Young Children • May 2012 Stephanie Feeney, PhD, is professor emerita of education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has served on the governing boards of NAEYC and the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE). Since the 1980s she has been involved in developing and teaching the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. feeney@hawaii.edu Nancy K. Freeman, PhD, is an associate professor of early childhood education at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and director of its Yvonne and Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center. She chairs the Governor’s Committee on the Regulation of Child Care Facilities and is the immediate past-president of NAECTE. nfreeman@sc.edu Rabbi Meir Muller, PhD, earned rabbinical ordination, and is a clinical assistant professor of early childhood education, at the University of South Carolina. He is principal of Columbia Jewish Day School. Meir was awarded the Scholastic Early Childhood Educator of the Year award in 2006 and has served on the Council for NAEYC Accreditation. He has lectured across the United States and in Israel for the International Research Group on Jewish Education in the Early Years. meirmuller@sc.rr.com. An archive of the Focus on Ethics columns is available at www.naeyc.org/yc/ columns/focusonethics. Differing Faiths in a Faith-Based Program Focus on Ethics

Young Children • November 2012 Stephanie Feeney, PhD, is professor emerita of education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has served on the governing boards of NAEYC and the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE). Since the 1980s she has been involved in developing and teaching the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. feeney@hawaii.edu Nancy K. Freeman, PhD, is an associate professor of early childhood education at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she is the director of the Yvonne and Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center. She chairs the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Child Care Regulation and is immediate past-president of the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE). nfreeman@ sc.edu An archive of the Focus on Ethics columns is available at www.naeyc.org/yc/ columns/focusonethics. The Birthday Cake: Balancing Responsibilities to Children and Families F0cus 0n Ethics

Jennifer Adair Jennifer Aldrich Angela Baum Michelle Bauml Doris Bergen Gloria Boutte Amanda Branscombe Lorraine Breffni Amy Broemmel Christopher Brown Nancy Brown Deborah Bruns Julie Bullard Jan G. Burcham Kathryn Castle Lori Caudle Christine Chaille Dong Hwa Choi Kenneth Counselman Leslie Couse Kay Cutler Sara Davis Anne Dorsey Angela Eckhoff Roy Evans Beatrice Fennimore Nancy Freeman Doris Fromberg Vicki Garavuso Dawn Garbett Jennifer Gilliard Dierdre Greer Sophia Han Sanna Harjusola-Webb Helen Hedges Julie Herron Rebecca Huss-Keeler Mary Jensen Jim Johnson Ithel Jones Laura Kates Virginia Keen Jill Klefstad Byran Korth Janice Kroeger Vickie Lake Karen LaParo Yuen-Ling Joyce Li Shannon McNair Daniel Meier Monica Miller-Marsh Mary Jane Moran Mark Nagasawa Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett Shelley Nicholson John Nimmo Deborah Norris Nadjwa Norton Cynthia Paris Will Parnell Jean Plaisir Beth Powers-Costello Patricia Ramsey Susan Recchia Stuart Reifel Frances Rust Sharon Ryan Catherine Scott-Little Lynda Kathryn Sharp Meagan Shedd Frances Sherwood Sara Sherwood Mariana Souto-Manning Dolores Stegelin Andrew Stremmel Judit Szente

Promoting school readiness continues to be a critical issue worldwide. This chapter provides a rationale for focusing on making schools ready for children rather than making children ready for schools. It describes efforts to link preprimary and primary schools in the United States and Northern Italy to smooth children’s and families’ transitions into the formal educational system. It urges educators to identify and disseminate characteristics of best practices.

Early childhood teacher educators frequently enhance their teaching by reading children’s books to their adult students. It is not unusual for faculty outside of early childhood to question devoting precious class time to read-alouds which they may consider a curious, if not frivolous, instructional strategy. Quality children’s literature can, however, enhance students’ experiences in the college classroom, contribute to their understanding of course content, promote their personal growth and self-understanding, increase their appreciation for quality children’s literature, and enhance their ability to integrate storybooks into their own teaching. Children’s books often capture a child’s point of view. They have the potential to provide historical or cultural perspectives on children and families. They also can lead to the examination of universal truths and can facilitate the discussion of sensitive or emotional issues A list of books with suggested uses is included.

