Resource Books

Witness the magic of open-ended exploration and the wonder of learning through play. As a nurturing caregiver, you have precious opportunities to ignite curiosity in the infants, toddlers, and twos you care for. Let Curated Moments be your guide to unlocking the possibilities of the Reggio Emilia approach for your littlest learners. Transform your space into a sensory wonderland overflowing with joyful inquiry.

Child care supports every industry in our nation, but it has an unstable infrastructure. Child-care businesses are failing, early childhood professionals are not paid living wages, and expenses are rising. The primary funding source is families, but families cannot afford the true cost of child care. Does this mean that all early childhood programs must fold into the public school system? Will private child care soon be extinct? In Bridging Gaps: Implementing Public-Private Partnerships to Strengthen… More »

Elevating Equity requires educators to be mindful of how to include children, families, and colleagues in all parts of early childhood programming. Elevating equity is all about creating systems that celebrate everyone! Sounds great-but how do you do it? Elevating Equity: Advice for Navigating Challenging Conversations in Early Childhood Programs takes a positive approach by embracing differences and meeting readers where they are. Get nonjudgmental, practical advice from an experienced trainer… More »

Calm and in Control provides strategies to help children in a preschool or kindergarten classroom learn to regulate their emotions and behaviors. Some children need help recognizing that something is upsetting or overly exciting. Others may have difficulty knowing how to calm down and take control of their emotions or behaviors on their own. Discover how to create a nurturing and consistent environment that supports children as they navigate learning, social interactions, and impulse control throughout… More »

What can jellyfish, a bunch of grapes, or dandelions possibly teach us about designing early childhood classrooms? As it turns out, quite a lot! Inspired by Nature: Designing Play Places for the Littlest Learners explores how nature offers valuable and important lessons about transforming classroom spaces into places where infants and toddlers can thrive. Discover what mushrooms can teach us about cozy hideaways. Learn what sea turtles can show us about wayfinding. Find out what lightning bugs can… More »

Do some children in your classroom have difficulty remembering the rules, gathering their materials independently, or completing activities? Do some find it hard to follow and remember instructions? These Children may be struggling with executive function. With stronger executive-function skills, children are better able to: Follow and remember a sequence of directions, Work on projects from start to finish, Develop problem-solving and organizational skills, and Self-monitor and regulate their emotions… More »

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 »

As an early childhood educator, you want every child to thrive, regardless of their abilities or learning style. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for designing learning experiences that are inclusive and accessible to all children. In this guide, you’ll learn how to apply UDL principles to your early childhood environment to create a welcoming, engaging, and effective learning environment for every child. From designing flexible learning spaces to using technology to support… More »

This informative book by Rachel Wagner, MSW, in partnership with the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, is designed to support all adults who interact with young children. It explains FLIP IT‘s four simple steps for transforming challenging behavior in young children: F – Feelings, L – Limits, I – Inquiries, P – Prompts. Teachers and parents can help children learn about their feelings and gain self-control by using that mnemonic. Learn to FLIP IT with the book’s practice pictures, reflection… More »

Equity means individuals get what they need to succeed. As early childhood classrooms and programs become increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse, educators need ideas for connecting with families to learn what children need. The more families are engaged, the better the outcomes for children. Early childhood administrators and teachers collaborate to create equitable and inclusive learning environments where children and families feel welcome. Building Equitable Early Learning Programs:… More »

As an early educator, you face many challenges. You may be asking yourself if you’re in the right place, doing the right thing. You may be wondering if you’re making a difference. You may be feeling symptoms of burnout but see opportunities to be a positive influence on individuals around you. Change your life and transform your leadership by embarking on a joyful journey today. Even if you do not have an official leadership position, you can lead with joy. If you are an individual who uplifts,… More »

