningful to them 

on a personal level, and engage their 

Connect children’s 

experiences with life! 

participation. Children must be 

actively involved in classroom activities 

for learning to occur. Integrating 

the theme into a variety of largegroup, 

small-group, and center 

experiences for children makes the 

learning more interesting for children’s 

young minds (Henniger, 2005). 

Mrs. Keenan knew that conceptualizing 

the theme is the first step 

in planning a unit, and she had 

done just that. The next step is to 

select some activities to explore with 

children to accomplish learning 

goals, such as her child care center’s 

curriculum standards. 

Most of the activities that Mrs. 

Keenan used are described in the 

remainder of this article. However, 

she also realized that integrating 

activities into daily routines provided 

essential skill development (see 

Figure 3). And she knew that often, 

one activity would lead to something 

else that was suggested by children’s 

questions and interests. 

The cardboard box explorations 

described here are designed for 


Figure 3. Skills Children Develop Through a Box Theme 

Curriculum Area Skill Area Integrated Activities 

Language Arts 

Social Studies 

Begins to express thoughts, feelings, 

and ideas through language as well as 

through gestures and actions. 

Contributes to the classroom 

community. 

Recognizes cause-and-effect 

relationships. 

Children talk about their box sculptures 

and the various ways boxes are used. 

Children collaborate as they build large 

box sculptures and structures together. 

Children take pride in each other’s 

accomplishments. 

Children decide whether to display their 

box prints on a bulletin board. 

Children bring boxes from home to add 

to the classroom variety. 

Children discover the effects of mixing 

various colors of paint. 

Boxes are multicultural, non-biased 

materials. They are also inexpensive 

(usually free) and serve multiple 

purposes. For example, boxes could 

be added to the home living center, 

used to create box constructions, 

taped securely and used to build and 

stack within the block center, or 

used as scoops with wood shavings 

in the sensory table. 

Each activity leads to 

something else. 

Fine Arts 

Social Development 

Creates original work. 

Uses colors, textures, and shapes to 

create form and meaning. 

Shares and cooperates with others. 

Children discover what happens when 

tape is positioned on a wrapped box. 

Children use various media to wrap 

boxes and decorate their box sculptures. 

Children share ideas about their artwork 

in centers and during group time. 

Assorted media in the art center encourage 

experimentation (paint, markers, chenille 

sticks, stars, stickers, construction 

paper, sponges, cookie cutters, sandpaper, 

shredded paper, glue). 

Children work together to use boxes to 

build constructions. 

While some of the learning experiences 

described here may require 

verbal explanations by a teacher, 

they are designed to build on children’s 

knowledge and skills and to 

maximize their involvement. Creative 

teachers and children will 

invent many other possibilities for 

exploring the potential of boxes. 

Fine-Motor 

Development 

Science and 

Mathematics 

Begins to develop friendships with 

others. 

Responds to the suggestions of 

others. 

Begins to show self-control and 

self-direction in learning. 

Begins to develop pincer control. 

Begins to hold art tools with fingers 

(instead of with a fist). 

Solves simple design problems. 

Gathers information using simple 

tools. 

Begins to make size comparisons. 

Matches objects that are alike. 

preschoolers, ages 3 and 4. Suggested 

activities have been provided to 

engage young children and challenge 

their wide range of skills in 

developmentally appropriate ways. This 

topic provides hands-on learning 

with items that are familiar to young 

Children become friends as they play 

together. 

Classroom leaders emerge as 

children work together. 

Children begin to show turn-taking skills 

as they create projects. 

Several children use brushes, crayons, 

and tongs designed to encourage 

maturity of their grasp. 

Children become more proficient with 

art tools as a consequence of activities 

provided for them in the art center. 

Children make box sculptures, 

individually or in small groups. 

Children use nonstandard measuring 

tools to measure boxes to determine 

which ones are similar. 

Children sort and match boxes by their 

shapes and sizes. 

children. By exploring boxes, children 

build on and extend their knowledge. 

To further involve children and 

their families, ask them to bring 

boxes to share. An ideal time is after 

the December holidays, especially if 

teachers ask for boxes in advance. 

Fine-Motor Activities 

Sort sizes and colors. Place several 

colored, tiny boxes and three or 

four larger boxes on a small table. 

Provide large tongs (for beginners) 

and smaller ones (such as a strawberry 

huller or ice tongs) to make the 

activity more challenging. Three or 

more sizes of small boxes provide a 

variety of options, based on children’s 

abilities. Children sort the boxes by 

color and/or size. 

Young children can also stack boxes 

from largest to smallest. Or they can 

attempt to balance boxes by starting 

with the smallest. They could also 

fit boxes one inside the other, an 

excellent way to estimate dimensions. 

Wrap gifts. Children use wrapping 

paper, ruler, tape, ribbon, and children’s 

scissors to wrap boxes. Better 

yet, children create their own wrapping 

paper with paint, stickers, 


Much of children’s learning is accomplished 

through encounters they have with interesting 

people, places, and objects in their 

environment. Depend on numerous 

child-directed, teacher-guided play activities 

to enable children to develop concepts 

about their world. 

and/or stamps. For even more personal 

involvement, plan for children 

to wrap handmade gifts for someone 

they love. 

Play matching games. Children 

cut pictures of gift boxes from magazines 

and glue them to cards. 

Encourage them to find different 

colors of bows. Children then use 

their visual discrimination skills to 

match pictures, such as finding all of 

the packages with blue bows. 

As children became proficient 

with matching cards, introduce a 

memory game so that pairs or small 

groups of children can play. Older 

children can draw their own illustrations, 

taking care to make pairs of 

each different package. 

Art Explorations 

Roll a design. One process-oriented 

art activity involves printing with a 

rolling object (such as a marble or 

Ping-Pong ball) in a box. Ask children 

to measure and cut their chosen 

color of paper to fit in a box. They 

choose a paint color and painting 

object. Children place their paper in 

the box and add a small amount of 

paint. They then add the rolling 

object and tip the box so the object 

rolls back and forth in the paint. 

This creative, interesting art experience 

could also be classified as a 

fine-motor or math activity. 

Stamp patterns with boxes. 

Children use large pieces of paper, 

two colors of paint, and various 

boxes to “stamp” designs. Pour a 

thin layer of paint in a larger box, 

dip the smaller boxes in the paint, 

and then press them on the paper. 

Box tops, edges, lids, and bottoms 

can be used. Stamping can be done 

with the base or the edges of the 

boxes, creating many visual patterns. 

Clean up is a snap, because the 

painting tools are disposable! 

Decorate boxes. One art activity 

evolved spontaneously when Mrs. 

Keenan placed a box on an easel for 

children to paint as if it were canvas, 

much like famous artists. She shared 

some famous paintings by Cubists 

(Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, and Georges 

Braque) who used box shapes. 

Rippled prints. To create interesting 

prints, children can peel the 

paper from one side of a corrugated 

cardboard piece. Press designs into 

the bumpy surface with the wooden 

end of a paintbrush or other hard 

object. Press the corrugated side into 

paint and print the rippled designs 

on plain paper. 

Build sculptures. Much like 

building with hollow blocks, children 

can glue or tape boxes together to 

create massive sculptures. They might 

choose a theme in advance, such as 

a pirate ship, or may just see what 

emerges as they create. Boxes can be 

painted and decorated with a variety 

of craft items such as paper, streamers, 

recycled items, or natural objects. 

Art activities present many 

opportunities for vocabulary and 

math concept development as children 

design, draw, measure, and 

construct. Talk with children about 

the shapes, colors, techniques, and 

their imaginative process. 

Create Games and Books 

Boxes have a variety of uses in an 

integrated curriculum. These are 

just a few examples. 

Food-box puzzles. To enhance 

young children’s awareness of environmental 

print, while they are 

using fine motor and visual discrimination 

skills, Mrs. Keenan placed 

two separate, teacher-made puzzles 

inside a cereal box. (Any clean, 

familiar box could be used.) Mrs. 

Keenan backed these puzzles with 

adhesive foam to make them sturdy 

enough for multiple uses. Cover the 

box with clear self-stick paper to 

increase durability and longevity, too. 

Place a box on an easel for children to 

paint as if it were canvas, much like 

famous artists. Share some famous paintings 

with them that use box shapes, from 

artists such as Cubists like Juan Gris, 

Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. 


Figure 4. Children’s Books 

Carter, D. (1994). Alpha bugs. 

New York: Little Simon. 

Carter, D. (1995). Feely bugs. 


Carter, D. (1999). Giggle bugs. 


Carter, D. (1998). Glitter bugs. 


Carter, D. (1998). How many bugs 

in a box? New York: Little 

Simon. 

Carter, D. (1993). In and out. New 

York: Little Simon. 

Fleming, C. (2003). Boxes for 

Katjie. New York: Farrar, 

Straus & Giroux. 

Lillegard, D. (1992). Sitting in my 

box. New York: Puffin. 

McLerran, A. (1991). Roxaboxen. 

New York: HarperTrophy 

The green puzzle had only six 

pieces and was made from the more 

familiar box front. The red puzzle 

contained eight pieces, and included 

much more print, created from the 

back of the box. These puzzles can 

be worked on the floor, tabletop, or 

even on the box itself. 

Box books. Mrs. Keenan remembered 

Sitting in My Box (1992) as an 

anti-bias book that is perfect for 

preschoolers. Adding a box full of 

miniature animals to the book corner 

enables children to retell the story at 

their leisure. The book and the box 

of animals is an ideal language 

extension activity. As the children’s 

interest in box books emerged, she 

found many other books related to 

the topic (see Figure 4). 

All kinds of boxes. As the children 

explored boxes, other ideas emerged 

and were shared by families, such as 

these: 

• lunch boxes (and box lunches) 

• button boxes 

• jewelry boxes 

• music boxes 

• tool boxes 

The children came to see boxes as 

a safe place to keep special mementoes, 

so they each made a keepsake box. 

The father of one child worked in a 

nearby bank, so he showed them a 

safe deposit box and they made pretend 

money, pictures, treasure maps, 

and other items to keep in the box. 

Children are often more fascinated 

with boxes than they are with their 

contents. Boxes enable children to 

climb in and out of them, push 

them, pull them, decorate, build, 

cut, and even smash them if they 

wish. As children learn and build 

their skills, they thoroughly enjoy 

learning about boxes with their families 

and friends. 

References 

Feeney, S., Christensen, D., & Moravcik, 

E. (2006). Who am I in the lives of children? 

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson 

Education. 

Henniger, M. (2005). Teaching young children, 

an introduction. Upper Saddle 

River, NJ: Pearson Education. 

Wardle, F. (2003). Introduction to early 

childhood education. Boston: Allyn & 

Bacon. 

Warner, L., & Sower, J. (2005). Educating 

young children from preschool through 

primary grades. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 

Thank You Reviewers! 

SECA expresses its appreciation to these content experts who reviewed the articles that appear in this issue 

of Dimensions of Early Childhood. 

Denise da Ros-Voseles 

Rebecca M. Giles 

Stephen B. Graves 

Mary Langenbrunner 

Nancy Mundorf 

Boyoung Park 

Peggy Pearl 

Jean M. Shaw 

Marie Sloane 

Early childhood professionals who are interested in becoming SECA volunteer manuscript reviewers are 

encouraged to request an application. Send your request to editor@southernearlychildhood.org. 


Put These Ideas Into Practice! 

Cardboard Boxes: Learning Concepts Galore! 

by Laverne Warner and Linda Wilmoth 

Art Explorations With Boxes 

• Roll—Cover the bottom of a box with paper. Roll a marble or small ball in paint and then 

tip the box to roll it back and forth. 

• Stamp—Use lids, box tops, edges, and bottoms as stamps. Cut into shapes and dip into 

paint. 

• Decorate! Paint or use markers and crayons, along with craft materials, to decorate 

boxes, large and small. 

• Ripple—Peel a paper layer from corrugated cardboard to reveal the ripples. Use them for 

crayon rubbings or to paint prints. 

• Build! Glue and tape boxes of all sizes together, even inside each other, to make small or 

gigantic sculptures. Children decorate with paint, paper, streamers, recycled objects, or 

whatever fits their theme. 

Fine-Motor Activities With Boxes 

• Sort—Select similar and different small boxes. Sort with 

tongs or fingers. Which boxes will fit inside the others? 

• Stack—Pile boxes high. Order them from large to small— 

or small to large! 

• Wrap—Wrap pretend or real gifts with newspaper, recycled 

gift wrap, or children’s own gift wrap made with roll paper. 

Add paint, stickers, and/or stamps. Tie bows, too! 

• Play games—Create board and playground games with 

boxes. Design matching and memory games on box lids for a 

3-D experience. Cut out sections for beanbag toss. Store game 

and puzzle pieces in decorated boxes. 

