Det hela började med en väldigt grundläggande tanke om en säker förskola. Trappor är farliga och bör undvikas. För många våningar blir lätt problematiskt. Avgörande för projektet blev det att barnen ska kunna spendera hela dagar på ett och samma våningsplan. Därmed är barnens avdelningar helt placerade på sina respektive envåningsplaner. De omsluter gemensamt samlingsrum och gård. På övre plan finns de yngsta barnens avdelning med direkt tillgång till takterrass. Planlösningen följer en upprepande modulenhet, där rummen är glasade mot söder. På så sätt efterliknas den enkelhet som finns i modernistiska paviljonger, samtidigt som en tydlig framsida definieras. En förlängning av rummen bildar en passage som går genom hela byggnaden, både interiört och exteriört och på bågge våningsplan. Detta skapar ett "mellanrum" i ett försök att överbrygga den annars skarpa gränsen mellan inne och ute. Jag tror att denna utformning med upprepande rumsindelning, samt lätthet och horisontalitet i arkitektoniskt uttryck talar ett språk som klargör för hur förskolan ska brukas. / It all started with a very essential idea for a safe kindergarten. Staircases are dangerous and are better avoided. Too many levels easily become problematic. Crucial through the project was that the children could spend full days on a single storey plan. Consequently the childrens' sections are fully placed on their respective single level plans. These enclose a common room and playgrounds. On the upper level you will find the youngests' section directly accessing roof terraces. The floor plan follows a repetitive module, where rooms facing south are glazed in that direction, resembling the simplicity of modernist pavilions, yet defining a pronounced front. An extension of the rooms towards the playgrounds, a passageway, runs through the whole building, both indoors and outdoors and on both levels, creating a linking "room" in the middle. I believe that this type of layout with repetitive modules and simplicity and horizontality in architectural expression makes it clear how the kindergarten is best operated.

Kandidatprojekt vilket syftade till att rita en ny förskola i området Vasalund, i Solna strax norr om Stockholm. Den tomt som var aktuell låg vackert bland uppvuxna fruktträd och syrener bland 20-tals villlor i nyklassistisk karaktär med en dov färgskala och enkel symmerti.  Förskolan Gröna Villan utformade för att i uttryck ovh skala smälta väl in i den nyvarande bebyggelsen men byggnaden får samtidigt en stark karaktär av det branta valmade taket och de rundade takkuporna. Förskolans gröna plåttak och fasader i plywood spelar väl med de omgivande huset och trädgårdens grönska.  Invändigt har förskolan enkla vackra rund för såväl introvert lek eller vila som extroverta miljöer som uppmanar till kreativitet, rörelse och samvaro. Centralt i byggnaden, som ett vartikalt nav,  ligger de gemensamma rummen för lek, byggande och konstnärliga aktiviteter och kring de de tre avdelningar, kök och personalutrymmen.  Trädgården är ett viktigt komplement till inomhusmijlön och den är av halvvild trädgårdkaraktär med plats för såväl pedagogisk lärande kring naturen, kojbyggande, aktivitet och lugna stunder i alla väder. / Project based in Vasalund, close to Solna i north surburb of Stockholm. My project was a kindergarten in an area with villas from 1920's with beautiful old gardens and fragments from classism and charataristisc colours and elements.  Kindergarten Green House is well adapted both for its content and surroundings in scale and charactar. Its green colour, the steep roof and the rounded windows are examples of how the new building fits its area.  The interiors is characterized by simlicity, beautiful materialial as birch and limestone and rooms in a scale and logic that is adapted and understandable for children. The shared spaces as studios and workshop in located in the center surrounded by the three departents. The garden around Green House is an important complement for the interior rooms, the garden have space for pedagogic learning about nature, playing and have food outside in all kind of the swedish weather.

Preschool education is quite underestimated but it is an important and integral part of the educational system. The quality of education in kindergartens is reflected in the preparedness of children entering elementary school. A top class kindergarten, with a sound educational program is the result of the efforts of all its employees. The management of such a kindergarten plays a significant role in its success. This thesis deals with specific management of kindergartens and the approach of the headmaster to individual elements of management. The theoretical part consists of management terminology definitions and explanations and the placement kindergarten education in the scope of the Czech educational system and its development. The practical part of this thesis is dedicated to discovering the relationships between the educational programs in kindergartens with the style of their management. The goal of this work was to discover, what factors effect the style of kindergarten management, if there has been a change in the conditions of kindergarten management, and what is the relationship between the curriculum, climate and management of kindergartens. In order to fulfil the goals of this thesis I utilised both a quantitative and a qualitative approach to my research. The research took place within...