A positive, strengths-based leadership system is the key to transforming the quality of early childhood programs. Inspiring Early Childhood Leadership lays out strategies designed to support program leaders in finding new ways to reduce the levels of stress on themselves and their staff, and move into a unified, engaging system for leading with passion, intention, and purpose. Author Susan MacDonald's goal is to take leaders past their challenges with a vision of new possibilities so they can ensure… More »

An early childhood classroom should reinforce and enhance young children's sense of belonging and connection to their environment, each other, their families, and their community. This book invites educators and administrators to rethink the traditional classroom, with inspirational examples showing how to weave elements that reflect each center's community into the classroom design. Colorful photos show what teachers can do to encourage a sense of community unique to each classroom. Easy-to-implement… More »

Nature-based early childhood education is a rapidly growing trend! Although many schools and programs have incorporated nature-based learning, educators can feel at a loss when trying to evaluate quality in this learning approach. But don’t worry - Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K through 3rd Grade is here to help! Designed with early education practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in mind, the NAture-Based Education Rating Scales (NABERS)… More »

Whether your child has received a diagnosis or they are exhibiting behaviors that worry you, Empowering Your Child to Fly: A Family's Guide to Early Childhood Inclusion can help. Discover advice for navigating the early intervention and special education system from an educator who has experienced these systems as a child, as a parent, and as a professional. Understand screening, evaluation, and assessment. Discover helpful resources. Explore your role as an advocate for your child. Learn how to… More »

The Loose Parts set of books serve as inspiration with hundreds of beautiful full color photographs illustrating ways children enjoy using everyday items in their play, encouraging their curiosity, giving free reign to their play, and encouraging creativity. Books are available individually.

Play is learning! But play in the early years is endangered by the emphasis on push-down academics, mounting parental expectations, and pressures on early childhood teachers to prepare young children for the rigors of kindergarten and beyond. With all of that, gains made by play experiences, including readiness skills and social-emotional development, have fallen away. Young children learn best through play. This book helps educators understand the different types of play and the rich opportunities… 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 »

Early childhood teachers continue to seek activities that promote STEM-based learning. But most STEM books focus on science and math, excluding technology and engineering. Creative Investigations in Early Engineering® & Technology helps teachers create a more well-rounded STEM learning program. Encourage children to think, make, tinker and innovate. Introduce engineering skills such as coding in a developmentally appropriate way. Leverage children's use of digital technologies to help them… More »

Young children are born scientists with an innate desire to analyze and investigate the world around them. Creative Investigations in Early Science helps educators expand and encourage young learners' inquisitive nature as they explore the physical, life, and earth sciences. Paperback. 100 pages.

While the visual and performing arts are powerful curricular companions to early STEM experiences, educators may not have the tools and resources to introduce art beyond painting and drawing. Creative Investigations in Early Art provides them with an inquisitive, explorative approach to boost young learners creativity and critical-thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills through artistic expression. Paperback. 112 pages.

Math crops up in everyday activities in so many ways. You can help preschoolers see math in the petals of a flower, the shape of a window, the bounce of a ball, the growth of a plant, and the repetition of a song. Instead of teaching math to preschoolers, you can be their guide as they experiment, think about problems, try solutions, gain understanding, and discuss their findings. With your guidance, preschoolers can figure out how the world of mathematics works and how math works in their world. Paperback. 104 pages.

Most early childhood teachers are using learning centers in the classroom, but do not approach them in ways that fully support a variety of learning opportunities. This book approaches learning centers through the STEM lens, and shares how themes can be integrated into centers to promote creativity and higher-level thinking. "STEM Play" provides varied activities for the most common centers: art, blocks, dramatic play, literacy, math, science, music and movement. Full of beautiful, full-color… More »

Uncover simple strategies that will help you bounce back from life's ups and downs! The book contains a 23-item reflective checklist designed to help you gain valuable insights about your personal strengths. As you reflect on your strengths, the journal will help you establish goals and uncover strategies that will strengthen your relationships, increase initiative, support internal beliefs, and maintain self-control. In today's world, we all face risk. Spend time offsetting that risk by reflecting… More »