• Solve puzzles—Choose magazine pictures or decorate with 

art materials to make the picture or design. Glue on 

cardboard. Cut into pieces. Store in another box. 

Math Concepts With Boxes 

• one-to-one correspondence (match 

sets of boxes, match balls or other items 

to boxes) 

• counting (how many in a stack? in a 

row? fit together?) 

• patterns (arrange by color, shape, size, 

type of cardboard, lids) 

• names of shapes and sizes of 

boxes (square, cube, deep, shallow, 

wide, narrow) 

• seriation (largest to smallest, darkest to 

lightest, heaviest to lightest) 

• observe and describe similarities and 

differences between and among boxes 

(sturdy, collapsed, bent, folded, types of 

tape, wood) 

Skills Children Develop by 

Learning With Boxes 

Language—express thoughts, feelings, and ideas 

Social Studies—contribute to class community, recognize 

cause-and-effect relationships 

Fine Arts—create original work; use colors, textures, and 

shapes to create form and meaning 

Social Development—share and cooperate, develop 

friendships, respond to others’ suggestions, exhibit self-control, 

engage in self-directed learning 

Fine-Motor Development—develop pincer control, 

learn to grasp art and writing tools with fingers 

Science and Math—solve simple design problems, 

gather information, compare sizes, match objects, 

increase vocabulary 

Note: Dimensions of Early Childhood readers are encouraged to copy this material for early childhood students as well as teachers of young children as a professional development tool. 


How do early childhood educators provide nurturing care to infants and toddlers that 

supports their long-term development? This article outlines eight practical strategies, 

called the Ps of the Responsive Caregiving Process. 

Responsive Infant Caregiving: 

Eight Proven Practices 

Brain research has confirmed what many early care 

and education professionals have known all along— 

warm, nurturing relationships 

among babies, toddlers, and 

their caregivers support children’s 

development (National 

Association for the Education 

of Young Children [NAEYC], 2005; National Research 

Council & Institute of Medicine [NRC], 2000). 

The nurturing adult-child interaction that supports 

children’s development is called responsive care (Lally et al., 

1995). Responsive care is supported by small adult-child 

Lisa Leifield and Tisha Bennett Sanders 

Babies are born with 

different temperamental styles. 

ratios and primary care systems (Bernhardt, 2000; Lally 

et al.). Furthermore, small adult-child ratios support the 

child observation strategies that are 

central to responsive care. 

It is important for caregivers to 

intentionally implement responsive 

interactions because this type of 

care has been shown to be particularly important for 

encouraging babies’ social-emotional development 

(Casa, n.d.; Hyson, 2004; NRC, 2000; Shonkhoff, 

2004). Specifically, responsive care 

• helps babies learn to be communication partners, 

• encourages babies to feel warm and close to people, 

and 

• supports babies’ enthusiasm for exploring their 

environments (Parlakian & Seibel, 2002). 

Gerber (1979), Honig (1985, 1989), and Lally 

(1990) were early advocates for responsive, relationshipbased 

care for children in out-of-home care. Recognition 

of the value of responsive care intensified as the numbers 

of babies entering early care and education grew during 

the 1980s. During this time, women increasingly 

Lisa Leifield, M.S.W., Ph.D, has been involved in early 

intervention training and technical assistance for more than 

15 years. She worked at the Early Head Start National 

Resource Center, was the Project Coordinator for the 

Northeastern Early Intervention Faculty Institute, and was 

the Early Childhood Education and Training Services Manager 

for the Early Head Start program at the Children’s 

Hospital of Philadelphia. 


Individual babies have different ways of expressing preferences 

and as they grow the kinds of signals they use to express 

preferences changes. 

Tisha Bennett Sanders, Ed.D, is Assistant Clinical Professor 

of Early Childhood Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt 

University, Nashville, Tennessee. Her interests are 

issues related to high-quality care of infants and toddlers, 

including curriculum and best practices. Prior to joining the 

Vanderbilt faculty she worked at the Early Head Start 

National Resource Center at Zero to Three. 


entered the workforce and women 

on welfare were facing work requirements, 

necessitating child care for 

their children (Lally, 2003). 

In the early 1990s, Head Start 

and Zero to Three, the National 

Center for Infants, Toddlers, and 

Families, responded to the need to 

support the early care and education 

community in implementation of 

responsive relationship-based care. 

The U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services Advisory Committee’s 

Report on Early Head Start 

recommended the use of responsive 

adult-child relationships as a principle 

to guide the development of Early 

Head Start, which was established in 

1995 (U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services [HHS], 1994). 

Implement intentionally 

responsive interactions. 

Also in that year, Zero to Three 

published a comprehensive guide on 

how to implement responsive care 

called Caring for Infants and Toddlers 

in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate 

Practices (Lally et al., 1995). 

This guide, written for infant-toddler 

caregivers and administrators who 

support their work, emphasized the 

importance of responsive relationshipbased 

care to children’s socialemotional 

development. 

Perhaps most important, we 

have learned to appreciate the 

role of relationships in every 

aspect of early development. 

Infants and toddlers develop 

expectations about people’s 

behavior and about themselves 

based on how parents and others 

treat them. Through daily 

interactions with responsive, 

affectionate adults, babies experience 

their first true positive 

love relationships. Trust and 

emotional security develop when 

infants learn that their needs 

will be met predictably and 

consistently. Self-confidence develops 

as babies and toddlers learn 

to communicate their needs 

and master challenges in the 

world. (Lally et al., 1995, p. 7) 

Head Start reaffirmed its commitment 

to responsive care when it 

established the Early Head Start 

Mental Health Initiative (Chazen- 

Cohen, Jerald, & Stark, 2001) and 

identified responsive relationships as 

a key component of Early Head 

Start Programs, using an infant 

mental health approach (Boss, Mann, 

& Rudolph, 2004). 

This article offers a framework to 

help caregivers remember, reflect on, 

and assess how to use the responsive 

process in early care and education 

settings for babies—the “Ps of Process.” 

Each P represents a key component 

of the responsive process as identified 

by researchers. 

1) View babies as Partners. 

2) Personalize interactions for 

each baby. 

3) Observe babies’ Preferences. 

4) Observe babies’ Pleasures. 

5) Choose Positions that encourage 

positive emotional exchanges. 

6) Pace interactions to match each 

baby’s tempo. 

7) Make interactions Predictable. 

8) Partner with parents. 

Vignettes about nine primary 

caregivers—Lola, Markesha, Kelly, 

Marsha, Jaymin, Tanisha, Jan, Kia, 

and Yen—demonstrate ways to 

implement the Ps of the responsive 

process during babies’ daily routines. 

Although the responsive 

process is key to development of all 

young children, the vignettes here 

focus on babies younger than one 

year of age. Infants with disabilities 

are included because all babies benefit 

from responsive care. 

View Babies as 

Interaction Partners 

Right from the start, babies are 

ready for human interaction. Brain 

research indicates that babies are 

born wired for interaction (Lally et 

al., 1995; NRC, 2000). For example, 

newborn babies show that they are 

interested in interaction by gazing at 

their mother or father or by turning 

to the sound of their parent’s voice 

(Brazelton, 1992; Zero to Three, n.d.). 

Through positive emotional 

exchanges, parents and caregivers let 

babies know that they are just as 

interested in interacting with babies 

as the babies are in getting to know 

them. The caregiver’s role is to help 

babies learn how take turns interacting. 

Caregivers help babies interact 


Parents are wonderful sources of information 

on things such as games or toys 

that bring their babies pleasure. When 

caregivers play the same social games 

that are played at home, it helps babies 

feel secure and transition more easily 

into an unfamiliar place. 


y reading and responding to their 

signals. With lots of practice, babies 

learn to start the interaction. Then it 

is the adult’s turn to read and 

respond to the baby’s invitation to 

interact! Every time adults respond 

to a smile with a smile, connections 

are being built (Greenspan, 1999; 

Lerner & Dombro, 2000). 

Early emotional exchanges help 

babies not only in their daily interactions 

with caregivers but with all 

future interactions as well (Brazelton 

& Greenspan, 2000; Greenspan, 

1999; Shonkhoff, 2004; Thompson, 

2002). Warm, positive connections 

during emotional exchanges lead 

babies to come to expect warm, nurturing 

interactions with family 

members, teachers, and other children 

as they grow into the preschool 

years and later in elementary school 

(Knitzer & Lelkowitz, 2005; Thomp - 

son, 2002). 

In this first vignette, Lola engages 

in turn-taking exchanges responsive 

to children’s developmental characteristics. 

She exchanges smiles, babbling 

sounds, and takes part in 

delightful pop-up-toy fun. 

Maria, a 4-month-old, has recently 

begun to laugh and smile 

when Lola, her primary caregiver, 

is in play space next to her. Lola 

responds to Maria’s smiles with 

smiles. 

Then, hearing 6-month-old 

Gabbie start babbling, Lola 

turns and smiles at her. Gabbie 

sees Lola smile and babbles 

back. Lola continues the ex - 

change by quickly responding 

with the same babbling string, 

“ba-ba, ba-ba.” 

At the same time 8-month-old 

Ethan is playing with a pop-up 

toy. He looks to Lola. Lola waits 

to see if Ethan needs assistance, 

wondering if he wants help 

pushing down one of the buttons. 

Ethan whines and looks 

again to Lola, so she asks 

“Would you like me to push the 

button?” She slowly pushes the 

blue button and out pops a 

cow’s head. As Lola moos, 

Ethan laughs and moos, imitating 

Lola. He pushes the cow 

head back down, in effect asking 

Lola to continue the play. 

Personalize the 

Approach for Each 

Baby 

Personalizing interactions refers 

to designing interactions specifically 

tailored to an individual baby 

(Greenman & Storehouse, 1996). A 

personalized approach to a child’s 

temperament or individual style 

promotes warm feelings between 

adult and baby. Temperament refers 

to a baby’s individual way of relating 

(Chess, 1990; Strum, 2004). Three 

key groups stress the importance of 

caregiver responsiveness to babies’ 

temperament styles (Early Head 

Start National Resource Center, 

2004; HHS, 2000; NAEYC, 2005). 

Babies are born with different 

temperamental styles (Chess & 

Thomas, 1996, Strum, 2004). 

Researchers have used terms such as 

easy, difficult, and slow to warm up to 

describe these temperament styles. 

Early care and education providers 

typically have babies with all three 

temperamental styles in their care. 

• Some babies have regular sleeping 

patterns, approach new situations 

comfortably, cry or fuss 

only when they are hurried or 

tired, and have typical activity 

levels for babies of their age. 

These children are usually re - 

ferred to as easy babies (Chess, 

1990; Chess & Thomas, 1996). 

• A smaller number of babies are 

referred to as feisty or difficult. 

Babies who have a feisty temperament 

style may be difficult 

to calm, are extremely active or 

fussy, and have short attention 

spans. Feisty babies typically 

have irregular eating and sleeping 

patterns. They also tend to 

be moody and their reactions to 

changes in routines or schedules 

are very strong. 

• Still other children are called 

slow to warm up. These babies 

are cautious as they approach 

new situations. After initially 

taking care with new places or 

people, they are then able to 

interact with others in comfortable 

ways. They may also have 

difficulty with changes in routines 

and becoming familiar with 

new toys or materials. Their 

expression of emotions may not 

be as robust as easy children, 

which makes their needs and 

preferences more difficult to 

read. Focused observation by 

caregivers helps identify these 

babies’ needs and preferences. 

To help design more personalized 

interactions, caregivers are encouraged 

to ask these questions about 

each child. 

Questions to Ask About 

Each Child 

What things does the baby attend 

to on his or her own? 

What toys or interactions does the 

baby enjoy? 

How do individual babies like to be 

touched or rocked? 

How does each baby calm down 

when fussy? 

What are the child’s reactions to 

sound, lights, and touch/textures? 



Babies feel secure and develop both trust 

and feelings of closeness when caregivers 

consistently handle routines in ways that 

match babies’ individual temperaments. 

What are the baby’s moods like? 

How regular are baby’s sleeping, 

eating, and elimination habits? 

Use this information to design 

interactions for a particular baby 

(Lally, 1990). Use voice, touch, and 

facial expressions to support emotional 

exchanges with individual 

children. 

Expecting all young infants and 

toddlers in group care to change to 

meet individual teacher’s personalities 

is inappropriate (Lally et al., 

1995). Rather, caregivers must 

adjust their behaviors to support 

children. Developing personalized 

interactions is a continuous learning 

process for both caregivers and 

babies (Greenspan, 1999; Lally, 1990). 

