<p> Reading has been found to not only build student motivation but to increase community involvement in education (Hudson &amp; Williams, 2015). Children who grow into lifelong readers were less likely to be incarcerated, became more successful members of society, and created greater futures for themselves and their families (Obama, 2013). With exposure to early childhood education opportunities, children found a greater propensity to attain foundational reading skills; therefore, positive habits for education lead to thriving outcomes in the future (DeHaan &amp; Leuven, 2016). This study analyzed variations in preschool programs in order to detect curricular, facility, and instructor distinctions (DeHaan &amp; Leuven, 2016). Educators, parents, and community members were predominantly favorable of financing and supporting early childhood education (DeHaan &amp; Leuven, 2016). Globally, early childhood education is continually trying to maintain a more prevalent stature in society (DeHaan &amp; Leuven, 2016). Early childhood education can seemingly take an indirect step backwards in school districts due to to other educational necessities (DeHaan &amp; Leuven, 2016). In this study, the researcher analyzed early childhood education opportunities and the impact on students&rsquo; reading comprehension in third grade.</p><p>

<p> A growing body of research suggests that any serious effort to eliminate the achievement gap in U.S. schools must address the school-readiness gap upon school entry (Sadowski, 2006). As a result, preschool programs remain the focus of public policy interests as a possible solution to address achievement shortfalls (Cannon &amp; Karoly, 2007). The question of whether a child is &ldquo;ready&rdquo; for school is a dynamic one and depends on complex interaction between early experiences and child, family, and community characteristics. The purpose of this study was to examine the circumstances and conditions of school readiness and what it looks like in practice through the lens of the Head Start preschool director. Based on the results of program observation, interview, focus group, and child-outcome assessment data, a case for an ecological approach to school readiness was made. Furthermore, the results identified strengths, weaknesses, and challenges experienced by one Head Start preschool director striving to create a high- quality program for the purpose of getting young learners ready for school. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to make California&rsquo;s early learning system more coherent and effective. </p>

<p> Systems thinking allows learners to look at the world as a series of interconnected parts of a whole. A debate exists in early childhood research literature about whether or not children have the capacity to hold systems thinking conceptions due to the complex thought processing needed for systems thinking. Additionally, many researchers question whether children have enough life experience or cognitive schema to participate fully in systems thinking. However, this study&rsquo;s findings indicate that young children do show signs of more complex understanding in systems thinking than what previous literature suggests a young child has the ability to do. This three part research study was conducted in a universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) classroom in a first-ring suburb of a rust-belt city in the Northeastern United States. The study was grounded in a desire to uncover young children&rsquo;s understanding of systems thinking through everyday classroom activities. Twenty students participated in this qualitative study which utilized read-aloud, water play and the interpretation and creation of graphs through associated structured and semi-structured interviews. Data from student&rsquo;s observations and interviews was transcribed, segmented, coded and analyzed. This student-centered process approach (Gotwals &amp; Alonzo, 2012) allowed for children&rsquo;s ideas to emerge naturally during the research tasks. Data was analyzed according to a three step analysis process using a real-world lens, a systems thinking skills lens, and the development of lower anchors for future learning progressions lens. Across a group of 20 preschool children there was an overarching theme that the ability to think in systems and utilize simple systems thinking tools, such as stock-flow maps, feedback loops and behavior over time graphs, was present. Since children are ready to reason using rudimentary systems thinking, then systems thinking opportunities should be incorporated into their informal and formal learning settings. The knowledge that children have the ability to comprehend basic systems thinking concepts is important to early childhood educators, curriculum developers, teacher preparation programs, professional developers, and standards &amp; policy makers.</p><p>

