How and what should young children be taught? What emphasis should be given to emotional learning? How do we involve families? Addressing these and other critical questions, this authoritative volume brings together developmentalists and early educators to discuss what an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum might look like across the preschool and early elementary years. State-of-the-science work is presented on brain development and the emergence of cognitive, socioemotional, language, and literacy skills in 3- to 8-year-olds. Drawing on experience in real-world classrooms, contributors describe novel, practical approaches to promoting school readiness, tailoring instruction to children’s learning needs, and improving the teaching of language arts, math, and science.

Oscar A. Barbarin, PhD, is the Lila L. and Douglas J. Hertz Endowed Chair in the Department of Psychology at Tulane University. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is past President of the American Orthopsychiatric Association and was elected to the Governing Council of the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr. Barbarin’s research has focused on the social and familial determinants of ethnic and gender achievement gaps beginning in early childhood. He has developed ABLE, a mental health screening tool for young children. Dr. Barbarin is principal investigator of the PAS Initiative, a national study that focuses on the socioemotional and academic development of boys of color.

Barbara Hanna Wasik, PhD, holds a William R. Kenan, Jr. Professorship in the School of Education and is a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Wasik also chairs the School Psychology Program. She serves as a consultant to national organizations and has held office in state and national organizations, including the American Psychological Association. She was an invited participant to the White House Conference on Child Care and served as a member of the Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy of the National Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on early childhood interventions, family literacy, social and cognitive development, problem solving, home visiting, and the observational study of children.