Markesha adapts her interactions, 

toys, and materials to be 

responsive to the temperamental 

characteristics of babies while she 

greets parents and children. 

Every morning before families 

and children arrive, Markesha 

reviews her anecdotal observations 

to reflect on how her 

interactions reflect her knowledge 

of the temperament styles 

of babies in her care. She notes 

that Erica, a feisty 4-month-old, 

was fussy yesterday, but was better 

able to find her thumb to 

suck during her morning nap. 

She makes a special note to herself 

to support Erica’s ability to 

self-calm when fussy. 

Her notes also reflect that easygoing 

Terrel, age 10 months, 

played enthusiastically with a 

variety of toys, some old and 

some new, so she places out the 

same toys. Markesha knows 

that it takes a little longer for 

Tanisha, a slow-to-warm-up baby, 

to try a toy that isn’t familiar to 

her, so she puts out a textured 

ball next to Tanisha’s favorite 

yellow ball. 

Terrel and his dad arrive first. 

As usual, Terrel greets her with a 

big smile and crawls across the 

room to explore his favorite toy 

that makes noise. 

Next to arrive is 9-month-old 

Tanisha, who nestles into her 

Mom’s shoulder, then slowly 

peeks around to watch Terrel 

eagerly playing. She glances at 

her favorite ball and then at the 

textured ball. Markesha goes 

over, softly touches her on the 

back, and quietly says, “I see 

you looking at that new ball. 

You can play with it when you 

are ready.” 

Eight-month-old Erica, still 

drowsy and fussy, and her mom 

arrive shortly. Markesha walks 

with her mother to Erica’s crib, 

as Terrel’s dad plays with Terrel 

to settle him in for the day. As 

they walk, Erica’s mom gives 

Markesha a change of cotton 

knit clothes because Erica is 

irritable when wearing clothes 

with a rough texture. Markesha 

asks how Erica slept last night 

because she has a better day and 

is more available for fun emotional 

exchanges if she has slept 

through the night. Markesha 

tells Erica’s mom that that they 

are working on helping her to 

find her thumb to support a 

peaceful transition to sleep 

when tired. 

Just as Markesha does, effective 

caregivers observe children for their 

reactions. Babies differ in the amount 

of stimulation and interaction they 

desire (Lally, 1990). Their temperamental 

styles influence how they 

initiate and respond to interaction. 

Observe Babies’ 

Preferences 

Babies have preferences and like 

to make choices, just as adults do. 

Since babies cannot yet use words, 

they use signals to let adults know 

their choices (Lally et al., 1995). 

Giving very young children opportunities 

to choose helps them develop 

a feeling of control (Dombro, 

Colker, & Dodge, 2002; Post & 

Hohmann, 1999). This sense of 

control is the beginning of each 

young child’s journey toward autonomy 

and independence (Greenspan, 

1999; Lally, 1990; Lerner & Dombro, 

2000). 

Individual babies have different 

ways of expressing preferences and 

as they grow the kinds of signals they 

use to express preferences changes 

(Greenspan, 1999; Roberts & Heyman, 

2000). For example, during 

feeding very young babies may turn 

away from the bottle. As they get 

older they may push the spoon or 

bottle away, or shake their heads. 

There are many ways to give 

babies choices and honor their pref- 


erences throughout the day. Make 

sure there are a variety of toys and 

play objects. Observe to see what 

individual babies choose to do, and 

then make sure to have those objects 

available. Watch babies to see which 

books they prefer. As story selections 

are rotated, be sure to keep out 

favorite books, as Kelly does in this 

vignette. 

Every day Kelly uses her anecdotal 

records to help plan interactions 

and provide choices for 

the babies in her care. Babies 

can reach their favorite toys on 

low shelves. She has pictures of 

children’s families placed along 

the wall so children can crawl 

over to look any time they 

want. After making little books 

of children’s families and 

putting them near the dramatic 

play toys, Kelly noticed these 

books became children’s favor - 

ites. Thus, when rotating out a 

few books every other week, 

Kelly decided not to rotate but 

to update these family books. 

By asking one or two families 

for an updated picture every 2 

weeks, this book project gives her 

another opportunity to reconnect 

with families about their babies. 

It is just as important to give children 

with disabilities opportunities 

to express what they prefer. The cues 

that children with disabilities use 

may be less visible than the cues of 

typically developing children. Work 

in partnership with parents to learn 

the cues their children use to signal 

their choices and preferences. Children 

with severe and multiple disabilities 

may use eye gaze to indicate 

their choices. Sometimes children 

with disabilities may take longer to 

respond to their choices, too. The 

child’s early intervention specialist 

can provide guidance and cues 

about how to provide choices for 

children who have vision and hearing 

impairments. 

Find Out What 

Brings Babies 

Pleasure 

What makes individual babies 

laugh, squeal, chuckle, and smile? 

What delights or amuses them? 

Finding out the answers to these 

questions helps caregivers share happiness, 

amusement, and fun with 

babies—and strengthens connections 

with each child (Greenspan, 

1999). To find out what brings 

babies pleasure, just watch them… 

closely. Some babies like toys that 

make noise while other babies prefer 

to play with toys with interesting 

visual patterns. Some babies prefer 

toys that are both visually interesting 

as well as sound producing! 

Babies also differ in the kinds of 

social games they enjoy. Some babies 

think it is fun to blow raspberries, 

while others relish imitation games. 

Some babies respond well to light 

touches or nursery rhymes while 

others prefer hide-and-seek or peeka-boo 

games. Repeating games helps 

babies develop a sense of security. In 

time, they will initiate the games. 

Movement games are a source of 

pleasure for many babies. Some 

babies enjoy being hoisted high in 

the air, while other babies like 

bouncing or jiggling. Watch babies 

during movement games to make 

sure they don’t get overwhelmed. 

Notice when children push away. 

Slowing down or stopping an interaction 

in response to children’s cues 

ensures that children don’t become 

agitated, frightened, or irritable. 

Parents are wonderful sources of 

information on things such as games 

or toys that bring their babies pleasure. 

Parents’ input is particularly 

helpful when children are getting 

used to a new setting or when the 

family culture is different from that 

of the caregiver. When caregivers 

play the same social games that are 

played at home, it helps to build a 

sense of continuity between home 

and center. This helps babies feel 

secure and transition more easily 

into an unfamiliar place (Honig, 

2002). Not only is it important to 

use parents’ observations when their 

children are new to care, it’s equally 

important to exchange information 

with parents regularly, as this next 

vignette illustrates. 

Caroline brings her 9-monthold 

baby, Kaitlin, to the on-site 

employer-sponsored child care 

center every morning. Marsha, 

Kaitlin’s primary caregiver, asks 

Kaitlin’s mom what her baby’s 

favorite songs and games are at 

home. During the day, Marsha 

uses the suggested pat-a-cake 

singing game and a special “name 

game” made up for Kaitlin by 

her mom. Marsha provides the 

family with anecdotal observations 

of Kaitlin’s actions during 

playful games. Every month 

Marsha reminds parents in her 

group to tell her if their children 

are playing new games or 

learning new songs at home. 

Choose Positions That 

Support Positive 

Emotional Exchanges 

Because observation is so important 

to the responsive process, it is 

essential for caregivers to be in positions 

to see and make eye contact 

with each child. Caring for babies is 

physically strenuous work, and 

everyone should be comfortable. 

Personalizing the way a baby is held 


communicates to the child that his 

or her comfort is important. It is 

one more unique way to assure that 

babies feel cared for. Additionally, 

staying in close proximity to children 

provides a secure base as 

children move away and then back 

to a caregiver (Honig, 1993). 

The following vignette illustrates 

how the thoughtful way Jaymin 

positions herself allows her to share 

positive exchanges with babies. She 

can easily pick up on their enthusiasm 

for new discoveries. Children 

can easily check in as they move away 

from her in the carefully designed 

environment for safe exploration. 

Jaymin is sitting on the floor 

where she has a clear view of all 

the babies. She nestles 4-monthold 

Sam on her lap, while giving 

10-month-old Cory a reassuring 

look as he crawls away to his 

favorite red ball, looking back 

to check for her. Demetrius, 

carrying a well-loved book, toddles 

over to Jaymin and plops 

down next to her. While pointing 

out the names of the toys on 

the page, Jaymin periodically 

watches as Cory continues to 

frequently look back to her. 

Visual input is very important to 

young children’s social and emotional 

development. It is crucial that 

babies with disabilities are positioned 

to be able to see and interact 

with their caregivers. Some children 

with disabilities may have difficulty 

holding up their trunks and heads. 

This can interfere with their ability 

to exchange a smile or gaze with 

caregivers, or make it difficult to 

interact around favorite books or 

toys. Physical or occupational therapists 

as well as parents can provide 

ideas on how to position children 

comfortably by suggesting seating 

equipment or adapting existing seating 

equipment. 

In her family child care home, 

Tanisha makes sharing books 

with babies a daily routine. 

Tommy, a 9-month-old with 

cerebral palsy, loves to listen to 

Tanisha read. However, Tanisha 

has difficulty positioning Tommy 

comfortably because of high 

tone or stiffness in his muscles. 

Tanisha asked for seating tips 

from Tommy’s physical therapist, 

who provides therapy at 

Tanisha’s home. Tanisha uses 

these ideas to include Tommy 

in the early reading process in a 

more comfortable way. 

Babies are born wired for 

interaction. 

Pace Interactions to 

Match Each Baby’s 

Tempo 

A central component of any partnership 

with babies is pacing interactions—adjusting 

tone of voice 

and movements in response to a 

baby’s cues. Caregivers pace their 

speech to maintain a baby’s interest 

without over-stimulation. Matching 

and pacing speech and movement to 

the child ensures the baby has an 

opportunity to respond and interact. 

Pausing during interactions allows 

time for babies to take their turns in 

the interaction. Turn-taking supports 

development of communication 

skills (Lally et al., 1995; Lerner & 

Dombro, 2000). 

Another way to personalize care 

is to pace the day for each baby 

(Lally, et al., 1995). All babies have 

different schedules for diapering, 

playing, eating, and sleeping. Al - 

though all early care and education 

centers have routines, high-quality 

programs individualize children’s 

schedules to match their individual 

biological rhythms (Dombro, Colker, 

& Dodge, 2002; Lally et al., 1995; 

Post & Hohmann, 1999). 

This vignette illustrates how Jan 

looks carefully for a baby’s cues so she 

can tailor her interactions accordingly. 

Tabitha is a new baby in the 

older infant room. Some of the 

babies in Jan’s care like a leisurely 

diaper time, while other 

babies wiggle and squirm to 

move through diapering quickly. 

She watches carefully to see 

what Tabitha’s reaction is to 

movement, touch, and talk during 

diapering. 

As Jan is changing Tabitha, she 

notices that the infant’s eyebrows 

are furrowed and her lips 

are pursed, ready to let out a 

yell. Jan immediately slows the 

pace of her motions and speech. 

Tabitha takes a slow, long 

breath and gives Jan a smile of 

approval. Tabitha’s new teacher 

has read her cues and understands 

that this new baby likes 

her diaper changed in a slower 

and more interactive way than 

the babies who prefer to get off 

the changing table more quickly. 

Interact Predictably 

Predictability refers to the extent 

that an adult’s expectations and 

interactions are similar and reliable 

to young children. Predictability 

adds familiarity and security to relationships 

(Edwards & Raikes, 

2002). This predictable security 

supports babies in their ability to 

participate in positive social exchanges 

(Lally et al., 1995). 

Predictability makes participation 

in interactions with caregivers 

more engaging for young children. 

By repeating interactions, adults 


help babies to learn their roles in 

interactions. When caregivers use 

the same games, songs, or fingerplays, 

babies learn them quickly. 

Even the youngest children are eager 

to be both the initiator and responder 

(Brazelton, 1992). 

Predictable interactions during 

routines are particularly important 

(Greenman & Stonehouse, 1996). 

Remember that temperament affects 

how children fall asleep and wake 

up, their feeding preferences and 

habits, how they approach situations, 

the types of games they like, 

and how they calm when fussy. 

Babies feel secure and develop 

both trust and feelings of closeness 

when caregivers consistently handle 

routines in ways that match babies’ 

individual temperaments. As children 

grow, routines for groups of 

children become more similar. For 

example, in this next vignette a 

group of 1-year-olds has gravitated 

toward a naptime routine. 

Every day before putting the 

young toddlers to sleep, Kia 

reads a short book and then 

sings a sleepy-time song. The 

book and song are both restful 

and predictable for the children. 

Depending on their interests, 

Kia may read the same book 

and sing the same song for a 

week or 2. When it seems the 

children have tired of them, Kia 

changes to another short book 

and sweet, soft melody. 

