scholarly journals Investigating Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions of a Preschool Yoga Program

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401882175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenya Wolff ◽  
Alicia Stapp
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
School Setting ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Cognitive Benefits

Yoga for young children has become a growing area of interest in early childhood settings across the United States. Evidence suggests that yoga has the ability to improve young children’s physical development, executive functioning, self-regulation, and can aid in decreasing stress and anxiety. While the scope of research on yoga for young children has primarily focused on the experiences and outcomes of the children who participate, far less is known about the experiences and perceptions of teachers who have engaged in such programs with their students. This study utilized a qualitative case study to investigate teachers’ perceptions of yoga in a school setting. It took place at a laboratory preschool in North Mississippi over the course of 6 months from January to June 2017. A variety of qualitative research methods were employed to garner data including semi-structured interviews, classroom visits, and observations of weekly yoga classes. Findings from the study revealed teachers perceive the benefits of yoga to be increased physical development, self-regulation, and socioemotional skills, along with behavioral and cognitive benefits in the classroom. In addition, teacher buy-in was found to be critical to program success, as the teachers who perceived yoga positively were more willing to incorporate it into their classroom, thus extending its benefits. Of particular interest were reports by preschool teachers of students who continued to use yoga in their daily lives and retain many of the skills learned in yoga even months after they had taken yoga classes.

Impact of Challenging Behavior on Marginalized and Minoritized Caregivers of Children With Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 027112142110520
Author(s):  
Nicole B. Adams ◽  
Stacy N. McGuire ◽  
Hedda Meadan ◽  
Melanie R Martin ◽  
Adriana K. Terol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Mexican American ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Common Occurrence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Interpretation ◽  
Young Children With Disabilities ◽  
The Impact

Challenging behavior (CB) is a common occurrence in early childhood and frequently occurs in young children with disabilities. CB is also culturally perceived and includes differences in how caregivers understand and define the topography of CB. Despite the cultural interpretation, CB is known to impact the child and their family but there has been little exploration of what marginalized caregivers perceive as the impact of the CB that their young children with disabilities exhibit. We used semi-structured interviews to explore the perceptions of 24 caregivers, who identified as Black, Mexican American, and White, about the impact of their child’s CB. Caregivers shared how the CB impacted themselves, their families, their child, and others. Although much of the impact was similar among caregivers, we discuss nuanced differences across ethnic groups.

How We Fail Our Children Part I—The Caretaking Young Children Need

2020 ◽  
pp. 92-118
Author(s):  
Maxine Eichner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Free Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
High Quality

A question for any thriving society is how to ensure that children have the things they need to do their best. Two different approaches, pro-family policy and free-market family policy, claim to satisfy children’s needs well. Countries with pro-family policy go out of their way to make it easy for parents to spend time with their children when kids most need it, as well as to provide them high-quality caretaking while parents work, and generous material support. In contrast, under free-market family policy, the United States expects parents to negotiate these conditions on their own, privately arranging for time off from work, reasonable work hours, caregiving while they work, and enough cash to support their kids. This chapter uses recent research on early childhood development to construct a list of the caretaking conditions that help young children thrive. It then considers the extent to which children receive these conditions under free-market family policy versus pro-family policy. Ultimately, it turns out that by far the biggest casualties of free-market family policy are our children.

scholarly journals Montessori Early Childhood Teacher Perceptions of Family Priorities and Stressors

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ann Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Family Stressors ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Family Partnerships

<p>Teachers of young children work closely with families. One component of teacher-family partnerships is teachers’ understanding of family priorities and stressors. This study examines Montessori early childhood (ages three through six) teacher perceptions of family priorities and stressors through an analysis of responses to two parallel surveys.  Eighty teachers (37% of those who received the survey) and forty-nine family members (representing a 55% response rate) completed the survey.  Significant differences were found between teachers’ perceptions of four (of seven) family priorities and families’ actual responses. Teachers ranked “making academic progress” as the most important of seven possible family priorities. However, families stated that “developing kindness” is the most important priority for their young children. No significant differences were found when comparing teacher rankings of family stressors with actual family responses. Montessori early childhood teachers ranked “not having enough time” as the most stressful of six possible stressors. Families confirmed that time pressures cause them the most stress. Maria Montessori’s recommendations for teachers and families are summarized. Recommendations for building stronger family partnerships in the context of Montessori’s philosophy, for example on-going self-reflection, are provided.</p><p>            <em>Keywords: Montessori, teacher-family partnerships, early childhood teacher perceptions</em></p>

scholarly journals Pathways to a more peaceful and sustainable world: The transformative power of children in families

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Pia R. Britto ◽  
Suna Hanöz-Penney ◽  
Liliana Angelica Ponguta ◽  
Diane Sunar ◽  
Ghassan Issa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Policy Advocacy ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Transformative Power

Abstract This article provides an overview of selected ongoing international efforts that have been inspired by Edward Zigler's vision to improve programs and policies for young children and families in the United States. The efforts presented are in close alignment with three strategies articulated by Edward Zigler: (a) conduct research that will inform policy advocacy; (b) design, implement, and revise quality early childhood development (ECD) programs; and (c) invest in building the next generation of scholars and advocates in child development. The intergenerational legacy left by Edward Zigler has had an impact on young children not only in the United States, but also across the globe. More needs to be done. We need to work together with a full commitment to ensure the optimal development of each child.