<p> Research in the area of early childhood has confirmed that children accessing high-quality programs lead to better outcomes in kindergarten as well as later in life (Committee for Economic Development, 2006; Frabutt &amp; Waldron, 2013; Hudson, 2014; Stewart, 2015; Temple &amp; Reynolds, 2007). The factors highlighted in research contributing to these outcomes have included teacher effectiveness and classroom quality (Armor, 2014; Fernandez, 2010; Ryan, Whitebook, Kipnis, &amp; Sakai, 2011). One factor missing from current research and policy is the role of the early childhood leader. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study is to gain insights into how early childhood leaders&rsquo; experiences have shaped their understanding of leadership, focusing specifically on directors from licensed early childhood programs in Northern Virginia. The central research question guiding this inquiry is: What are the experiences of pre-kindergarten leaders in licensed pre-kindergarten programs in Northern Virginia that inform their development as a leader? Three sub questions are also included: What led an individual to become a pre-kindergarten leader? What has influenced the leadership philosophies of pre-kindergarten leaders? What has influenced the current leadership practices utilized by pre-kindergarten leaders? Data from interviews, walkthroughs, and document analyses with seven directors from early childhood centers in Northern Virginia were examined. Through this process, five themes emerged: generational influences, collegial influences, past work experience, environmental influences, and leadership characteristic and behaviors. Three conclusions were built upon these themes to address the research questions. First, participants entered the field of early childhood due to generational influences with their child entering preschool or just by &ldquo;falling into&rdquo; the field. Once in the field, collegial influences encouraged participants to pursue the director position. Participants also rose through the ranks, by beginning as a volunteer or teachers&rsquo; aide, becoming a teacher, and then ultimately becoming a director. Second, a director&rsquo;s philosophies were reinforced through the media as well as professional organizations. Finally, a director&rsquo;s practices were informed through collegial influences, past experiences, and environmental influences.</p><p>

<p> School readiness incorporates children&rsquo;s academic abilities and their ability to self-regulate in the classroom. Prior research shows that sleep is related to children&rsquo;s development of these skills, although the mechanisms through which sleep affects school readiness are not well understood. Research also indicates that economically disadvantaged children and children of color may have poorer academic and regulatory skills at school entry and may sleep less and sleep less well on a regular basis. </p><p> The current study explores the role of sleep quantity and quality in young children&rsquo;s development of two skills critical for school success: self-regulation and academic abilities. This study intentionally focuses on a predominantly African-American, economically disadvantaged population, who may be at risk for greater sleep-related difficulties and lower school-related skills at kindergarten entry. It was hypothesized that a) young children with higher quantity and quality of sleep would show greater development of academic skills and self-regulation across one calendar year, b) the role of sleep in the development of these abilities would be relatively stronger among kindergarteners than among 1^st graders, and c) the role of sleep quality and quantity in young children&rsquo;s development of academic abilities would be partially explained by the relation between sleep and self-regulation. Results provide mixed support for the hypotheses, indicating that sleep quality and quantity relate differentially to different school-related skills among kindergarteners and 1^st graders. This study contributes research to help explain how and why sleep affects young children and may offer insights for caregivers and educators working to help children develop school-related skills.</p><p>

<p> This study positions itself in the field of international/global Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). The early years of child development constitute what is often viewed as the most significant developmental period of the entire life-cycle. Studies have pointed to a range of benefits that ECCE programs can provide, leading to a greater interest in the field of ECCE globally. International/global ECCE is predominantly determined by Western derived theories and programs. Some Western derived ECCE programs assert their universal applicability, but there is criticism and opposition to the perceived ethnocentricity of these programs. Such resistance raises fundamental questions about what forms globally orientated ECCE programs should take. </p><p> This exploratory comparative case-study explores the <i>lived-experiences, perceptions</i> and <i>praxes</i> of ECCE educators in Lebanon and Denmark, as well as the <i>habitus</i> from which these arise. These constructs were investigated through the use of a qualitative, comparative, embedded-design case-study. In-depth phenomenological interviews, structured and unstructured observations/participant-observations and document analysis were used to collect data. The data was analyzed thematically utilizing open/axial/selective coding and a priori themes. </p><p> The four participants&rsquo; perceptions converged with regards to the perception that child-educator ratios have implications for ECCE praxis. All the participants held that their approaches to ECCE were child-centered, although their interpretations of what constituted child-centered praxis differed. The participants believed that parents play an important role in ECCE, but the relationship between educator and parent is not always easy. Finally, all the participants felt a deep love for ECCE, and had done so ever since they first came into contact with the field. The Lebanese and Danish cases diverged on their perceptions of ECCE curriculum and whether or not they believed that ECCE praxis is an extension of motherhood.</p><p>