Partner With Parents 

Forming parent and professional 

partnerships is a foundational concept 

of early childhood education. 

NAEYC accreditation criteria include 

forming partnerships with families 

as a key component of high-quality 

programs (NAEYC, 2005). Caregivers 

are urged to develop systems for 

sharing information with parents 

daily and holding more formal parentteacher 

conferences twice a year. 

The Head Start Program Performance 

Standards also identify the 

importance of partnering with parents 

and supporting parents in their 

use of responsive interactions with 

their babies and toddlers (Chazen- 

Cohen et al., 2001; HHS, 2000). 

What brings babies 

pleasure? Watch 

them…closely. 

Quality assessment approaches 

and curricula such as Tender Care, 

The Creative Curriculum for 

Infants and Toddlers, Educating and 

Caring for Infants and Toddlers, 

and the Ounce Scale provide a variety 

of suggestions for teachers and 

families about the responsive process 

(Bergen, Reid, & Torelli, 2001; 

Dombro, Colker, & Dodge, 2002; 

Post & Hohmann, 1999). 

Supporting parents as partners is 

important because continuity supports 

children’s development, behavior, 

and feelings of security (Honig, 

2002). Use these questions to guide 

relationships with families. 

Questions to Ask About 

Interactions With Families 

Do caregivers and parents strive to 

be respectful of children’s interests? 

How do caregivers incorporate each 

family’s cultural practices into 

materials, interactions, and 

exchanges of information? 

How are parents included in staff 

daily/weekly discussions of their 

children? 

How do staff learn from observing 

parents’ strategies when they diaper 

or feed their children? 

How routine are short, intimate 

conversations with families about 

their children? 

In what ways does the curriculum 

support partnering with parents? 

What policies and procedures 

ensure that caregivers and families 

share their observations about children’s 

development? 

Five o’clock is one of the busiest 

times in the day at a Head Start 

Child Care collaboration center. 

Yen is completing the “Sharing 

and Caring” form that comes 

with the program’s curriculum. 

It is one way to exchange with 

parents the things their babies 

do each day and for parents to 

share what their babies are 

doing at home. Yen writes to 4- 

month-old Hye Sook’s mother 

and father that during longer 

periods of wakefulness, Hye Sook 

is cooing and smiling more. 

She also writes to 6-month-old 

Huie Lee’s parents that Huie 

Lee plays the same kinds of babbling 

games with her now, just 

like the ones she plays at home. 

Yen is pleased she asked Huie 

Lee’s mother for the ways she 

plays interactive games with her 

baby because she has so much 

fun when they play them 

together at the center. 

Yen checks her schedule to see 

when she can spend more time 

with parents than daily checkins 

and anecdotal notes. She 

wants to have conversations 

with parents to learn about 

their babies as well as answer 

questions and share information. 

She thinks about scheduling a 

meeting with Quan’s mother 


and father who have recently 

immigrated and have faced so 

many changes. She wants to 

make sure Quan’s transition to 

care is as smooth as possible. 

Then there are those conversations 

that can be more difficult 

to handle, such as the one she 

needs to have with Ming’s mother 

about concerns about her baby’s 

hearing. She has noted that 

Ming tugs at her ear and doesn’t 

turn to loud noises in the classroom 

or when she calls him. 

Yen has some concerns about 

his speech and language development, 

and she thinks it may be 

related to his hearing. 

As she finishes reviewing her 

notes, Mei’s mother comes in 

and moves to the changing 

table. Yen takes this opportunity 

to observe the diapering routine 

Mei’s mother uses. Since Mei 

has a vision impairment, it is 

even more important that the 

diapering routine is as predict - 

able as possible—including the 

order of the routine, touch cues, 

verbal cues, and the social 

games Mei’s mother plays during 

diapering. 

Responsive Caregiving: 

A Continuous 

Learning Process 

Providing responsive caregiving is 

an ongoing learning process. As new 

babies enroll and familiar children 

move on, caregivers adjust to their 

individual preferences, needs, and 

temperaments. As babies grow, 

interactions are adjusted to match 

their new developmental characteristics. 

Partnering with parents is 

always essential—to learn from them 

as well as support them when they 

have questions or concerns. 

Planning programmatic goals, 

utilizing the P’s of the responsive 

process daily and in an intentional 

way, as well as keeping up-to-date 

on the latest research in the field, 

will surely provide children and 

families with the best services and 

relationships. 

References 

Bergen, D., Reid, R., & Torelli, L. (2001). 

Educating and caring for very young 

children: The infant-toddler curriculum. 

New York: Teachers College Press. 

Bernhardt, J.L. (2002). A primary care 

giving system: Best for everyone 

involved. Young Children, 55(2), 74-80. 

Boss, J., Mann, T., & Randolph, S. 

(2004). Building infant mental health 

capacity through consultation: Early 

Head Start’s approach. ZERO TO 

THREE, 24(6), 4-9. 

The Ps of Process Responsive Caregiving Checklist 

Brazelton, T.B. (1992). Touchpoints: Birth 

to three: Your child’s emotional and 

behavioral development. Reading MA: 

Addison Wesley. 

Brazelton, T.B. (1995). Touchpoints: Your 

child’s emotional and behavioral development. 

Reading MA: Addison Wesley. 

Brazelton, T.B., & Greenspan, S.I. (2000). 

The irreducible needs of children: What 

every child must have to grow, learn, and 

flourish. Cambridge: Perseus. 

Casa, P. (n.d.). Towards the ABCs. 

Retrieved January 20, 2006, from 

www.ounceofPrevention.org/downloads/ 

publications/Towards__the__ABCs.pdf 

Chazen-Cohen, R., Jerald, J., & Stark, D. 

(2001). A commitment to supporting 

the mental health of our youngest children. 

ZERO TO THREE, 22(1), 4-12. 

Chess, S. (1990). Temperament of infants 

and toddlers. In R. Lally (Ed.), Infant 

and toddler caregiving: A guide to social 

emotional development (pp. 4-13). 

Sacramento, CA: West Ed. 

View babies as Partners 

❑ I view babies as partners in the responsive process. I watch for times 

during routines to engage in emotional exchanges. 

Personalize interactions for each baby 

❑ I personalize my interactions for each baby. For example, I sing songs with 

individual childrenʼs names or with special meaning to a particular child. 

Observe babies’ Preferences 

❑ I observe babies to identify their preferences for interaction. I provide 

opportunities throughout the day for babies to make choices. 

Observe babies’ Pleasures 

❑ I can identify three things that give each baby in my care pleasure. 

Choose Positions that encourage emotional exchanges 

❑ I choose positions that support shared positive emotions such as 

sharing the fun of childrenʼs discoveries. 

Pace interactions to match each baby’s tempo 

❑ I change my voice tone or rate of speech to support a babyʼs ability 

to interact. 

Make interactions Predictable 

❑ My actions are consistent over time. For example, I regularly hold a 

baby in a way similar to how the parent shows me that the child likes 

to be held. 

Partner with parents 

❑ I ask parents to describe interactions their children enjoy. I observe 

parents to identify strategies they use to personalize interactions for 

their babies. 


Chess, S., & Thomas, A. (1996). Temperament 

theory and practice. New York: 

Brunner/Mazel. 

Dombro, A.L., Colker, L., & Dodge, D.T. 

(2002). The Creative Curriculum for 

infants and toddlers. Washington, DC: 

Teaching Strategies. 

Early Head Start National Resource Center 

at Zero to Three. (2004). Pathways 

to prevention: A comprehensive guide to 

supporting the mental health of infants 

and toddlers. Washington, DC: Author. 

Retrieved February 15, 2006, from 

http://199.223.17.33/pdf/pathwaysto. 

pdf 

Edwards, C.P., & Raikes, H. (2002). 

Extending the dance: Relationshipbased 

approaches in infant-toddler care 

in education. Young Children, 53(3), 

73-79. 

Gerber, M. (1979). The RIE manual for 

parents and professionals. Los Angeles: 

Resources for Infant Educarers. 

Greenman J., & Stonehouse, A. (1996). 

Prime times: A handbook for excellence 

in infant toddler programs. St. Paul, 

MN: Redleaf Press. 

Greenspan, S. (1999). Building healthy 

minds: The six experiences that create 

intelligence and emotional growth in 

babies and young children. Reading, 

MA: Perseus. 

Honig, A. (1985). Infant-toddler care: 

Issues and dilemmas. Young Children, 

44(4), 44-46. 

Honig, A. (1989). Quality infant toddler 

caregiving: Are there magic recipes? 

Young Children, 44(4), 4-10. 

Honig, A. (1993). Mental health for 

babies. Young Children, 48(3), 69-76. 

Honig A. (2002). Secure relationships: Nurturing 

infant-toddler attachment in early 

care settings. Washington DC: National 

Association for the Education of Young 

Children. 

Hyson, M. (2004). The emotional development 

of young children: Building an 

emotion-centered curriculum. New York: 

Teachers College Press. 

Knitzer, J., & Lelkowitz, J. (2005). 

Resources to promote social and emotional 

health and school readiness in young 

children and families: A community 

guide. New York: National Center for 

Children in Poverty. 

Lally, R. (1990). Creating nurturing relationships 

with infants and toddlers. In 

R. Lally (Ed.), Infant and toddler caregiving: 

A guide to social emotional development 

(pp. 40-46). Sacramento, CA: 

West Ed. 

Lally, R. (2003). Infant toddler child care 

in the United States: Where has it 

been? Where is it now? Where is it 

going? ZERO TO THREE, (24)1: 32-34. 

Lally, J.R., Griffin, A., Fenichel, E., Segal, 

M., Szanton, E., & Weissbourd, B. 

(1995). Caring for infants and toddlers 

in groups: Developmentally appropriate 

practice. Washington, DC: ZERO TO 

THREE. 

Lerner, C., & Dombro, A. (2000). Learning 

and growing together. Washington, 

DC: ZERO TO THREE. 

National Association for the Education of 

Young Children. (2005). Accreditation 

criteria & procedures of the National 


Children. Washington DC: Author. 

National Research Council and Institute 

of Medicine. (2000). Introduction. In 

J.P. Shonkoff & D.A. Phillips (Eds.), 

Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of 

early childhood development. Washington, 

DC: National Academy Press. 

Parlakian N., & Seibel, N.L. (2002). 

Building strong foundations. Washington, 

DC: ZERO TO THREE, The National 

Center for Infants, Toddlers, and 

Families. 

Roberts, S.B., & Heyman, M.N. (2000). 

How to feed babies and toddlers in the 

21st century. ZERO TO THREE, 

21(1), 24-28. 

Post, J., & Hohmann, M. (1999). Tender 

care: Early learning: Supporting infants 

and toddlers in child care settings. 

Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope. 

Shonkhoff, J. (2004). Science policy and the 

young developing child. Retrieved January 

20, 2006, from www.Ounceof 

Prevention.org 

Strum, L. (2004). Temperament in early 

childhood: A primer for the perplexed. 

ZERO TO THREE, 24(4), 4-8. 

Thompson, R. (2001). Development in 

the first three years of life. In P. Behrman 

(Ed.), The Future of Children: Caring 

for Infants and Toddlers, 11(1), 2-8. 

ZERO TO THREE. (n.d.). Brain wonders: 

Birth to 2 months. Retrieved January 

20, 2006, from www.zerotothree.org/ 

brainwonders/caregivers.html 

Thompson, R. (2002). The roots of school 

readiness in social-emotional development. 

In L. Klein (Ed.), Set for success: 

Building a strong foundation for school 

readiness based on the social-emotional 

development of young children (pp. 8-30). 

Kansas City: The Kaufman Foundation. 

United States Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS). (1994). The 

statement of the Advisory Committee on 

Services for Families With Infants and 

Toddlers. Retrieved January 6, 2006, 

from www.bmcc.org/Headstart/ 

AdvseCommttee 

United States Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS). (2000). Head 

Start program performance standards. 

Washington DC: Author. 

ZERO TO THREE. (n.d.) Brain wonders 

birth to 2 months. Retrieved January 

20, 2006, from www.zerotothree.org/ 

brainwonders/caregivers.html. 

RESOURCES AVAILABLE FROM SECA 

Behavior Guidance for Infants 

and Toddlers 

Alice Honig 

Get ideas and strategies for managing the 

infant/toddler classroom from a nationally known 

expert. Lots of “how-to’ s” and practical strategies 

for the infant/toddler teacher. 

63 pp. (2000) ISBN#O-942388-18-6 

$4.50 SECA Member / $5.50 Non-member 

Your Child’s Brain: 

Food for Thought (Third Edition) 

Southern Early Childhood 

This booklet makes an excellent addition to any 

parent resource and information library with its easy 

to understand review of brain research and child 

growth and development. Also appropriate for 

beginning staff. 

