Resource Books

Imagine a learning space infused with life, where curiosity thrives and imaginations bloom. Loose Parts Alive invites you to unlock the extraordinary potential of living loose parts: plants, animals, and even your bodies! Beyond blocks and buttons, discover how the movements of a fish can spark STEM explorations, sun-soaked leaves can inspire vibrant artwork and investigation of light and shadow, and a caterpillar's metamorphosis can nurture wonder and language. Filled with field-tested activities and inspiring examples, practical tips, and stunning photography showcasing real-life implementation, Loose Parts Alive is an invitation to step outside the ordinary, embrace the boundless wonder of nature, and witness the magic of learning.

Available in packages of 10 booklets, each with 6 observation sheets and 1 scoring summary sheet, these are Spanish forms for conducting the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS® ) observation. These forms are a part of CLASS®, the bestselling classroom observational tool that measures interactions between children and teachers -- a primary ingredient of high-quality early educational experiences. With versions for toddler programs, PreK, and K-3 classrooms, the reliable and valid CLASS® tool establishes an accurate picture of the classroom through brief, repeated observation and scoring cycles and effectively pinpoints areas for improvement. Set of 10 booklets with 8 pages each. Spanish.

This indispensable book helps you develop areas important for the growth of 12 to 24 month-old areas such as language, creativity, coordination, confidence, problem-solving, and gross motor skills. Toddlers will experience the joy of discovery on every fun-filled page! Paperback. 256 pages.

From 'Baby Bumblebee' to 'The Ants Go Marching', children will sing and learn about the insects they encounter in their own backyards. The enclosed CD features 21 fun songs, old favorites and originals. The book offers more than 250 activities that help children appreciate the wonderful world of bugs. All children love to sing and learn, so the book includes both English language learner strategies and special needs adaptations.

Moving children are developing children. With "Move to Learn," it is easy to turn your classroom into an environment that encourages movement experiences rich in sensory, perceptual, and visual-motor experiences. Through simple strategies and activities, "Move to Learn" seamlessly integrates fine and gross motor-skill development across the early childhood curriculum: Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Creative Representation, and Social Skills. With most activities listed in order of difficulty, choosing the right one for your class is easy! Regardless of the number of children, the physical size of your classroom, or the quality or quantity of equipment available to you, the ideas in this book are flexible enough to get every classroom moving. Paperback. 136 pages.

Recent research has drawn the link between children's brain development and time spent in the natural environment. Every child deserves a safe play to play, supportive adults to watch him grow, and an environment that offers them endless possibilities. In "Seasons of Play," Rusty Keeler takes readers on a photographic journey through real child care centers that have embraced his philosophy that natural play environments create new opportunities for children to explore and grow. This book illustrates how to design natural play environments that encourage exploration and creativity in all seasons of the year. Keeler's own drawings complement the photos with renderings of how the play spaces were designed. Interviews with center directors add a personal touch to how the spaces improve learning at the centers. Paperback. 216 pages.

These dimensions guides are great for teachers and anyone interested in understanding why classroom interactions matter and how they can be improved with the CLASS® tool. WIth this guide you will be able to explore CLASS® Infant domains and dimensions, find clear explanantions of effective interactions, and learn practical strategies for improving interactions. Choose English or Spanish version.

Children are spending less time being outside in nature, playing, imagining, and learning about their surroundings. Instead, they're spending more time with tablets, televisions, and overly structured routines. This book shows practical and strategic ways educators can create rich, explorative, and interdisciplinary learning through extensive outdoor experiences. Learn how to develop and implement a nature-based curriculum to support children's optimal learning, from start to finish. Age focus: 3 - 6 years. Paperback. 128 pages.

No education professional wants to think about an active shooter on campus. Recent tragic events illustrate a clear and imminent need to prepare educators for these threats. Public institutions are required by law to follow rules and regulations to train for emergency responses, and several states have enacted or are considering enacting regulations specific to early childhood programs. "Preschool Preparedness for an Active Shooter," the first book in the new Preparing for the Unexpected series, acknowledges and balances the harsh realities and challenges of emergency preparedness. Learn how to: develop situational awareness, create rings of security in your facility, promote a culture of safety, respond in an emergency, conduct drills, and instill emergency practices in children that will last a lifetime. Paperback. 88 pages.

A helpful, informative companion to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) screening system, this DVD gives an overview of emotional and social development and provides a thorough introduction to ASQ:SE-2®:. Viewers get an inside look at the screening system in practice as they watch a home visitor using ASQ:SE-2®: with the family of a 4-year-old boy. They'll see how parents complete the questionnaires, with close-ups of sample questions. With this instructive DVD, early interventionists, home visitors, pediatricians, teachers, and other professionals will be fully prepared to administer and score ASQ:SE-2®:.

Effective teacher-student interactions are a primary ingredient of high-quality early educational experiences. With the popular CLASS® observational tool, schools can accurately assess classroom quality in pre-kindergarten based on teacher-student interactions rather than the physical environment or a specific curriculum. Available in English or Spanish. Spiral-bound, 120 to 128 pages.