The purpose of this case study was to examine the reflections of pre-service early childhood and elementary education majors on their music teaching experiences that were a part of their undergraduate early childhood music methods course. The research questions guiding this investigation were: (a) How did participants perceive themselves and young children while they engaged in a series of early childhood pre-service music teaching experiences and (b) how did the participants perceive those experiences to influence teacher preparation and other life experiences? Participants were 6 female undergraduates who completed a series of music teaching experiences and reflections during an early childhood music methods course. Each participant also agreed to be interviewed three semesters following the completion of the course. Three themes emerged with regard to the first research question: (a) developing confidence, (b) recognizing children's music responses and development, and (c) adapting while teaching. Two themes emerged with regard to the second research question: (a) transferring music skills, content, and activities and connecting to community; and (b) using reflection for understanding child development and self-development. Participants gained experience at reflection-in-action, appreciated reflection on reflection, and valued repeated authentic music teaching experiences and developing reflective practices early in their academic careers.

Young children construct understandings of gender during the preschool years. They accurately apply common gender stereotypes to toys by the time they are three and readily predict their parents’ opinions about gender-typical and cross-gender play. This study involved 3- and 5-year-old children in identifying “girl toys” and “boy toys”. It also asked them to predict their parents’ reactions to their choices of gender-specific toys. These children’s parents were surveyed in an effort to describe their preferences about gender-specific toys and behaviors. Responses indicated that, in spite of evidence that many of these parents reject common gender stereotypes, their children predicted parents would consistently apply these stereotypes as reflected by their approval or disapproval of children’s choices to play with gender stereotyped or cross-gender toys. The mis-match between parents’ self-described beliefs and children’s perceptions of the messages they have received about genderized play are discussed.

Beginning teachers of young children often express concern that their professional preparation has not adequately prepared them to work effectively with families. This remains the case in spite of literature documenting the importance of involving parents in their children's early education. This article describes a service learning project designed to give students early in their professional preparation an authentic opportunity be a resource for the families of the children with whom they have worked. Service learning is a particularly appropriate pedagogical approach to enhance students' confidence and competence working with families because it provides authentic and hands-on opportunities to apply course content. This project effectively provided students an opportunity to assume a professional voice when working with families. It enhanced our program's success ensuring that our students take the requisite skills and dispositions to their work with families, while building their confidence and honing their communication skills.

Rough and tumble (R&T) play is a well-researched form of play fighting that contributes to children's academic and social success. Some continue to believe it inevitably leads to bullying and aggression, but this chapter makes that case that R&T should be reconceptualized and supported by creating settings that welcome and encourage consenting players' participation. R&T can be supported by creating an emotionally safe environment where children are empowered to choose whether or not to join in, by the provision of wide-open spaces, adequate time, and adults who will provide a physical and emotional safety net at arm's length.

(2004). Nurturing Peaceful Children to Create a Caring World the Role of Families and Communities. Childhood Education: Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 2-8.

The University of South Carolina's child development lab school faced extinction because of campus renewal projects and shifting priorities. Shrinking state budgets ended subsidies for small-scale programs at the same time the university was privatizing non-essential services. It became apparent that we needed to forge new partnerships and explore innovative funding strategies if the center was to continue providing quality childcare on our research university campus. Our five-year-long struggle has culminated with the creation of a unique public/private partnership linking the management expertise and investment capital of a for-profit childcare provider with the resources and professional knowledge at the state's flagship university. After the framework for the public/private partnership had been created the state's Department of Health and Human Services and Educational Television joined to create a center of excellence that will be a demonstration site for the entire early childhood community. We believe the partnership we have created is a sustainable solution to the campus childcare dilemma, one that will keep quality childcare and related research and teaching on our campus. The partnership we have created can serve as a sustainable model for other programs faced with shrinking budgets, eroding support, and threats to their existence.