Resource Books

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 »

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 »

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.

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 »

In today�s world, it�s crucial that we equip children with the tools they need to stay safe. Yet, many adults don�t know where to begin. Written for educators and parents by a prevention education expert, Body Safety for Young Children is the comprehensive guide you need to navigate this complex and sensitive issue. Author Kimberly King takes the fear out of sexual-abuse prevention and makes it child-friendly and approachable, so you can confidently communicate with children and protect them from… 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 »

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.… More »

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… More »

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:… More »

There is nothing that children love more than a good story. Story S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-r-s for the Primary Grades, Revised connects 90 of the best children's books to early learning centers, stretching each story five ways with lively and entertaining activities that heighten reading readiness, sharpen comprehension skills, and expand the excitement of story time. Pulling the best stories from the original books, this new edition also features new children's books as well as old favorites, refreshed… More »

Child-care environments play an important role in how babies, toddlers, and two-year-olds experience learning. Colors, sounds, smells, and the placement of furniture, lighting, and textures all influence how people act and interact inside a classroom. Chock-full of colorful photographs from real-world infant and toddler settings, Enticing Environments for People under Three offers fresh ideas for making centers and classrooms inspiring for all of the people who inhabit them. Discover numerous, easy-to-implement… More »

This helpful teacher resource will guide you through creating an equitable environment for children ages 3 - 5. This book features a variety of topics that will help support conversations about identity, bias and preschool environment. Paperback. 160 pages.

Infants and toddlers need caring adults to help them learn emotional competence-how to understand, express, and manage emotions. By supporting their development in the early years, educators can create a strong foundation that will give young children important life skills and resilience. Paperback. 152 pages.

The Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS) is the first valid and reliable tool for measuring and improving the overall quality of business and professional practices in family child care settings. It is applicable for multiple uses, including program self-improvement, technical assistance and monitoring, training, research and evaluation, and public awareness. It is currently embedded in many state quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) across the nation.

When teachers implement the project approach to learning, young children can follow their own real-world interests to gain deeper understanding. Children wonder about a topic, formulate their questions, and then figure out the answers for themselves in their own way. The project approach helps children dig deeply into intellectual and social experiences that can help them see meaningful benefits of the skills they are acquiring. "Picturing the Project Approach" will lead teachers every… More »

Feel confident and competent when it comes to choosing and implementing the most appropriate technology tools for your early childhood classroom!

<br />  

Loose parts. You have heard the term, probably in the context of promoting engaging play with open-ended, natural, and manufactured materials that can be manipulated with limitless possibilities. In this book, discover how a loose-parts mindset promotes active learning in the early elementary classroom, enhancing curriculum and ensuring connection to state standards. Offering inspiration and guidance on developing, applying, and teaching a loose-parts mindset, the authors break down common myths… More »

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… More »

Because their vocabularies haven't yet caught up with their thoughts and emotions, young children often struggle to communicate. Sign language can help them express themselves effectively to adults and peers--without the emotional outbursts caused by frustration! This book features the latest research to equip educators and caregivers with the tools and resources to teach young learners how to effectively communicate. Paperback. 208 pages.

This resource supplies 25 two-week themes, with a total of over 2,000 activities and ideas. Paperback, 463 pages.

You may know classroom environments are a complex interaction of physical elements, including sensory components, design and organization, aesthetics, nurturing attributes, and pedagogical resources. Did you know these elements are proven to work together to improve early learning, self-efficacy and higher order thinking skills, and ultimately to achieve better child outcomes? "Room to Learn" presents the Assessing the Pillars of the Physical Environment for Academic Learning (APPEAL)… More »

Over 450 rhymes, songs, stories, and fingerplays with Spanish and English on each page to help build vocabulary and language skills. Organized by theme. 384 pages.