16 pp. (2004) ISBN#O-942388-30-5 

$4.00 SECA Member / $4.50 Non-member 


Put These Ideas Into Practice! 

Responsive Infant Caregiving: Eight Proven Practices 

by Lisa Leifield and Tisha Bennett Sanders 

The Ps of Process 

Responsive Caregiving Checklist 

View babies as Partners 

✔ I view babies as partners in the responsive process. I watch for 

times during routines to engage in emotional exchanges. 

Personalize interactions for each baby 

✔ I personalize my interactions for each baby. For example, I sing 

songs with individual childrenʼs names or with special meaning 

to a particular child. 

Observe babies’ Preferences 

✔ I observe babies to identify their preferences for interaction. 

I provide opportunities throughout the day for babies to 

make choices. 

Observe babies’ Pleasures 

✔ I can identify three things that give each baby in my 

care pleasure. 

Choose Positions that encourage 

emotional exchanges 

✔ I choose positions that support shared positive emotions 

such as sharing the fun of childrenʼs discoveries. 

Pace interactions to match each baby’s tempo 

✔ I change my voice tone or rate of speech to support a babyʼs 

ability to interact. 

Make interactions Predictable 

✔ My actions are consistent over time. For example, I regularly 

hold a baby in a way similar to how the parent shows me 

that the child likes to be held. 

Partner with parents 

✔ I ask parents to describe interactions their children enjoy. 

I observe parents to identify strategies they use to 

personalize interactions for their babies. 


Note: Dimensions of Early Childhood readers are encouraged to copy this material for early childhood students as well as teachers of young children as a professional development tool. 


In Memoriam 

Ann Nutt 

The early childhood community was privileged to know and work with Ann Nutt, the West Virginia Department of 

Health and Human Resource’s Director of Early Care and Education Quality Initiatives. Early childhood professionals 

across West Virginia were greatly saddened by her death on October 16, 2006, at age 52. In her obituary her family wrote, “After a fearless and 

courageous battle against (breast) cancer, Ann Nutt was called home to oversee God’s children and will forever be missed by all the lives 

she touched.” 

Ann was an active member of the Governing Board of the West Virginia Association for Young Children (WVAYC), the Apprenticeship for Child 

Development Specialist State Council (ACDS) and served as our state’s representative on the NAEYC Affiliate Council. She was an ACDS Instructor 

of Instructors and assisted other states in establishing this training program, including the training of instructors in Alaska. She helped in the 

creation of numerous programs for superior child care including the development of West Virginia’s Early Childhood Core Knowledge/Core 

Competencies and the West Virginia Early Learning Standards Framework. Ann also assisted in creating the Charleston Area Medical Center’s 

Lighthouse Child Development Center. She was a member of the state leadership team working to implement the Universal Pre-K Program. 

She was responsible for the planning and implementation of the new state Infant/Toddler Training System. 

During the church service celebrating Ann’s life, she was remembered by early childhood colleagues as being a personal and professional 

role model. Her leadership skills, wisdom and vision will be greatly missed. She truly made a difference in the lives of many children and 

families in her state. 

Her husband, Charlie, and their two sons, Jonathan and Stephen, requested that donations be made in her honor to the Ann Nutt Memorial 

Fund, c/o West Virginia Association for Young Children, RR3, Box 108-B, Washington, WV 26181. 

More than 20 years ago, the Southern Early Childhood Association (which at that time was the Southern Association 

on Children Under Six, or SACUS) was seeking to make children in the South a high priority among policy makers 

across the country. Bill Clinton had just been elected President and times were looking up for early childhood education. 

David Denton, a member of the staff at the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), had talked with me about 

early childhood education because he was new to the world of young children and was intrigued by what the world could be if we gave more 

attention to the education and health needs of our youngest citizens. After several discussions and meetings with the SACUS board and officers 

and the staff at SREB, a summit was planned in Atlanta and from that meeting the first Raising America’s Youngest Citizens publication was born. 

From that time on, I could always count on David as my friend and more importantly, a true friend to young children across the country 

and especially the South. He was quite a physical presence with his white beard and measured tone. He was also a true student of life and what 

it takes to be healthy and happy. With memories of David at other conferences and meetings about improving the lives of young children, I 

sadly reflect on our loss at his death. It is not often that a man who saw the big picture also paid attention to detail and did so with much grace 

and quiet compassion. We will miss David, but his mark on those of us fortunate to know and work with him will make us better advocates 

and educators. 

Cathy Grace 

Former Director, Southern Early Childhood Association 

In Memoriam 

David Denton 

Donation to SECA in Memory of 

Dr. David Denton 

by Dr. Ann Levy 


Proposed Changes to the By-laws 

of the Southern Early Childhood Association 

The SECA Board of Directors has voted to put the following by-laws changes before the SECA 

membership at the annual business meeting to be held on March 31, 2007 at the SECA conference in 

Jacksonville, Florida. 

Article III, Section C 

Current Language: 

The membership year will be comprised of 12 calendar months from the time of initial application 

for membership in the organization. The initial application date will serve as the anniversary date for 

the individual member and all member benefits will be accrued based upon that designated twelve 

month period. Non-dual states have the option to be on a rolling membership year or a fixed year. 

Proposed Language: 

Delete the sentence: Non-dual states have the option to be on a rolling membership year or a fixed year. 

Rationale: All SECA states currently utilize the rolling membership year. 

Article VIII, Section H 

Current Language: 

A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President. A vacancy in other offices 

shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors. 

Proposed Language: 

A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect or Immediate Past-President. 

A vacancy in the office of President-Elect shall be filled by the candidate that received the next largest 

popular vote total. A vacancy in other offices shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors. 

Rationale: The offices of President and President-Elect should be filled by persons elected by the 

membership. 

If you have comments or views on the proposed changes and will be unable to attend the annual 

business meeting, forward those comments by March 15, 2007 to: 

Glenda Bean, Executive Director 

Southern Early Childhood Association 

PO Box 55930 

Little Rock, AR 72215-5930 

All written comments will be forwarded to the SECA President for consideration at the business meeting. 


This article reviews early childhood program-quality research and describes one state’s approach to 

improving services to young children. Kentucky’s strategy includes several critical professional development 

components: early childhood core content, scholarships, articulation agreements, a training framework, 

and early childhood credentials. 

Kentucky’s Statewide Early 

Childhood Professional 

Development System 

Beth Rous, Jaime Grove, and Kim Townley 

Public school systems have recently become major 

players in providing services for children in their early 

years. In addition, a number of other services are available 

to young children including child care, Head Start, 

and Early Head Start programs (see sidebar). 

The link between program quality and professional 

development of early care and education professionals 

has prompted many states to increase professional development 

activities and supports. Using research about 

indicators of high-quality programs, the state of Kentucky 

established a system to improve the professional 

development of teachers of young children. The research 

on which the system is based and the system’s structure 

are reviewed here. 

Growth in early childhood program enrollment 

During the last 2 decades there has been a dramatic 

increase in the number and type of early childhood programs 

available to children from birth to 5 years of age. 

• In 2004, 38 states offered state-funded prekindergarten 

programs (Barnett, Hustedt, Robin, & 

Schulman, 2004). 

• In 2003, approximately 6,867,000 young children 

between the ages of 3 and 5 were enrolled in 

nursery school, preschool, or kindergarten (KIDS 

Count, 2005). 

• The number of children attending state-funded 

preschool programs increased from 693,000 in 

2001/2002 to 738,000 in 2002/2003 (Barnett, 

Hustedt, Robin, & Schulman, 2004). 

The majority of states fund some prekindergarten 

programming, including Title I and Head Start, while all 

states currently provide services for preschool children 

with disabilities and their families under the Individuals 

With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Impact of Program Quality on 

Child Outcomes 

No Child Left Behind (Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act, 2001) requires documentation of higher 

levels of student achievement (McLaughlin, Henderson, 

& Rhim, 1998). For young children, there has also been 

an increasing emphasis on child outcomes as evidenced 

through the Good Start, Grow Smart Initiative and the 

Head Start National Reporting System. These new 

Beth Rous, Ed.D., is Director, Community Education and 

Early Childhood, Human Development Institute, University 

of Kentucky, Lexington. Rous’ research experience includes 

a focus on professional development, standards, and 

accountability; and leadership and systems development. 

She has published numerous articles, book chapters, and 

technical manuals, the most recent of which is a book on 

early childhood transitions. 

Jaime Grove, M.S., is Project Coordinator, Interdisciplinary 

Human Development Institute, University of Kentucky, 

Lexington. She served as Trainer’s Credential Coordinator 

for Kentucky the first 2 years of the implementation of this 

credential. She is currently coordinating the efforts of the 

Professional Development Framework Research Collaborative 

(PDFRC). She has published several journal articles as a 

result of her work on early childhood grants at both the 

national and state levels. 

Kim Townley, Ph.D., is Acting Director, Division of Early 

Childhood Development, Kentucky Department of Education, 

Frankfort. She has served the field of early childhood 

education for more than 30 years in positions that include 

kindergarten teacher, university faculty, lab school director, 

and Governor’s Office. 


emphases have demanded additional 

attention be given to the environments 

in which young children 

spend time. 

Research has demonstrated that 

the quality of early care and education 

programs has a direct impact 

on child outcomes. Positive child 

outcomes, specifically behavior and 

development, have been correlated 

with lower child/staff ratios, smaller 

group sizes, and higher levels of 

caregiver education and training 

(Howes, 1997; Burchinal, Roberts, 

Nabors, & Bryant, 1996; Clarke- 

Stewart, Gruber, & Fitzgerald, 

1994; Dunn, 1993; Phillips, Howes, 

& Whitebook, 1991; Ruopp, Travers, 

Glantz, & Coelen, 1979). 

The National Institutes of Child 

Health and Human Development 

(NICHD) Study of Early Child Care 

Research Network provided leadership 

on several studies about program 

quality and child outcomes. Love et 

al. (2003) summarized the findings 

from three studies that concluded 

that program quality is an important 

factor in influencing children’s 

development. Other studies have 

found program quality has an effect 

on language, communication, and 

cognitive skills (Burchinal & Roberts, 

2000; Peisner-Feinberg et al., 2001). 

Clearly, the development and behavior 

of children is directly affected by 

the quality of the program in which 

they are enrolled. 


The most critical indicators of quality in early care and education programs and subsequent 

positive outcomes for children are the professional development and education, 

compensation, and consistency of the early care and education professionals working in 

the program. 

Links Between Professional 

Development 

and Program Quality 

The most critical indicators of 

quality in early care and education 

programs and subsequent positive 

outcomes for children are the professional 

development and education, 

compensation, and consistency 

of the early care and education professionals 

working in the program 

(AFT, 2002; Kagan & Neuman, 

1996; Learning to Care, 1998; North 

Carolina Partnership, 1998; Whitebook, 

Howes, & Phillips, 1990). 

Program quality affects 

child outcomes. 

A number of studies have found a 

link between education and training 

of staff and classroom quality 

(Burchinal, Cryer, Clifford, & 

Howes, 2002; Norris, 2001; Ruopp 

et al., 1979; Supovitz, Mayer, & 

Kahle, 2000). This research specifically 

found that the educational levels 

of early care and education professionals 

are an essential determinant 

of the quality of services that 

young children receive. 

Several studies have focused on 

formal education and the link to 

classroom quality (Howes, 1997; 

Phillips, Mekos, Scarr, McCartney, 

& Abbott-Shim, 1995; Phillipsen et 

al., 1997; Whitebook, Howes, & 

Phillips, 1989). A more recent study 

by Early et al. (2006) found teacher 

education to be predictive of quality 

as measured by the Teaching and 

Interaction sub-scale on the Early 

Childhood Environment Rating 

Scale (ECERS) and children’s math 

scores. These studies and others 

have found that 

1) early care and education professionals 

who complete more 

years of formal training or 

who receive an early childhood 

degree at the university 

level provide higher quality 

care and education, 

2) having a bachelor’s degree 

and specialized early childhood 

training is the most 



Staff recognition and the development of professional growth plans are strategies identified 

as particularly useful in facilitating transfer of learning from training to the workplace. 

desired educational level for 

making a difference in the 

quality of programs, and 

3) teacher preparation programs 

are more effective than informal 

workshops and taking 

college courses outside of a 

formal program. 

Value of Professional 

Development Plans 

The use of professional development 

plans has been related to 

improving classroom practices (Darling-Hammond, 

1998; Lieberman 

1995; Little, 1993; Heartel, 1991; 

McLaughlin & Oberman, 1996; 

Smylie, 1996; Wise & Darling- 

Hammond, 1985). However, low 

pay and lack of benefits for early 

care and education professionals has 

been cited as a barrier to gaining formal 

or specialized training. 

