Developing Quality Care for Young Children

Nettie Becker has devoted her entire professional life to working with young people, first as a teacher and counselor of high school students, and for the past 20 years in the field of infant and early child care. She has designed, set up, and implemented a movement program of adaptive physical education at a school for special children and has worked as a child development consultant for day care programs in New York City. She has also taught parenting classes in the continuing education department at Molloy College in New York.She currently conducts workshops in child development and movement through play for parents and their children in community library programs in Nassau County, New York. She has also introduced a community program for the parents of infants to help them engage with their babies through motor, sensory, and emotional stimulation in their first year of life.Becker is a fellow emeritus in early childhood group therapy at the Child Development Center of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and was part of the program’s continuing education committee that served as a consulting group for child care professionals.She is the coauthor of A Comprehensive Guide for Caregivers in Day Care Settings (1999). Becker holds a master’s degree in professional studies, majoring in dance/movement therapy that combined movement and psychology in the development of young children. She is a full member of the Academy of Dance Therapists Registered and has also been trained in the Kestenberg movement profile analysis that evaluates movement patterns and personality.Paul Becker, a high school teacher for many years, is now a writer and editor. He is the author of many articles and has edited a number of publications in the field of education and public policy. Along with Nettie Becker, he is the coauthor of A Comprehensive Guide for Caregivers in Day Care Settings. For several years, he was the editor of Between the Lines, a newsletter for writers in New York and currently is the editor of a monthly newsletter on American industry for an economic research firm in New York.

• Foreword by Rebecca Shahmoon ShanokAbout the AuthorsAuthors′ NoteAcknowledgmentsPrologue to a Dream that Came to BeIntroductionThe Critical Need for Quality Early Child Care1. The Little House on Village Avenue: What Makes a Good Child Care CenterQuality Care Is Not Just Day Care: How a Good Early Child Care Program Prepares Children for LifeThe Toddler Classroom: Where a Skilled Child Care Professional Can Open Up the World to ChildrenTranslating Principles Into Practice in a Good Child Care ProgramHigh-Quality Child Care: Some Other Basics2. The First Task of Early Child Care: Building a Trusting Relationship Between Caregiver, Child, and FamilyAttachment, the First Basic Need of All ChildrenCreating a Stimulating and Nurturing Atmosphere in the ClassroomHow Can a Teacher Handle Aggression in Children?Flexibility and the Adult-Child Relationship: Why Rules and Schedules Need to Be AdaptedBuilding Human Relationships in Every ClassroomThe Underlying Class Theme: We Are All People and I Am SomebodyMaking Parents Welcome: An Essential Component of the Relationship Between Caregiver and ChildHow Does Your Child Care Center Build Relationships Between Caregiver, Child, and Family?3. The Second Task: Developing Wholesome Peer Relationships Among ChildrenWhy Building Peer Relationships Is a Necessity Among ChildrenThe Stages of PlayTeaching Children to Resolve Conflicts: An Essential Task of Early Childhood Educators4. The Role of Curriculum and Staff Development in Early Child CareThe Importance of a Well-Planned, Appropriate CurriculumBuilding the Important S-A-Ts in Children: Separation, Autonomy, TrustLearning by Hands-On ExperienceStaff Development Is an Ongoing Process5. The School as a Reflection of Our Diverse HeritageDiversity as a Natural Part of the CurriculumHandling Ethnic Stereotypes Among ChildrenCultural Diversity and Differing ExpectationsWorking With Children of Different Cultural Backgrounds: Some Helpful HintsHow Does Your Child Care Program Take Advantage of America?s Richly Diverse Cultural Heritage?6. High-Quality Child Care as a Learning ExperienceLearning as a Natural ProcessPlay Is the Work of the ChildThe Learning CentersThe Daily ScheduleAll the Things They Were LearningEpilogueAppendix A: Rosa Lee Young Curriculum OutlinePrekindergarten and KindergartenActivities and Learning Experiences Throughout the DayToddler Activities and Learning Experiences Throughout the DayAppendix B: Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8 (National Association for the Education of Young Children)Appendix C: Reggio EmiliaReggio Emilia and the Hundred Languages of ChildrenThe Nine Baisc Principles of Reggio EmiliaNotesIndex

“Ask yourself the questions posed in this book, whether you are searching for child care or wondering why our smallest and most important citizens don’t have more quality early education programs available in a more equitable manner. This is a great teacher’s guide for those entering the field and a great staff development idea for ECE centers.”