The child-care industry--essential to American families and to the American economy--is on the verge of collapse. Before COVID-19 struck, the child-care industry faced funding issues and staffing dilemmas, while families struggled to find--or simply afford--quality child care. The reality is that COVID-19 has only exacerbated the challenges of the already-fragile child-care ecosystem. America's Child-Care Crisis takes a hard look at the current state of the industry and explores how to save this critical service by: identifying the systemic changes needed, altering public opinion of the field, securing state and federal dollars for the private sector, prioritizing the growth of family child-care homes, educating parents on quality care and helping them access it, and obtaining business support. Paperback. 160 pages.

PreK & up. Self-directed, open-ended activities incorporating daily events and ordinary materials help children easily learn science and math. 246 pages.

Storms, flooding, earthquakes, epidemics, tornadoes, fire. You hope it never happens, but you know you need to be ready. "Preschool Preparedness for an Emergency," the second book in the Preparing for the Unexpected Series, will train you for a worst-case scenario. While this may seem like a daunting task, it's easier when you break it down. Emergency-preparedness expert Andrew Roszak will teach you how to: reduce potential harm or damage; develop and test emergency action plans; empower staff to respond effectively; satisfy licensing and other regulatory requirements; act quickly to protect lives and property; make families more prepared; develop relationships with local emergency-response organizations; limit the amount of time your business is closed; and pick up the pieces and return to normal. Paperback. 108 pages.

While most activity books encourage indoor explorations, countless adventures and learning opportunities await outside! Going for a walk or exploring the local community can bring about much more than just exercise. Little Walks, Big Adventures helps you teach your toddler about his/her surroundings through fun and adventurous local explorations, outdoor games and activities that promote and enhance learning. Parents and caregivers will help their toddlers enhance their vocabulary, language skills, cognitive skills, motor skills, and more! 160 pages.

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, activities, links to standards, family connections, technology tips, and reflections. Paperback. 96 pages.

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 and educator. Find out how to have healthy, respectful, and productive conversations about what equity means and how it looks in practice. Discover strength-based, evidence grounded techniques that lead to professional growth and learning in your early childhood program. With practical examples, research, tips, advice, self-reflections, and real stories, you'll discover how to find common ground and truly elevate educational access for the children and families you serve.

Children learn best through play. Did you know play supports children's skill building, from language and literacy to memory and math? Through play, children can experiment with words and concepts, express emotions and ideas, and make connections. "Playful Activities for Reading Readiness" offers purposeful, play-based activities to develop the foundational literacy and language skills young children need to succeed in school. Learn research-led tips to guide children to play their way through enhancing critical components of early language and literacy instruction, including: oral language, phonological awareness, the alphabetic code, word recognition, foundational fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, concept knowledge, and early writing. Paperback. 376 pages.

Combining fun, easy-to-do activities with research-based tips and developmental overviews, "Raising a Talker" helps parents and caregivers naturally transform play sessions into meaningful language-learning experiences. Little tweaks and easy changes in everyday play create nurturing environments where communication and discovery can flourish. These skills build the foundation for better communication, both now and later, and set the stage for success in school and beyond. This practical communication and language guide shows parents and caregivers how to play and talk in ways that foster children's emerging language skills while building on their natural curiosity and exploring the world together. "Raising a Talker" will have parents more tuned in to their children as better conversational and play buddies. Paperback. 216 pages.

The highly anticipated toddler version of the CLASS® tool is here -- providing early childhood programs with an accurate, reliable way to assess effective classrooms. For use with children from 15 - 36 months, this standardized observation tool measures the effectiveness of interactions between teachers and children, a primary ingredient of early educational experiences that prepare children for future school success. Spiral-bound, 80 pages.

This block play guide enhances the classroom block corner with over 50 great activities. Clear description of what children learn by playing with blocks accompany the activities. Each suggestion encourages problem solving, the development of math, science, language, and social skills.

This tri-fold laminated sheet is a handy reference for users of the popular CLASS® observation tool. Available in convenient packages of 5, this sturdy quick-sheet shows evaluators what to look for while observing each of the 10 CLASS® dimensions and scoring the tool. This product is part of CLASS®, the bestselling classroom observational tool that measures interactions between children and teachers -- a primary ingredient of high-quality early educational experiences. With versions for toddler programs, PreK, and K-3 classrooms, the reliable and valid CLASS® tool establishes an accurate picture of the classroom through brief, repeated observation and scoring cycles and effectively pinpoints areas for improvement. Set of 5, available in English and Spanish.

Finding the right people to staff your center is challenging! Have you ever hired someone you thought was perfect, only to have her leave after a few months? Have you filled a position with a "warm body" to maintain the adult-child ratio because you couldn't find a more qualified candidate? Recruiting is an ongoing process that requires reflection, dedication, and importantly, a solid plan. But the plan isn't always easy to craft, especially when you're understaffed! "Build Your Dream Team" will help you take the first step to creating your plan and will remain your right-hand guide as you hire, onboard, and nurture your new all-stars. Paperback. 128 pages.

An essential resource all teachers can use. Tips and techniques on dealing with daily routines and schedules, managing behavior issues, and building a caring community in the classroom. 224 pages.