This thesis foregrounds moments from an early childhood centre’s multispecies inquiry to grapple with the question of what pedagogies and practice might need to look and feel like to create the conditions for new ways of thinking and doing with other species in troubling times. Drawing on post-foundational feminist conceptual frameworks, it takes an interdisciplinary approach to challenging dominant narratives about young children’s more-than-human relations in a rapidly changing world. In the first chapter, I discuss tracking with young children as a generative method for cultivating the arts of awareness and opening up our understandings of place relations. In the second chapter, I reconfigure care as a multispecies achievement to explore the question of what it means to care with and not just for the creatures who thrive inside of an early childhood centre’s worm-compost bin. In it, I juxtapose compost inquiry moments with the material consequences of out-of-sight-out-of-mind approaches to managing our untenable food waste in contemporary Canadian society. In the final chapter, I share moments from an early childhood centre’s unexpected encounter with a dying rat to rethink children’s relations with death in an age of accelerated mass extinctions. What does it mean to care with a creature few want to claim, but with whom we are connected in unsettling ways? / Graduate

<p> Promoting global awareness is commonly cited as a main benefit of early foreign language education; however, little research backs this claim. This study explores a partial Spanish immersion preschool and how it shapes young children&rsquo;s global awareness and knowledge of foreign languages and cultures. The study used a series of games, activities, and interviews to address the following three aspects of the classroom: (1) foreign language activities and language use, (2) how global awareness was portrayed by students and teachers, and (3) the beliefs, goals, and motivations of parents who chose to enroll their children there. The frameworks of translingualism and global education informed analysis of classroom observations, activities with children, and interviews with parents and teachers.</p><p> Findings indicated that children did show signs of early learning related to global awareness, though language and culture were not always the primary goals for parents and teachers at the school. Children&rsquo;s literature and games allowed children to express their views and understanding about their learning about Spanish and other cultures in the classroom. They were able to talk about speaking Spanish in school and knew some words and phrases learned through exposure from the teachers in the classroom. Parents and members of the staff expressed their beliefs in the value of early second language exposure; however, primary needs of the children such as keeping them safe and developing a nurturing environment were always the priority. The findings will inform future development of language immersion programs for young children and give directors of such programs insights into what parents may hope for their children to learn regarding language and other cultural instruction.</p><p>

<p> This research set out to enhance instruction for early education and child development majors in a community college setting in a manner that allows them to gain content knowledge while becoming more prepared to practice effective pedagogy in early learning classrooms. This study examined how metacognitive awareness changes throughout a semester with scaffolded goal setting and reflective practices. It investigated the types of goals students set for a specific learning task, as well as investigated their ability to apply reflective practice to their own learning and teaching practices. This research used a mixed method design to data collection with quantitative data from rubrics and an inventory and qualitative data from instructor journaling. Quantitative results indicated that students improved in some elements of goal setting and all assessed elements of reflective practice, along with improvements in metacognitive awareness. Qualitative findings also indicated that students improved in metacognitive awareness and goal setting as a formal practice even though there was evidence of struggle in regard to the unfamiliarity of the goal setting practice itself and defining a time frame to achieve their goals. The goal setting and reflective practices within the course were helpful to the instructor. Each provided an opportunity for the instructor to support student learning and effectively use strategies to support achievement of the students in the course and in the early childhood field.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to identify a potential funding source and write a grant to fund a community program that centers on strengthening family dynamics. The city of Compton in Los Angeles County is stricken with poverty, systemic and economic challenges that often impact the daily living of families and the ability of the communities to thrive. It has been evidenced that child maltreatment contributes to disruptions in family dynamics and community relationships. To counteract these rates of maltreatment, an innovative community program was proposed, which focused on fostering positive family relationships and increasing social supports through effective community engagement to reduce transgenerational child maltreatment. The goal of this project is to increase interactions and social supports for children and families by providing a variety of activities and resources within their community. The actual submission of the grant application was not a requirement of the thesis project.</p><p>