Promoting Transfer of 

Learning 

Another factor that impacts the 

quality of programs is the ability of 

early care and education professionals 

to transfer learning from training 

to the work place. Training design 

and delivery, as well as the characteristics 

of individual learners, can 

inhibit or facilitate training transfer 

(Foxon, 1993; Broad & Newstrom, 

1992). 

Staff recognition and professional 

growth plans are strategies identified 

as particularly useful in facilitating 

transfer of learning from training to 

the workplace (Fiene, 2002; Mattern 

& Scott, 1999; Restaino-Kelly 

& Moss Handler, 1996). Of course, 

teachers must have the abilities, 

aptitudes, and motivation to learn 

new skills, gain new knowledge, and 

implement those effectively. 

Importance of Leadership 

Directors and principals also 

must support the application of new 

training/learning to the work environment 

through mentoring, policies, 

and practices, and must provide 

opportunities for teachers to 

use their new skills and knowledge. 

During the early 1990s numerous 

studies outlined attributes and skills 

of good principals (Drury, 1993; 

Duden, 1993; Estabrook, 1992; Deal 

& Peterson, 1991; Fowler, 1991; 

Fredericks, 1992; Holst, 1990; Hoyle, 

Fenwick, & Steffy, 1985; Kimbrough 

& Burkett, 1990; Kowalski, 

Reitzug, McDaniel, & Otto, 1992) 

and early childhood directors and 

supervisors (Billman, 1995; Jorde- 

Bloom, 1999; Kagan & Bowman, 

1997; Rodd, 1996). A common 

attribute identified was staff management, 

which includes responsibility 

for addressing staff development, 

and ensuring that staff have 

the skills and knowledge they need 

to provide quality environments 

that support positive outcomes for 

young children. 

The literature also suggests that 

there are three major predictors of 

positive professional development 

outcomes, many of which can be 

directly addressed or supported by 

school leaders. 

• First are individual teacher 

characteristics, including learning 

readiness, education (level 

and type, training experience), 

attitudes toward training, personality 

(conscientiousness, 

self-efficacy), and job satisfaction 

(perceptions of support). 

• Second are the characteristics 

of leadership within the program, 

including principal or 

director education and the 

leader’s support of professional 

development. 

• The third predictor consists of 

the characteristics of the early 

childhood work setting including 

organizational structure of 

the program and its policies 

and procedures related to professional 

development. 


Figure 1. Professional Development (PD) Framework Structure 

Scholarship Program 

PD Counselors 

Kentucky’s Approach: 

The KIDS NOW 

Initiative 

Kentucky’s early childhood development 

initiative represents one of 

the broadest state-funded initiatives 

in the United States. Kentucky’s 

KIDS (Kentucky Invests in Developing 

Success) NOW Initiative (HB 

706) was unanimously passed by the 

state General Assembly and signed 

into law in April of 2000, with imple - 

mentation beginning in July 2000. 

This comprehensive initiative 

was designed to establish and coordinate 

supports and services needed 

within the Commonwealth to ensure 

that “all young children in Kentucky 

are healthy and safe, possess the 

foundation that will enable school 

and personal success, and live in 

strong families that are supported 

and strengthened within their community” 

(Governor’s Early Childhood 

Task Force, 1999, p. 2). 

The rationale for the implementation 

of the initiative was the lack 

of an overall comprehensive plan to 

support high-quality early childhood 

experiences in all of the environments 

in which young children spend 

time. Recognizing the relationship 

Professional Core Content 

PD 

Framework 

Credentials 

Trainer, Director, Commonwealth Child Care 

Training Into Practice Project 

Training Framework 

Articulation Agreements 

between high-quality early childhood 

experiences and the future economic 

development of the state, KIDS 

NOW was viewed as the “next logical 

step in Kentucky’s educational im - 

prove ment efforts” (Governor’s Early 

Childhood Task Force, 1999, p. 2). 

The initiative focuses on outcomes 

in five areas: 

• assuring maternal and child 

health 

• supporting families 

• enhancing early care and 

education 

• establishing a support structure 

• program improvements 

The State-Wide 

Professional Development 

Framework 

As part of the KIDS NOW Initiative, 

the Kentucky legislature 

authorized a seamless system of professional 

development in early childhood 

from entry level through a 

master’s degree program, as well as 

incentives that would attract and 

retain providers of early care and 

education. This resulted in a Professional 

Development (PD) Framework 

(Figure 1) that consists of five 

components (Core Content, Credentials, 

Training Framework, Artic - 

ula tion, and Scholarships) and a 

support structure to support implementation, 

the Training Into Practice 

Project. 

Core Content. Kentucky’s Early 

Childhood Core Content identifies 

the knowledge, skills, and characteristics 

needed by personnel in order 

to work effectively with young children 

and their families and provides 

the basis for the content of early 

childhood preservice coursework and 

inservice training. The content is drawn 

from state and national standards 

and the professional literature. 

The knowledge and skills are 

divided into seven subject areas 

(Table 1). Competencies in each subject 

area are sequenced into five levels 

that include entry level (Commonwealth 

Child Care Credential); Child 

Development Associate (CDA); 

Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s 

degrees and above. The Core Content 

serves as the foundation for the 

other components of the Professional 

Development Framework. 

Credentials. The Professional Devel - 

op ment Framework includes three 

credentials new to the state of 

Kentucky. 

The first is the Commonwealth 

Child Care Credential (Level 1 of 

Core Content). This credential consists 

of 60 clock hours of entry-level 

knowledge and skills across the 

seven subject areas of the Core Content 

and corresponds to the first 60 

hours of a CDA. To maintain the 

credential, a provider must obtain 15 

additional hours of training each year. 

The second is a Director’s Credential. 

While there are strict guidelines 

in the state for principals, this 

has not been true for directors of 

child care programs. This new 

Director’s credential addresses this 


Table 1. Core Content Areas 

Child growth and development—Experiences for any child, 

regardless of age, must be planned around the child’s developmental 

abilities. Development has several interrelated areas; each 

influences the others and all develop simultaneously. It is essential 

for early childhood educators to recognize that development 

proceeds in predictable steps and learning occurs in recognized 

sequences. At the same time, they must consider individual, 

age-level, and cultural/ethnic characteristics when assessing 

children’s rates and styles of development. 

Health, safety, and nutrition—These are basic needs of all 

human beings, and early childhood environments must ensure 

them. Programs must adhere to relevant laws and regulations; 

furthermore, they must consider the health, growth, and 

developmental requirements for each child within the context of 

cultural and developmental diversity and any special needs. 

Professional development/professionalism—Adults providing 

early care and education must take advantage of opportunities to 

grow professionally, follow ethical standards of behavior, and 

demonstrate knowledge of and involvement in advocacy for early 

childhood learning environments. 

gap and can be obtained as part of a 

degree program at institutions of 

higher education or an individual 

may enroll specifically in credentialrelated 

course work. 

The major areas of knowledge 

addressed through the Director’s 

Credential include regulations and 

laws, ethics, programming for families 

and children, supervision and 

staff development, health and safety, 

financial management and marketing, 

and community collaboration/ 

resource development. College credit 

hours are offered by technical and 

community colleges and 4-year universities 

that offer early childhood 

education coursework. 

The final Credential is for Trainers. 

This credential is designed to 

increase the quality of training provided 

to early care and education 

professionals and to match the level 

of expertise of the trainer with the 

level of content being trained. Trainer’s 

Credentials are available at five 

levels, based upon the education 

and early childhood experience of 

the applicant. Applicants are required 

to participate in two trainings prior 

to consideration for a credential: a 

2-hour Introduction to Resources in 

Kentucky for Early Childhood 

Trainers, and a 15-hour seminar, 

Fundamentals of Effective Training. 

Learning environments and curriculum—Developmentally 

appropriate environments and curricula have a positive impact 

on a child’s emotional, physical, cognitive, communicative, 

creative, and social care. Adults who provide early care and 

education must know how to offer an organized, inviting, and 

accessible environment that has many diverse and appropriate 

materials, activities, and experiences. 

Child assessment—Ongoing assessment helps early childhood 

educators evaluate all areas of a child’s growth and development. 

Educators must be able to observe, assess, interpret, and 

document children’s skills and behavior and systematically 

report on them to appropriate staff and family members. 

Family and community partnerships—Understanding the roles 

that family members and others play in children’s lives is vital for 

early childhood educators. 

Program management and evaluation—Adults providing early 

care and education must use all available resources for a quality 

program. They must also be effective communicators, planners, 

record-keepers, and evaluators. Evaluation of the program 

should include input from staff, families, and the community. 

Training Framework. The Training 

Framework assists with the implementation 

of appropriate training at 

both the preservice and inservice 

levels. The framework includes a 

rubric of training levels used by credentialed 

trainers to guide the 

design of training events and by 

potential trainees to select training 

appropriate to their knowledge and 

skill levels. The rubric consists of 


Teachers must have the abilities, aptitudes, and motivation to learn new skills, gain 

new knowledge, and implement those effectively. 


five levels, aligned with the five levels 

of Core Content. 

For each training level, the rubric 

provides a description of the training 

level, and includes specific 

guides for development of training 

objectives, focus, demonstration of 

knowledge and skills, and evaluation 

for each level. In addition, the 

training framework includes nine 

specific trainer competencies for 

credential trainers and seven Standards 

of Training to be used by 

trainers and educators in providing 

quality training and education. 

Articulation. Articulation is the 

process by which students or trainees 

can transfer credits for course work 

from one training or academic institution 

to another. Kentucky’s articulation 

plan meshes the system for 

credentialing and training. It includes 

five levels of competency, each of 

which articulate into the next level. 

At lower levels of the competency, 

the completion of a particular credential, 

program, or certificate equates 

to college credit. 

Articulation agreements are in 

process between various educational 

institutions across the state, ranging 

from child development programs 

offered at secondary schools 

through bachelor’s degree programs 

in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood 

Education. 

Scholarships. To better support 

early care and education professionals 

as they increase their educational 

levels, two types of scholarships are 

available within the state. 

• Non-college scholarships are 

available to those employed at 

least 20 hours per week in a 

child care facility or as associate 

teachers in the state-funded 

preschool program who are 

not eligible for any other 

scholarship programs. 

• College scholarships are available 

through the Kentucky 

Higher Education Assistance 

Authority to staff who work a 

minimum of 20 hours per 

week in a child care facility or 

as an assistant in the statefunded 

preschool program. 

Professionals’ 

educational levels are an 

essential determinant of 

service quality. 

These scholarships are available 

to applicants who are taking college 

credit coursework to obtain the 

CDA, an Associate’s degree, or a 

Bachelor’s degree in early childhood 

or who are working toward the 

Director’s Credential. Related expenses 

funds are awarded after successful 

completion each semester. 

Milestone Achievement Awards 

and related expense awards are available 

for those completing the Commonwealth 

Child Care Credential, 

CDA, Associate’s degree, or Bachelor’s 

degree. In addition, mini-grants 

for the assessment fee for the CDA 

also are available. 

To assist early care and education 

professionals in accessing the scholarship 

program, Professional Development 

Counselors have been 

employed across the state. PD 

Counselors assist with recruitment 

of potential scholars, enrollment in 

the program, development of professional 

development growth plans, 

successful completion of the planned 

program, and application for Related 

Expenses and Milestone Achievement 

Awards. 

Training Into Practice Project 

(TIPP). TIPP was established to 

support the implementation of the 

PD Framework across the state. Project 

staff coordinate the Trainer’s 

Credential application process and 

provide training that can be completed 

and used to maintain the credential. 

Staff provide training and 

support in using Core Content to 

develop inservice and preservice 

training. Directors are provided 

training to assist them in developing 

job descriptions, staff evaluations, and 

professional growth plans aimed at 

implementation of transfer of learning. 

Opportunities to 

Study a State-Wide 

Professional 

Development System 

While research has provided evidence 

of the impact of high-quality 

programs on child outcomes and 

the impact of early care and education 

professional’s education on 

quality, there is little research to date 

on the impact of a coordinated 

state-wide system of professional 

development. Therefore, the new 

state-wide professional development 

system in Kentucky offers opportunities 

to explore two key questions: 

1) the degree to which a unified 

professional development system 

developed at the state 

level results in positive child 

outcomes and 

2) the degree to which the educational 

levels of early care and 

education providers enhance 

the quality of classroom environments. 

As part of KIDS NOW, a team of 

researchers from the University of 

Kentucky and University of Louis - 

ville, in collaboration with national 


experts, developed a plan to evaluate 

the components of KIDS NOW 

that directly enhance early care and 

education in the state. The overall 

purpose of the evaluation was to 

determine how programs and communities 

change as a result of the 

KIDS NOW Initiative, and how 

those changes affect children and 

families within their communities. 

