Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This book is a hands-on description of the application of the methods developed by Professor Reuven Feuerstein to remediate and elaborate the skills and functions of young children who are experiencing a variety of learning disabilities and delays, based on his theories of structural cognitive modifiability (SCM) and the application of mediated learning experience (MLE). The lead author is an experienced educational therapist who has worked with a variety of children, initially in the Feuerstein Institute (formerly the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential [ICELP]) in Jerusalem, Israel. This experience under the supervision of Professor Feuerstein and his staff is the basis for the content of this book. Her case studies have been elaborated to illustrate examples of the creative potential in the application of the methodology incorporating mediated learning experience (MLE) into learning activities designed to be effective with a variety of learning dysfunctions. The chapter format highlights important insights in identifying difficulties and resolving them. This book describes how MLE can be used to formulate insightful and creative interventions that make a difference through the structural cognitive modifiability of very low-functioning children. After initial chapters establish the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the Feuerstein approach, the subsequent chapters present interventions provided for children presenting a variety of learning difficulties. The book will be appropriate for several potential audiences: (1) teachers and parents who interact with special-needs children and who are seeking effective interventions to improve educational performance, (2) clinicians seeking a broadening of their therapeutic repertoires, and (3) scholars who are familiar with or wishing to gain understanding of the implementation of structural cognitive modifiability (SCM) and mediated learning experience (MLE) that was formulated and elaborated by Professor Feuerstein.

This practice-focused guide introduces The SmartStart Toolbox as a remedial program to help mental health professionals and adoptive parents promote the educational and social development of internationally adopted children aged 4–8. Recognizing the cultural, emotional, and cognitive needs of children who have experienced a fundamental change in their social situation of development following international adoption, The SmartStart Toolbox provides a range of family-based remedial activities which stimulate children’s thinking and learning while creating scaffolded attachment opportunities during early interactions with their adoptive families. The volume details the notions of "psychological tools" (Vygotsky) and "mediated learning experience" (Feuerstein) which form the theoretical foundations for The SmartStart Toolbox and offers step-by-step guidance on conducting activities and adapting them to the individual child. The SmartStart methodology can also be used by professionals for diagnostic purposes. This text will benefit researchers in child psychology, as well as clinicians, family therapists, social workers, and educators with an interest in child development, cognitive and language enhancement, and adoption and fostering more broadly. Adoptive parents will also benefit from this book and its focus on themes of attachment, parenting, and the development of social cognition.