This master thesis is based on a five-month research of a relationship between the children and material culture of a forest kindergarten. The main focus of the work is casted on the analysis of the significance of material objects during the children s information internalization by means of the sensual experience. The evocative role of concrete material items that are presented in everyday life of children in the forest kindergarten is shown in this thesis. The children senses are activated by material items and these items serve as an impulse for the children learning process. The work also contains an analysis of the important objects from the children s point of view. The conventional anthropological methods were used within the research in this master thesis - the participant observation in the forest kindergarten and the non-formal interviews with the kindergarten staff. Moreover, the picture analysis method was used to indentify the material items having an important role for the children in the forest kindergarten. The collected photodocumen- tation is employed to illustrate the specific environment and activities in the forest kindergarten. Keywords: forest kindergarten, material culture, sensual experience, learning process

Children with ASD are characterized by impairments in socialization and communication, as well as by the presence of repetitive behaviours and limited interests. Their impairment often influences their participation in everyday ac-tivities and by extension their social engagement in playful activities with their peers is affected. Researches set play as the leading activity for a child’s development, because it is identified as the means that can deliver various mental tools and teaching strategies to preschoolers. Purpose of this systematic literature review is to identify play interven-tions that describe the procedures aiming in promoting the social engagement of preschoolers with autism. This review will also examine the people that implemented these interventions, in order to provide information and guid-ance for all professionals and educators that may need them. Search in the three databases, ERIC, CINAHL and PsychINFO was performed. Seven articles were found to meet all criteria and were divided based on the similarities on the design and the procedures that were followed. The results of the study led to three play interventions that used the ASAP and JASPER intervention programs in order to examine the social communication of children with autism leading to their social engagement. The remaining findings resulted in four different kind of interventions that use play as the context for either increasing social engagement or promoting engagement of students with ASD with their peers. These interventions include auditory, dance and video modelling interventions. The Zone of Proximal Development was used as the theoretical framework to support the ideas mentioned, since it points out the role of play in the child’s development. However, this study highlights the need for further investigation regarding the pro-motion of social engagement of preschoolers with ASD. The level of the social engagement of children with ASD are rarely investigated in the natural context of schools during their everyday peer-to-peer play interactions.

Die vorliegende Dissertation fokussiert auf den Bildungsbereich Bewegung in der Frühpädagogik und strebt an die pädagogischen Konzepte und die aktuelle Situation sowie den Stellenwert der Bewegungserziehung in den südkoreanischen und deutschen Kindergärten zu vergleichen und daraus Maßnahmen der Qualitätsverbesserung für die Bewegungserziehung in Südkorea abzuleiten. Die Arbeit setzt sich zusammen aus einer literaturbasierten Darstellung der bildungs- und bewegungstheoretischen Rahmungen zur Ausrichtung der Bewegungserziehung in Südkorea und Deutschland sowie einer empirischen Untersuchung zur ‚Umsetzung‘ der Bewegungserziehung in den Kindergärten in den beiden Ländern.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that indoor environments can impact the health of students and can affect concentration, attendance, and student performance (USEPA 2008). In a school year, children are required by the Florida Department of Education to be in school for a total of 180 days, which is 795 hours spent in a classroom (FLDOE 2008). In the elementary school setting, kindergarten classes typically spend a portion of the school day with floor-based activities. The American Lung Association (ALA) states that over 6.8 million children under the age of 18 are affected by asthma (ALA 2008). Allergic reactions and/or sensitization to allergens such as dust, animal dander, and cockroaches are among triggers associated with asthma cases. Literature suggests looking at the areas where individuals spend a considerable amount of time to identify potential exposure sources. Currently, many of these studies have been done regarding the home indoor environment; however, few specifically document the concentrations in carpeting in elementary schools and the exposure time associated with floor-based activities. The objective of this research was to quantify the concentrations of cat (Felis domesticus I), dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus I, Dermatophagoides farinae I), and cockroach (Blatella germanica) allergens in carpeting in an elementary school kindergarten class and to document and quantify student group activities that are floor-based. One Florida elementary school classroom was identified as the study site. A total of eight reservoir dust samples were collected during the school year to be analyzed for Felis domesticus I, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus I, Dermatophagoides farinae I, and Blatella germanica allergens. The sampling reservoir was the carpeting used for group floor-based activities by the school children. Dust samples from the carpet were analyzed by The Johns Hopkins University Reference Laboratory for Dermatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology (DACI). The sample collection methodology followed the "Dust Analysis Instructions for Use" provided by the DACI laboratory, along with the "nozzle sock" sampling media. Following discussions with the kindergarten teacher regarding curriculum and scheduled classroom activities, group floor activities were identified. The kindergarten class was observed periodically throughout a school year to document and quantify classroom activities that were floor-based. The information documented includes: occupancy of classroom, occupied floor area, occupant density, and time spent on carpeting. Felis domesticus I (Fel d I) measurements ranged from 2,206 - 10,558 ng of allergen/g of settled dust, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus I (Der p I) measurements ranged from 3,408 - 86,704 ng/g and Dermatophagoides farinae I (Der f I) measurements ranged from 704 - 6,720 ng/g, and Blatella germanica (Bla g I) measurements were below detection limits. Based upon the DACI criteria, dust mite concentrations were moderate to high and cat concentrations were low to moderate. Kindergarten children spent approximately 38% of classroom time in floor-based activities.