In 2004, this effort was extended to 

address the state-wide PD framework 

through a $1.2 million grant 

from the Administration for Children 

and Families, Child Care 

Bureau (Grant No. 90YE0071). 

The conceptual framework for 

the study builds upon existing 

research and is further based upon 

the principles of transfer of learning. 

The ability of teachers to use highquality 

practices learned through 

professional development opportunities 

is dependent on a transfer 

partnership (Broad & Newstrom, 

1992) that exists between the trainer 

or instructor, the director/principal, 

and the teacher. The trainer or 

instructor has the responsibility to 

design training/education that is of 

high quality and supports the transfer 

and application to the work environment. 

Findings from this study 

are expected to be available in 2007. 

The Kentucky legislature 

authorized a seamless 

system of early 

childhood professional 

development. 

Implications for 

School and Early 

Childhood Leaders 

The structure of early care and 

education programs varies across the 

country. Early childhood services 

within states are complex and 

diverse. Children and families are 

often served by multiple agencies 

and programs concurrently. For 

Figure 2. 

Conceptual Framework of PD Framework Research Collaborative 

Availability 

of Multiple 

Formats 

Teacher or Provider 

Participation in Professional 

Development Activities 

Trainer or Instructor 

Trainer 

Partnership 

Quality 

Environments 

Child 

Outcomes 

Availability 

of Incentives 

to Participate 

Director or Principal 

example, a child may attend a public 

preschool program in the morning 

and then attend a child care program 

in the afternoon. 

Therefore, in order to truly support 

positive child outcomes, a state’s 

adoption and support of a comprehensive 

professional development 

system may offer the best chance to 

improve both the quality of its early 

childhood programs and subsequent 

positive outcomes for children. 

Kentucky is one of the first states in 

the nation to develop and implement 

a unified professional development 

system that crosses all early care and 

education settings and that provides 

a career lattice with incentives for 

participation to providers, directors/ 

principals, and trainers. This system 

has been successful as measured by 

the number of early care and education 

professionals who have participated 

in the scholarship program 

and received a credential or degree. 

While the components of the 

Kentucky professional development 

system are consistent with national 

standards (e.g., National Association 

for the Education of Young Children), 

it is important to continue to 

study the impact of comprehensive 

approaches to professional development 

in relation to staff retention, 

classroom quality, and child outcomes. 

References 

American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 

(2002, December). At the starting line: 

Early childhood education programs in 

the 50 states. Washington, DC: Author. 

Barnett, W.S., Hustedt, J., Robin, K., & 

Schulman, K. (2004). The state of 

preschool: 2004 state preschool yearbook. 

New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute 

for Early Education Research. 

Billman, J. (1995). Child care program 

directors: What skills do they need? Early 

Childhood Education Journal, 23(2), 

63-70. 


Broad, M., & Newstrom, J. (1992). Transfer 

of training: Action-packed strategies to 

ensure high payoff from training investments. 

Reading, MA: Perseus. 

Burchinal, M., Cryer, D., Clifford, R., & 

Howes, C. (2002). Caregiver training 

and classroom quality in child care centers. 

Applied Developmental Science, 

6(1), 2-11. 

Burchinal, M., & Roberts, J. (2000). 

Relating quality of center-based child 

care to early cognitive and language 

development longitudinally. Child 

Development, 71(2), 339-358. 

Burchinal, M.R., Roberts, J.E., Nabors, 

L.A., & Bryant, D.M. (1996). Quality 

of child care and infant cognitive and 

language development. Child Development, 

67, 606-620. 

Clarke-Stewart, K.A., Gruber, C.P., & 

Fitzgerald, L.M. (1994). Children at 

home and in day care. Hillsdale, NJ: 

Erlbaum. 

Darling-Hammond, L. (1998). Teachers 

and teaching: Testing policy hypotheses 

froma national commission report. 

Educational Researcher, 27(1), 5-15. 

Deal, T.E., & Peterson, K.D. (1991). The 

principal’s role in shaping school culture. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Education, Office of Educational 

Research and Improvement. 

Drury, W. (1993). The principal’s role in 

site-based management. Principal, 

73(1), 16-19. 

Duden, W. (1993). A move from effective 

to quality. School Administrator, 50(6), 

18-21. 

Dunn, L. (1993). Proximal and distal features 

of day care quality and children’s 

development. Early Childhood Research 

Quarterly, 8(2), 167-192. 

Early, D.M., Bryant, D.M., Pianta, R.C., 

Clifford, R.M., Burchinal, M.R., 

Ritchie, S., Howes, C., & Barbarin, O. 

(2006). Are teachers’ education, major, 

and credentials related to classroom 

quality and children’s academic gains in 

pre-kindergarten? Early Childhood 

Research Quarterly, 21(2), 174-195. 

Estabrook, R. (1992). Constellation-building: 

Leadership for effective schools. 

Contemporary Education, 63(2), 91-93. 

Fiene, R. (2002). Improving child care 

quality through an infant caregiver 

mentoring project. Child and Youth 

Care Forum, 31(2), 75-83. 

Fowler, W.J. (1991). What are the characteristics 

of principals identified as effective 

by teachers? Paper presented at the annual 

meeting of the American Educational 

Research Association, Chicago, IL. 

Foxon, M. (1993). A process approach to 

the transfer of training—Part 1: The 

impact of motivation and supervisor 

support on transfer maintenance. 

Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 

9(2), 130-143. Retrieved on 

August 7, 2003, from www.ascilite.org. 

au/ajet/ajet9/foxon.html. 

Fredericks, J. (1992). Ongoing principal 

development. Education and Urban 

Society, 25(1), 57-73. 

Governor’s Early Childhood Task Force. 

(1999). KIDS NOW: Kentucky invests 

in developing success. Frankfort: Author. 

Heartel, E. (1991). New forms of teacher 

assessment. Review of Research in Education, 

17, 3-29. 

Holst, A.W. (1990). Leadership development 

as a result of self-knowledge and self control. 

Paper presented at the meeting of 

the National Council of States on In- 

Service Education, Orlando, FL. 

Howes, C. (1997). Children’s experiences 

in center-based child care as a function 

of teacher background and adult-child 

ratio. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 43(3), 

404-425. 

Hoyle, J.R., Fenwick, W.E., & Steffy, B.E. 

(1985). Skills for successful school leaders. 

Arlington, VA: American Association 

of School Administrators. 

Jorde-Bloom, P. (1999). Building director 

competence: Credentialing and education. 

Journal of Early Childhood Teacher 

Education, 20(2), 207-214. 

Kagan, S.L., & Bowman, B.T. (Eds). 

(1997). Leadership in early care and 

education. Washington, DC: National 


Children. 

Kagan, S., & Neuman, M. (1996). The 

relationship between staff education 

and training and quality in child care 

programs. Child Care Information 

Exchange, 107, 65-70. 

KIDS Count. (2005). KIDS Count Data 

Book. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. 

Retrieved online: http://www.aecf.org/ 

kidscount/databook/ 

Kimbrough, R.B., & Burkett, C.W. 

(1990). The principalship: Concepts and 

practices. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 

Prentice-Hall. 

Kowalski, T.J., Reitzug, U.C., McDaniel, 

P., & Otto, D. (1992). Perceptions of 

desired skills for effective principals. 

Journal of School Leadership, 2(3), 

299-309. 

Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support 

teacher development: Transforming 

conceptions of professional learning. 

Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 591-596. 

Little, J.W. (1993). Teachers’ professional 

development in a climate of educational 

reform. Educational Evaluation and 

Policy Analysis, 15(2), 129-151. 

Love, J., Harrison, L., Sagi-Schwartz, A., 

van Izendoorn, M., Ross, C., Ungerer, 

J., Raikes, H., Brady-Smith, C., Boller, 

K., Brooks-Gunn, J., Constantine, J., 

Kisker, E., Paulsell, D., & Chazan- 

Cohen, R. (2003). Child care quality 

matters: How conclusions may vary 

with context. Child Development, 

74(4), 1021-1034. 

Mattern, V., & Scott, B. (1999). Mentoring 

means higher quality care for children. 

Dimensions of Early Childhood, 

27(24), 11-14, 19. 

McLauglin, M.J., Henderson, K., & 

Rhim, L.M. (1998). Snapshots of 

reform: How five local districts are interpreting 

standards-based reform for students 

with disabilities. Alexandria, VA: 

Center for Policy Research. 

McLaughlin, M., & Oberman, I. (Eds). 

(1996). Teacher learning: New policies, 

new practices. New York:Teachers College 

Press. 

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. 

L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425 (Jan. 

8, 2002). 

Norris, D. (2001). Quality of care offered 

by providers with differential patterns 

of workshop participation. Child & 

Youth Care Forum, 30(2), 111-122. 

North Carolina Partnership for Children. 

(1998). Smart Start progress report to the 

North Carolina General Assembly. 

Raleigh, NC: Author. 

Peisner-Feinberg, E., Burchinal, M., Clifford, 

R., Culkin, M., Howes, C., Kagan, 

S., & Yazejian, N. (2001). The relation 

of preschool child-care quality to children’s 

cognitive and social developmental 

trajectories through second grade. 

Child Development, 72(5), 1534-1554. 

Phillips, C., Howes, C., & Whitebook, M. 

(1991). Child care as an adult work 

environment. Journal of Social Issues, 

47, 49-70. 


Phillips, D., Mekos, D., & Scarr, S. 

(2000). Within and beyond the classroom 

door: Assessing quality in child 

care centers. Early Childhood Research 

Quarterly, 15(4), 475-496. 

Phillipsen, L., Burchinal, M., Howes, C., 

& Cryer, D. (1997). The prediction of 

process quality from structural features 

of child care. Early Childhood Research 

Quarterly, 12, 281-304. 

Restaino-Kelly, A., & Moss Handler, J. 

(1996). The DART mentor teacher 

model: Training early childhood supervisors 

to assist beginning teachers. In 

Hujala, E. (Ed.), Childhood education: 

International perspectives. Oulu: Finland 

Association for Childhood Education 

International, Oulu University. 

Rodd, J. (1996). Towards a typology of 

leadership for the early childhood professional 

of the 21st century. Early 

Childhood Development and Care, 120, 

119-126. 

Ruopp, R., Travers, J., Glantz, F., & Coelen, 

C. (1979). Children at the center: 

Summary findings and their implications. 

In Final report of the National 

Day Care Study: Children at the center. 

Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates. 

Smylie, M. (1996). From bureaucratic 

control to building human capital: The 

importance of teacher learning in education 

reform. Educational Researcher, 

25(9), 9-11. 

Supovitz, J., Mayer, D., & Kahle, J. 

(2000). Promoting inquiry-based 

instructional practice: The longitudinal 

impact of professional development in 

the context of systemic reform. Educational 

Policy, 14(3), 331-357. 

Whitebook, M., Howes, C., & Phillips, 

D. (1989). Who cares? Child care teachers 

and the quality of care in America. 

Oakland, CA: Child Care Employee 

Project. 

Wise, A., & Darling-Hammond, L. 

(1985). Teacher evaluation and teacher 

professionalism. Educational Leadership, 

42(4), 28-33. 

Now Available to SECA Members 

Just for 

SECA 

Members 

Take Advantage 

of Exchange 

Partner Rewards 

See the AFLAC link on SECA’s website at 

www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org 

As a member of SECA, 

you are eligible for 

exciting special 

discounts on almost all 

Child Care Information 

Exchange resources. 

Exchange offers many 

valuable books, CD’s 

and articles at reduced 

cost for SECA members. 

Visit the Exchange 

web site at 

http://www.ccie.com/ 

partners for details. 


Dimensions of Early Childhood 

Volume 34 Index 

Authors 

Anderson, G.T., & Robinson, C.C. 

(Winter 2006). Rethinking the 

Dynamics of Young Children’s 

Social Play, (1), 11-16. 

Brazelton, T.B., & Sparrow, J. (Fall 

2006). The Touchpoints of Biting, 

(3), 5-8. 

Burton, S.J., & Edwards, L.C. 

(Spring/Summer 2006). Creative 

Play: Building Connections With 

Children Who Are Learning English, 

(2), 3-9. 

Carlson, F.M., & Nelson, B.G. (Fall 

2006). Reducing Aggression With 

Touch, (3), 9-15. 

Clemens, S.G. (Spring/Summer 2006). 

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Goes to Reggio 

Emilia, (2), 26-31. 

Cowles, M. (Fall 2006). Creating 

Emotionally Safe and Supportive 

Environments for Children, (3), 

36-38. 

