| ACEI | The Association for Childhood Education International is an early childhood professional organization that publishes a journal, holds international conferences, and guides and supports professionals in the field. Founded in the late 1800s as a kindergarten organization, the ACEI broadened its focus in the 1930s to include preschools and elementary schools.
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| ages and stages | A catch phrase that relates to childhood developmental features and behaviors that tend to correlate with specific ages. Each stage describes a particular period of development that differs qualitatively from the stages that precede and follow it. The sequence of stages never varies.
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| behaviorism | The scientific study of behaviors that can be seen and measured. Behaviorism, also called "learning theory," attributes all developmental change to environmental influences.
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| both-and thinking | An approach to decision making in which the early-childhood educator considers what is developmentally, individually, and culturally appropriate in all situations; it involves coming up with a solution that may incorporate all the conflicting elements. Both-and thinking contrasts with either-or thinking, in which the choice is between one solution or the other.
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| CDF | The Children's Defense Fund is an organization that advocates for children, particularly those in poverty and/or of color.
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| center-based program | An early childhood program, usually child care, that operates in a building other than a person's home.
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| child-centered curriculum | An educational philosophy created by John Dewey that emphasizes designing curriculum according to the interests of the children rather than specific subject matter.
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| child development | The study of how children change as they grow from a qualitative rather than a merely quantitative standpoint.
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| cognitive stages | A set of stages described and named by Jean Piaget that focuses on intellectual development.
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| curriculum | A plan for learning. Curriculum can be both written (an official plan in the form of, for example, an outline or web) and unwritten (that is, unconscious learning that occurs through the adult-child relationship).
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| emergent curriculum | A curriculum that grows out of children's interests and activities and takes shape over time. Although emergent curriculum often has a spontaneous aspect and is child-centered, it is also facilitated and, thus, planned for by adults.
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| family child care program | An early childhood program that provides child care services in the home of the provider.
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| Head Start | A comprehensive, federally funded program that provides education, health screening, and social services to help low-income families give their children--from birth to age five--the start they need to succeed in public school. There are some state-supported versions of Head Start as well.
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| holism | A view that considers the whole as more important than an analysis of the parts. A holistic view of the child, for example, integrates the mind, body, feelings, and personal context into an inseparable unit. A holistic curriculum is an integrated approach to a plan for learning in which the teaching-learning process occurs throughout the day rather than being broken down into separate subjects.
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| learning theory | A theory that focuses on the scientific study of behaviors that can be seen and measured. Learning theory, also called "behaviorism," attributes all change to environmental influences.
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| Montessori | A particular approach to education founded by Maria Montessori (Italy's first woman physician) that emphasizes the active involvement of children in the learning process and promotes the concept of a prepared environment.
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| multiculturalism | An approach to education that accepts and respects cultural differences and supports the vision of a pluralistic society.
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| NAEYC | The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and best-known early childhood professional organization. In addition to publishing a journal and holding conferences, the NAEYC sets standards for the early childhood field and advocates for young children and their families through its position statements.
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| nature-nurture question | The question that asks, "What causes children to turn out the way they do?" In other words, is a child's development influenced more by his or her heredity (nature) or by his or her environment (nurture)? This question is sometimes called a "controversy," because nature proponents insist that genetics plays a stronger role in influencing development, while nurture proponents make the same claim about environmental experiences.
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| parent cooperative preschool | A program designed to educate parents while serving their children. This type of program, sometimes called a "parent participation nursery school," operates on a cooperative basis and is often run by parents under the auspices of public school systems.
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| physical milestones of development | Events that mark progress in the path of physical development, such as the first time a baby rolls over, sits up, or takes a first step. These milestones, which were introduced by Arnold Gesell, are based on norms that come from the scientific study of children's physical behavior.
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| professionalism | A set of attitudes, theories, and standards that guides the early childhood professional. An early childhood professional is someone who is (1) trained in the principles and practices of the education of young children between birth and age eight, (2) knows about the ethics, standards, and legal responsibilities of the profession, and (3) conducts himself or herself accordingly.
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| psychosexual stages | A set of stages described and named by Sigmund Freud that focuses on sexual development.
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| psychosocial stages | A set of developmental stages described and named by Erik Erikson that focuses on successive social crises.
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| reflective thinking | A way of examining one's own experience--both past and present--in order to understand it, learn from it, and grow. Reflective thinking is a useful exercise for examining personal reactions to certain situations or people that may get in the way of developing and maintaining relationships or effectively facilitating the teaching-learning process.
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| scaffolding | A form of assistance that supports and furthers understanding and performance in a learner.
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| social learning theory | A branch of behaviorism that focuses on the significance of modeling and imitation in a child's development.
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| sociocultural theory | A theory developed by Lev Vygotsky that focuses on the effect of cultural context on development.
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| stage theorist | A theorist who believes that children develop according to specific, sequential stages of development.
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