Teacher attrition is a problem that has consequences for children and schools in many countries; children are affected negatively both emotionally and intellectually, while schools suffer setbacks, such as financial stress and disruption of the learning environment. This multiple case study explored the perspectives of stakeholders in India regarding how teacher attrition in private early childhood schools influenced students, teachers, parents, school leaders, and schools, as well as the factors that stakeholders identified as important for teacher retention in private early childhood education. The conceptual framework was Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and school leaders with at least 2 years of experience, and parents of children at affected schools. Twelve participants were selected via homogenous purposive sampling, with 4 in each group. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results of data analysis showed that teacher attrition led to an increase in workload for the remaining teachers, causing mental and physical stress. Positive workplace relationships were needed to stem the problem. School leaders felt that teachers' salary should be commensurate with workload, while parents believed teacher contracts should include a minimum number of years of service required. Future research might focus on factors considered important to stemming teacher attrition such as flexible timetables, reduced workloads, and teaching independence. The study has implications for positive social change by providing insights to help policy makers and education leaders in India understand and possibly lessen the problem of teacher attrition

Recognizing characteristics that improve inclusion in general education classrooms allows educators and parents to make conscious decisions regarding how students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be included most appropriately. The purpose of this qualitative Delphi study was to understand the opinions of individuals with expertise in the fields of autism and inclusion as to the characteristics and behaviors within the environmental constellation that support or inhibit inclusion of elementary students with ASD. The conceptual framework was based on tenets of applied behavior analysis, multiple intelligences, and ecosystem characteristics. Research questions addressed characteristics and behaviors of general and special education teachers, other school personnel, students, and their families. Sixteen international experts responded to semistructured interviews and follow-up questions. Data were coded and distilled across three rounds. Knowledge of disabilities and effective behavior management were agreed to be important for all adults, and a sense of humor and willingness to collaborate were agreed to be important for students and adults. Participants agreed that cognitive abilities were important for students. There was no consensus on the unconditional inclusion of all students. Specific types of support and training for adults and more research by educators, parents, and professionals who work with students with ASD were recommended. Specific characteristics and behaviors of all involved are important in the development of the child. A suggested resource was created as part of this study. Being knowledgeable of how to work together support children in the general education classroom is a start for those students to become more included in the larger world.

In a Texas school district, administrators did not monitor the fidelity of implementation (FOI) of the Montessori kindergarten program implemented in 2005, which left administrators without empirical data regarding program implementation. The purpose of this qualitative evaluative case study was to explore teachers' and administrators' perceptions and implementation of the Montessori program. Using the implementation of science framework, which involves examining FOI by monitoring interventions, implementation methods, enabling contexts, and intended outcomes, data were collected through interviews, nonparticipatory observations, and a review of archived Montessori documents. A convenience sample of 10 Montessori teachers, who met criteria of over 5 years of teaching experience, and 2 or more years experience teaching in the Montesorri program, and administrators who met criteria of supervising Montesorri grades, volunteered to participate in this study. Data were analyzed using comparative and inductive analyses and analytical coding. Findings from the data resulted in emergence of 5 themes: administrative support and capacity building for the Montessori program to support FOI, availability of more advanced Montessori resources, peer coaching to support novice Montesorri teachers, precise and consistent comprehension of the Montessori learning model, and relevant and targeted professional development related to Montesorri program implementation. A 3-day professional development project was designed to promote FOI of the Montessori program for teachers and administrators. The project will improve stakeholders' knowledge and capacity building to strengthen Montesorri program FOI and promote students' academic success. Fidelity of Implementation of an Urban Elementary Montessori Kindergarten Program by DaMesia D. Starling MS, Walden University, 2010 BS, Jarvis Christian College, 2003 Project Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University April 2018