Exploration of School Administrator Attitudes Regarding Do Not Resuscitate Policies in the School Setting

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Hone-Warren
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
School Setting ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
School Administrator ◽  
Do Not Resuscitate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Administrator Attitudes ◽  
Dnr Orders

Few school districts in the United States have policies relating to do not resuscitate (DNR) orders in the school setting. School administrators are the gatekeepers of policy development. Little is known about administrator attitudes related to DNR orders in the school setting. School nurses need to understand administrator attitudes in order to facilitate DNR policy development. This study explored the attitudes of 15 administrators about DNR orders in the school setting through structured interviews. Administrators were asked their attitudes about DNR orders in the school setting and about DNR policy implementation. The majority of administrators believed that DNR policies should not be developed for the school setting because of the emotions involved and lack of administrator knowledge related to DNR orders. The majority of administrators did agree that having a DNR policy would clarify how staff should respond to DNR orders at school.

scholarly journals Primary Teachers' Perceptions Of Mindfulness Practices With Young Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Anne Piotrowski
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to present findings from four primary teachers and their perceptions of mindfulness practices with young children. Using open-ended and semi-structured interviews, these teachers in the school system shared their experiences with mindfulness practices in their classrooms. This study, using a thematic analysis, indicated that teachers felt there to be benefits of including mindfulness practices in their classrooms but have found that there are various issues that may hinder successful implementation. Integrating different mindfulness practices in the classroom could allow childhood well-being to be improved though holistic approaches.

scholarly journals The Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Revised: Links to Academic Outcomes and Measures of EF in Young Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan M. McClelland ◽  
Christopher R. Gonzales ◽  
Claire E. Cameron ◽  
G. John Geldhof ◽  
Ryan P. Bowles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head Start ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
Literacy Scores

The measurement of self-regulation in young children has been a topic of great interest as researchers and practitioners work to help ensure that children have the skills they need to succeed as they start school. The present study examined how a revised version of a commonly used measure of behavioral self-regulation, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS) called the HTKS-R, and measures of executive function (EF) was related to academic outcomes between preschool and kindergarten (ages 4–6years) in a diverse sample of children from families with low income participating in Head Start in the United States. Participants included 318 children (53% female; 76% White; and 20% Latino/Hispanic) from 64 classrooms in 18 Head Start preschools who were followed over four time points between the fall of preschool and the spring of kindergarten. Results indicated that children with higher HTKS-R scores had significantly higher math and literacy scores at all-time points between preschool and kindergarten. The HTKS-R was also a more consistent predictor of math and literacy than individual EF measures assessing inhibitory control, working memory, and task shifting. Parallel process growth models indicated that children who had high initial scores on the HTKS-R also had relatively higher initial scores on math and literacy. In addition, growth in children’s scores on the HTKS-R across the preschool and kindergarten years was related to growth in both children’s math and literacy scores over the same period independent of their starting points on either measure. For the HTKS-R and math, children’s initial scores were negatively associated with growth over the preschool and kindergarten years indicating that lower skilled children at the start of preschool started to catch up to their more skilled peers by the end of kindergarten.

scholarly journals Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
LG Phillips ◽  
Jenny Ritchie ◽  
JK Adair
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Comparative Education ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Children And Childhood

© 2018, © 2018 British Association for International and Comparative Education. Recognition of young children as citizens is relatively new in sociology, with translation emerging into education. Discourses of children and childhood shape ideas of young children as citizens and national discourses of citizenship frame what civic participation can be. The authors analysed national early childhood education curricula frameworks of Australia, New Zealand and the United States to understand how discourses authorise constructions of children as citizens and opportunities for young children’s civic participation. They sought to locate how children are positioned as citizens and what opportunities there are for young children’s citizenship participation in national early childhood curricula documents of Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Illustrative examples of children’s citizenship membership and participation from the three nations’ early childhood curricula were critically read to locate how prevalent discourses of children, childhood and citizenship in each nation define children as citizens and shape possibilities for citizenship participation for young children.

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