Professional Learning & Resources

Preschool is a time of wonder when curiosity, development, and learning intersect. While the new sights, routines, and experiences can make preschool exhilarating, what about children who struggle? Perhaps they exhibit odd behaviors: chewing on clothing, covering their ears, avoiding certain textures, refusing to sit with peers, screaming when frustrated, hitting, kicking, or biting. "Wired Differently" will help you to decode what may seem like every day challenging behaviors. It's possible… More »

Over 40 activities that focus on controlling teasing and bullying with friendship, community, and expressing feelings. Use these activities, the classroom environment, and family involvement to create a climate of mutual respect in the classroom. 128 pages.

"Teaching Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder" is a straightforward, easy-to-understand guide to working with children who have autism. It explains the major characteristics associated with autism and helps teachers understand the ways children with autism relate to the world. Each chapter offers specific strategies for teachers to use, including setting up a proactive preschool environment, helping children learn life skills, managing behavior, helping children with autism communicate,… More »

Every day, 250 children are suspended from school. Many are children of color, deprived of opportunities to experience learning at the same rate and quality as white children. Many families don't feel heard or respected in their child's schools. Don't Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms leads early childhood professionals to explore and address issues of bias, equity, low expectations, and family engagement to ensure culturally responsive experiences. Importantly, this book will challenge… More »

This book has been written for all teachers and directors who work with infants, toddlers, and twos, including special educators and educators working with typically developing children. It specifically addresses the needs of children with developmental delays, as well as those children at risk for developing special needs. Each chapter includes experiences and activities that are common to settings where infants and toddlers learn. The strategies provided are easy to use and apply to all children.… More »

This resource book offers simple easy-to-use solutions to support sensory needs of preschool children in your classroom. Adaptations and activities are included for Sensory Processing Disorder. Chapters cover concepts such as: Explaining Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing Disorder, Defining sensory avoiders, seekers, and under-responders, Designing the environment to support the sensory development of all children, Helping preschoolers with sensory processing problems, Providing practical… More »

Learn what makes boys tick (and run and jump and yell), and discover how to actively engage the boys in your early childhood classroom with simple effective strategies that support boys' learning. Using the latest brain research to explore and explain the differences in how boys and girls learn, 'Wired to Move' provides early childhood educators with facts and strategies to actively engage boys in an early childhood setting. It addresses the unique needs of African-American and Hispanic or Latino… More »

The prevalence of ASD is growing tremendously in early childhood classrooms. This book showcases the diverse capabilities of students with ASD and prepares early childhood educators to work effectively with students ages 3-5 with pervasive developmental disorders. Descriptive examples and interactive activities guide teachers to understand how these disorders affect student progress and how educators can tap into student potential. Each chapter offers several strategies to address specific academic,… More »

Best-selling, award-winning authors Pam Schiller and Clarissa Willis have teamed up to create this collection of 100 literacy lessons, designed to introduce children ages 3-6 to a variety of literacy concepts and build important literacy skills. Each of these simple, fun lessons offers adaptations for children with special needs, including: visual and hearing impairments, cognitive challenges, motor delays, speech/language delays, and emotional/behavior issues. The first page of each two-page lesson… More »

All infants and toddlers need experiences that nurture, support, and teach their home language and culture. Language is a vital component of early experiences well before a child can say his first word. Infants and toddlers whose families come from diverse backgrounds and speak different languages are appearing in all kinds of early care and learning settings in growing numbers. Even the most experienced caregiver can feel a bit unsure about meeting the unique needs of infants and toddlers from… More »

Children need a broad view of the world to better work with others and achieve academic success. That means being able to see many perspectives, listen to others, and share their own ideas and perceptions. This book contains simple activities that start with identifying different perspectives and then challenge them to notice what they perceive. The themes are meant to ask children to notice relationships, investigate same and different, use perceptions to develop inductive and deductive reasoning,… More »

Connecting with dual language learners (DLLs) is a growing reality among early childhood educators, who need to learn practical, proven strategies to reach these students. Grounded in research and strengthened by the author's personal experience as a student learning English, Connecting Right from the Start helps teachers understand the culturally and linguistically diverse children in their classroom, as well as those with disabilities. Some of the skills teachers will learn: ways to make DLLs… More »

Challenging behaviors can derail an early childhood classroom, and punishment and exclusion aren't the answer. Young children need support and instruction to help them learn how to cooperate, listen, share, interact positively with their peers and with adults. Where to start? Effective Discipline Policies will be your go-to resource. Craft a developmentally appropriate, consistent, effective behavioral guidance policy. Create a system that supports young children's social-emotional competence. Provide… More »

In the United States, the number of children who come from homes where they speak languages other than English is rising. Despite the common misperception that dual language learners are slower learners or have special needs, research shows that they have better executive function and cognitive skills. Their brains are doing double duty! "Strength in Diversity: A Positive Approach to Teaching Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood" offers teachers context, practical advice, and strategies… More »

Emphasizing essential interpersonal skills that should be developed in early childhood, this guide offers a holistic approach to developing classroom communities in which each child feels recognized, appreciated, and able to contribute. Taking into account a teacher's goals, values, strengths, and weaknesses, guidance is offered for adjusting and planning for developmentally appropriate expectations, classroom organization, and communication with families. Filled with concrete examples and effective… More »

There are no words to describe how families feel when they learn that a child they love has been diagnosed with autism. This book was written for those families. It explains autism in simple terms, discusses the major characteristics associated with autism, and offers simple strategies for helping children with autism function in their homes, at school, and in the community. My Child Has Autism provides strategies for families to help their child learn to be independent, build social skills, and… More »

Many Languages, One Classroom applies the latest information about best practices to all aspects of a preschool program. Designed to fit any preschool curriculum, this book addresses state standards and benchmarks of standard quality programming. Organized by interest areas and times of the day, you'll find everything you need to help English language learners during dramatic play, outdoor play, reading, science, blocks, and circle time. Each chapter is broken down into several sections: the environment,… More »

Written by Carol Stock Kranowitz, The Out-Of-Sync Child was the first of its kind to explain SPD - Sensory Processing Disorder - and provide parents a drug-free alternative in helping their children grow and adjust in the world. This is the revised addition, offering new sections on hearing and vision, and how this disorder often appears alongside other conditions.

The children in today's early childhood classroom are more culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse than ever. As a teacher, your challenge is to partner with each family through recognizing their individual strengths, concerns, priorities, and resources. Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst offers practical ideas for creating a welcoming atmosphere for families that will encourage them to participate in their children's learning community. From improving children's school readiness to encouraging positive… More »