Ellis, S.M., Gallingane, C., & Kemple, 

K.M. (Fall 2006). Fiction, Fables, 

and Fairytales: Children’s Books 

Can Support Friendships, (3), 28-35. 

Engley, E.A., King, N.M., & Hilber, 

C.B. (Fall 2006). Bullying Behavior 

in Early Childhood: How Does It 

Begin?, (3), 21-27. 

Grace, C., Stokes, B.R., & Matthews, 

M.J. (Winter 2006). Making a 

Path: Using Information to Engage 

Communities in Developing Comprehensive 

Early Childhood Systems, 

(1), 28-35. 

Hansen, C. (Fall 2006). Bullying Is a 

Big Deal, (3), 16-20. 

Hill-Clarke, K.Y. (Spring/Summer 

2006). Encouraging Young Readers: 

A Family Affair, (2), 32-38. 

Lillestolen, S.R. (Winter 2006). 

“Teach Me a Story”: A Literacy 

Legacy, (1), 23-27. 

Phillips, L., & Evanshen, P. 

(Spring/Summer 2006). Family 

Fun Day: Make a Difference in 

Your Community, (2), 20-25. 

Readdick, C.A. (Winter 2006). Managing 

Noise in Early Childhood 

Settings, (1), 17-22. 

Sanders, S.W. (Winter 2006). Physically 

Active for Life: Eight Essential 

Motor Skills for All Children, (1), 

3-10. 

Vacca, J.J. (Spring/Summer 2006). 

EVALUATE Children With Disabilities: 

Recommendations for 

Early Childhood Educators, (2), 

11-19. 

Advocacy & Public Policy 

Creating Emotionally Safe and Supportive 

Environments for Children, 

(3), 36-38. 

Family Fun Day: Make a Difference in 

Your Community, (2), 20-25. 

Making a Path: Using Information to 

Engage Communities in Developing 

Comprehensive Early Childhood 

Systems, (1), 28-35. 

Book Reviews 

Preschool Classroom Management: 150 

Teacher-Tested Techniques (Winter 

2006). 

The Anti-Bullying and Teasing Book for 

Preschool Classrooms (Fall 2006). 

The Inclusive Learning Center Book for 

Preschool Children With Special 

Needs (Spring/Summer 2006). 

The Power of Projects: Meeting Contemporary 

Challenges in Early Childhood 

Classrooms—Strategies and Solutions 

(Winter 2006). 

They Don’t Like Me (Fall 2006). 

Writing in Preschool—Learning to 

Orchestrate Meaning and Marks 

(Spring/Summer 2006). 

Child Development 

Bullying Behavior in Early Childhood: 

How Does It Begin?, (3), 21-27. 

Physically Active for Life: Eight Essential 

Motor Skills for All Children, 

(1), 3-10. 

Reducing Aggression With Touch, (3), 

9-15. 

Rethinking the Dynamics of Young 

Children’s Social Play, (1), 11-16. 

The Touchpoints of Biting, (3), 5-8. 

Curriculum & Learning 

Environments 

Bullying Is a Big Deal, (3), 16-20. 

Creative Play: Building Connections 

With Children Who Are Learning 

English, (2), 3-9. 

Fiction, Fables, and Fairytales: Children’s 

Books Can Support Friendships, 

(3), 28-35. 

Managing Noise in Early Childhood 

Settings, (1), 17-22. 

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Goes to Reggio 

Emilia, (2), 26-31. 

Family Partnerships 

Encouraging Young Readers: A Family 

Affair, (2), 32-38. 

“Teach Me a Story”: A Literacy Legacy, 

(1), 23-27. 

Inclusion 

EVALUATE Children With Disabilities: 

Recommendations for Early 

Childhood Educators, (2), 11-19. 


Book Reviews 

Books for Early Childhood Educators 

by E. Anne Eddowes, Editor 

Make Early Learning Standards 

Come Alive—Connecting Your 

Practice and Curriculum to State 

Guidelines by Gaye Gronlund. St. 

Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2006. 148 

pp. $25.00. 

In this book, Gronlund has built 

upon her earlier works, Focused Early 

Learning: A Planning Framework for 

Teaching Young Children; Focused 

Observations: How to Observe Children 

for Assessment (with Marlyn 

James) and Curriculum Planning 

and Focused Portfolios: A Complete 

Assessment for the Young Child (with 

Bev Engel), in helping the reader see 

how to connect classroom practice 

and assessment of young children to 

meet state guidelines and mandated 

early learning standards. 

The majority of the book, Chapters 

4 through 10, is organized by 

standards for pre-K from major content 

areas or areas of development. 

These areas include: communication 

and literacy, mathematics, science 

and social studies, social/emotional 

development, physical development 

and health, and creative arts. Chapter 

11 discusses how to communicate 

with others about standards, while 

the final chapter addresses the need 

to improve child outcomes and 

remain advocates for addressing 

children’s needs. 

In the introductory chapters, the 

author shares Web sites of national 

organizations that have posted 

information about early learning 

standards from across the United 

States. The sites noted include: Early 

Childhood Education Assessment 

Consortium Council of Chief State 

School Officers, www.ccsso.org/ 

ECEAstandards; National Child 

Care Information Center, www.nccic. 

org/pubs/goodstart/elgwebsites.html, 

and National Institute for Early 

Education Research (NIEER), 

www.nieer.org/standards/statelist.php. 

Early learning standards related 

to each content or developmental 

area are presented in chart format. 

The chart includes a list of states 

with similar standards and common 

early childhood classroom practices, 

and indicates where the standard 

may be addressed. Children’s progress 

toward that standard is delineated in 

three categories: first steps toward 

the standard; making progress toward 

the standard; and accomplishing the 

standard. As an additional resource, 

curriculum ideas and activities 

teachers can plan and implement are 

given for each progress category. 

Although a variety of state standards 

are examined, the author comments, 

“good practices for young 

children are good practices no matter 

where you live” (p. 8). This strengthens 

her message on the importance of 

understanding that teaching young 

children looks different from teaching 

and assessing older children. It is 

important for educators to not only 

recognize that fact, but also to put 

into practice a planning and assessment 

plan to support developmentally 

appropriate early learning standards. 

This book can serve as a valuable 

resource for early childhood teachers, 

especially those needing to correlate 

their teaching practices to 

mandated standards of progress. The 

author has provided a tool with 

which to jumpstart one’s thinking 

related to age-appropriate classroom 

experiences, as well as how children’s 

involvement in those experiences 

can be appropriately assessed to 

address state guidelines. 

—Robbie B. Roberts 

Auburn University, Auburn, AL 

Playing to Get Smart by Elizabeth 

Jones & Renatta M. Cooper. New 

York: Teachers College Press, 2006. 

136 pp. $19.95. 

In this book, readers find a lively 

marriage of teacher educator and 

practitioner when the authors— 

Elizabeth Jones, well-known play 

expert and professor from Pacific 

Oaks College, and Renatta Cooper, 

child care administrator and county 

education coordinator—team up. 

With a sometimes-distracting nonchalance, 

the authors tease the reader 

into delving deeper into the value of 

play. They do it first by voicing what 

many practitioners bemoan, the loss 

of free and spontaneous play in early 

childhood settings, and second, by 

presenting the reader with a new set 

of assumptions for measuring the 

quality of the play they observe. 

The motivation for this book is 

in part a reaction to the successful 

professionalization of the early 

childhood career field. The authors 

suggest that the need to quantify our 

work as early childhood educators 


has perhaps led to the decline of 

play, or at least child-directed play. 

The authors ground their work in 

the United Nations Declaration of 

the Rights of the Child which states, 

“The child shall have full opportunity 

for play and recreation, which 

should be directed to the same purposes 

as education...to enable him to 

develop his abilities, his individual 

judgment, and his sense of moral 

and social responsibility, and to 

become a useful member of society 

(United Nations, 1959)” (Jones & 

Cooper, p. viii). 

Before embarking on the series of 

musings and classroom observations, 

which constitute the chapters 

of this persuasive and ultimately 

forceful book, readers are reminded 

by the authors of the stages of play 

children go through as they develop 

and acquire knowledge. Childhood 

sets the foundation for lifelong 

learning and attitudes in the future. 

Disrupting play in childhood disrupts 

vital thinking. Can this in 

truth be dangerous? 

The authors invite and indeed 

challenge the reader to peruse the 

book as a game, preparing strategies 

of application in their own minds as 

they first digest the “springboard 

stories” contained in each chapter, 

and later share their reflections with 

a colleague. This dynamic reading 

approach is carried out by the very 

conversational tone of the exposition 

and the role of storyteller assumed 

by the authors. The disequilibrium 

recommended as a part of learning is 

characteristic of this book. It is not a 

lazy read. Readers are expected to 

savor each statement and test its flavor 

against their own attitudinal palette. 

Jones and Cooper present assumptions 

that challenge curriculum 

planners and protest administrative 

dictates. By reading about others’ 

experiences, readers can reach a 

breakthrough understanding of 

difficult concepts. What are these 

difficult concepts? Some of them 

are: testing of young children; 

embedded knowledge; naming 

power, rules, and feelings; shared 

decision-making and making choices; 

interpreting play to outsiders and 

parents; and empathetic conflict 

resolution. This is not a typical 

problem-solving textbook; the structure 

consists of stories illustrating 

straightforward belief statements, 

which bring depth and humor to 

each premise so they remain vivid. 

In growing past infancy, children 

need many opportunities to get 

smart—to think, to reason, to argue, 

to experience the consequences of 

disobedience. The first responsibility 

of adults is to provide safe boundaries 

within which children can do 

these wonderful things. At the end 

of the book the authors outline 

“assumptions” of quality play as the 

“game rules” to guide the reading of 

the book. Because the child’s right to 

play as outlined by the United 

Nations still has not been ratified by 

the United States, it is up to early 

childhood educators and families to 

protect, promote, and preserve play. 

—Lita Haddal 

Editor, OMEP-US National 

Chapter Newsletter 

Child Care Information Center 

Madison, Wisconsin 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Dimensions on CD |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 

Tired of trying to find the journal to make paper copies of Dimensions articles? 

You’ll now be able to buy these articles on CD. Each CD will include 10 articles 

published within the last five years, as well as a SECA position statement on 

the issue. Use these CD’s for staff development, to replace paper course 

packets, or anywhere you would use copies of articles. 

#DCD 01 Dimensions on CD: Health, Development & Play 

#DCD 03 Dimensions on CD: Early Literacy & Language Development 

#DCD 02 Dimensions on CD: Math, Science and the Arts 

#DCD 04 Dimensions on CD: Staff Development & Professionalism 

$10.00 SECA Member/$12.00 Non-member 

(For a complete list of the articles included in each CD, go to 

www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org, click on Dimensions, and you’ll find product 

information there.) 


Lakeshore is proud to present 

the SECA Preschool Math Kit 

Lakeshore 

will contribute 

10% of the proceeds 

from the sales of this 

kit to SECA to help 

support their disaster 

recovery efforts. 

For more information or 

to place an order, please call: 

(800) 421- 5354 

Ask for 

Customized Learning Solutions. 

SECA Preschool Math Kit 

Designed in conjunction with the Southern Early Childhood 

Association (SECA), this comprehensive kit contains an 

array of hands-on materials ideal for preschool settings, 

and Dr. Jean M. Shaw’s book Mathematics for Young 

Children. 

SECA is dedicated to serving educators and children in the 

southern United States. We commend SECA for their outstanding 

work and continued efforts in helping early childhood 

programs recover from the devastating hurricanes 

and prepare them for future emergencies. 

Item #KT346 $152.54 

2695 E. Dominguez St., Carson, CA 90895 • www.lakeshorelearning.com 

©Lakeshore S3664

Get in on the 

Embracing 

Joy the of Southern 

Children & Families 

SECA 2007 

action… 

March 29-31, 2007 

Hyatt Regency Jacksonville 

Riverfront 

Jacksonville, FL 

Featuring 

For more information go to 

www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org 

and click on “Conference” 

❖ Pam Schiller 

❖ Anne Mitchell 

❖ Ellen Frede 

❖ Kathy Thornburg 

❖ Judy Collins 

❖ Sue Bredekamp 

❖ Thelma Harms 

❖ José-Luis Orozco 

❖ Libby Doggett 

❖ The Children’s Dance 

Foundation of Birmingham 

SOUTHERN 

EARLY 

CHILDHOOD 

ASSOCIATION 

NON-PROFIT 

ORGANIZATION 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

Little Rock, AR 72201 

Permit No. 2470 

P.O. Box 55930 • Little Rock, AR 72215-5930 

Toll Free: 800-305-7322 • www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org

Dimensions of Early Childhood - Southern Early Childhood ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?