Special Topics

Learn about outdoor preschools, bilingual programs, technology in early education, inclusive practices, and emerging trends shaping today’s early childhood classrooms.

A smiling child with Down syndrome holds up both hands covered in brightly colored paint, showing joy and creativity in an inclusive preschool classroom. The plain, light background keeps the focus on the child’s happiness and artistic expression.

Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: Supporting All Learners

In today's diverse world, preschool classrooms are increasingly becoming spaces where children of all abilities...

A young boy with blonde hair wearing a green plaid shirt sits at a table, focused on using a tablet with a black case—the digital preschooler in a bright, softly blurred background.

The Digital Preschooler: Healthy Screen Time & Alternatives

In today's world, even the youngest children are digital natives. Walk into any restaurant, waiting room...

Two young girls wearing glasses and colorful clothes sit at a table in an inclusive preschool library, drawing and coloring with pencils and crayons on paper, surrounded by books and art supplies.

Inclusive Preschool Environments: Support All Young Learners

When Elijah first joined our preschool classroom, he used a wheelchair and communicated differently than his peers...

Vibrant cut-out balloons feature their color names in English and Spanish, making them perfect for a bilingual preschool learning environment. Colors include red/rojo, purple/morado, black/negro, brown/marrón, and more.

Bilingual Preschool: Early Second Language (Brain Benefits)

When my friend Elena enrolled her daughter in a Spanish-English bilingual preschool, some family members were concerned...

Outdoor preschool classroom scene with a wooden easel and chalkboard, bins of picture books, colored pencils, and activity supplies arranged on artificial grass; shelves and greenery visible in the background.

Outdoor Preschool Benefits: Why It Helps Children Thrive

When I first heard about outdoor preschools, I was skeptical. Would my daughter really be okay learning outside all day...

An adult holds a card with a drawing of a smiling face labeled excited while a young girl in pink and blue overalls smiles in the background, suggesting a social emotional learning or therapy activity.

Social Emotional Learning in Preschool (Activities for EQ)

In the colorful, sometimes chaotic world of preschool, amid the ABCs and 123s, something equally important...

A young child wearing a yellow jacket and blue backpack crouches in a forest, closely examining green ferns with a magnifying glass—an experience inspired by a nature-based curriculum—on a sunny day.

Nature-Based Curriculum: Bringing the Outdoors Into Subjects

Nature-Based Curriculum: Integrating the Outdoors Into Every Subject Last spring, I watched as Mia, a typically reserved four-year-old in my class, carefully examined a fallen log in our outdoor classroom. “Teacher, look!” she exclaimed, pointing to a line of ants…

A young girl wearing a virtual reality headset raises her arms in a classroom, while a smiling teacher assists her. Other children in the background join immersive virtual field trips and interact with educational activities.

Virtual Field Trips: Expanding Children’s Worlds with Tech

Virtual Field Trips: Expanding Preschoolers’ Worlds Through Technology “Ms. Sarah, are we really going to see penguins today?” four-year-old Elijah asked, eyes wide with excitement. “I thought penguins lived far, far away!” I smiled at his enthusiasm. “We are going…

Three young children sit together at a table, smiling and looking at a laptop screen, appearing engaged as they explore the basics of digital citizenship.

Digital Citizenship for Preschoolers: Safe Technology Use

Digital Citizens in Training: How to Teach Responsible Technology Use in Early Childhood Last week, four-year-old Zoe approached me during center time with a serious look on her face. “Ms. Jamie,” she whispered, “Leo is watching videos without asking permission…

Young children sit on the floor, hands pressed together in a prayer-like gesture, practicing mindfulness as they attentively look toward an adult out of view. The setting appears to be a classroom or daycare.

15 Mindfulness Activities for Preschoolers for Calm & Focus

Tiny Breaths, Big Impact: Mindfulness Activities Adapted for Young Children Have you ever watched a toddler completely absorbed in examining a leaf or a preschooler utterly focused on stacking blocks? Young children naturally experience moments of mindfulness—they just don’t call…

A group of young children smile and interact with a woman, likely a teacher, who is sitting and high-fiving one of them in a colorful classroom, embodying trauma-informed teaching practices.

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Preschool Gentle Practices

Creating Healing Spaces: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices for Early Childhood Educators In a classroom of twenty 4-year-olds, little Emma sits alone during playtime, flinching at sudden movements and struggling to connect with peers. Meanwhile, Jayden has frequent emotional outbursts that seem…

A young boy wearing glasses and a red bow tie stands in front of a chalkboard covered in greetings from different languages, smiling and giving two thumbs up—celebrating the joys of dual language learning.

Dual Language Learning: Supporting Multilingual Learners

Dual Language Learning: Supporting Multilingual Preschoolers In a preschool classroom in Seattle, four-year-old Sofia confidently leads the morning greeting, first in English, then in Spanish. Across the room, Mei and her teacher use picture cards as they practice naming animals…

A smiling woman in a Santa hat helps two young girls with holiday crafts, sharing the joy of cultural celebrations at a table covered with colored paper and decorations. One girl wears reindeer antlers, while the other smiles up with paint on her hands.

Cultural Celebrations in Preschool: Ways to Honor Diversity

Cultural Celebrations in Preschool: Authentic Ways to Honor Diversity In a preschool classroom in Minneapolis, four-year-old Aisha excitedly shows her classmates how to wear a headscarf like her mother. Across the room, Miguel and his teacher add ingredients to make…

A bright, organized Montessori classroom with eco-friendly wooden shelves, educational materials, plants, child-sized tables and chairs, and sunlight streaming through windows with colorful curtains.

Eco-Friendly Classrooms: Practices to Inspire Responsibility

Eco-Friendly Classrooms: Sustainable Practices That Teach Environmental Responsibility In an era where environmental challenges loom large, classrooms have emerged as powerful incubators for sustainable thinking and action. Today’s students aren’t just future environmental stewards—they’re current changemakers with tremendous potential to…

A young girl in a blue jacket uses a small hammer on a log at a forest preschool, while another child in green is blurred in the foreground. The scene takes place in a wooded area.

Forest Preschool: All-Weather Outdoor Benefits for Children

Forest Preschools: The Benefits of All-Weather Outdoor Learning “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” This Scandinavian saying captures the essence of forest preschools, where children spend most—if not all—of their day learning outdoors, regardless of rain,…

A smartphone with a white screen displays the words screen time in colorful, playful letters. The phone, angled against a plain background, highlights the concept of tracking daily screen time.

Preschool Screen Time Guidelines: Finding a Healthy Balance

Technology Balance: Screen Time Guidelines for the Modern Preschool In today’s digital world, technology is an inescapable part of children’s lives—even for our youngest learners. Walk into any modern preschool classroom, and you might see interactive whiteboards, tablets for learning…

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