early-childhood-education
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- NewsEdSurge24 Jul 2026
Early Childhood Education Teachers Grapple with Screen Time
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its screen time guidelines for children, focusing on digital devices rather than TV, but early childhood educators found the recommendations too generic for pre-K students. Teachers report that excessive screen time can impair cognitive development and emotional regulation in young children, leading to shorter attention spans and quick-tempered behavior.
Original abstract
<p>When the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its<a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/157/2/e2025075320/206129/Digital-Ecosystems-Children-and-Adolescents-Policy"> <u>guidelines</u></a> around screen time for children and teenagers for the first time in 10 years this past January, many teachers and educators applauded the news. The document focused less on television and more on digital devices. It offered educators, families, pediatricians, and other stakeholders research-backed guidance on using digital devices to support children’s learning, rather than prioritize prolonged engagement. </p><p>However, many of the recommendations were not tailored to specific age groups. Recommendations like “create a family media plan” and “protect sleep” were helpful but offered few concrete steps for pre-K students. </p><p>That left early childhood educators asking what they could do for their young learners.</p><h2>The Risks in Pre-K Through K</h2><p>Unlike the physical world, digital content comes fast, in short bursts, and when kids get used to that, it has negative consequences. “Too much of this screen and things jumping in front of them, it could be damaging overall,” says Latoya Jones, a pre-K through fifth-grade media specialist in Broward County, Florida. “They are developing their cognitive processes, and if we’re teaching them to think in six-second bursts, maybe that’s not what we’re aiming for.”</p><p>When kids interact with devices rather than people, their emotional regulation can suffer, says Kristina Turner, a first-grade teacher at the Paterson, New Jersey, campus of<a href="https://collegeachieve.org/"> <u>College Achieve Public Schools</u></a>, a network of three K-12 charter schools. “A lot of the students, they are quick-tempered because they’re just used to quick things. If something takes too long, their behavior starts to heighten,” she says.</p><p>For the youngest learners in particular, “it is so important that they are learni
- NewsEdSurge14 Jul 2026
We Talk About Whole Children. What About Whole Educators?
This article argues for supporting educators as whole people, not just employees, using the story of a teacher who thrived when her personal and professional needs were met. It emphasizes that teachers are the engineers of learning experiences, designing and scaffolding every moment for children. The author calls for a shift in the field to truly see and support educators.
Original abstract
<p>In 2010, a young woman walked into my office at the childcare center I directed in Arizona. She was nervous. She didn’t have experience in early childhood education. She just needed a job.</p><p>In most centers, that’s where the story would end. Instead, I offered her a working interview — two observational hours in an infant classroom. When she came back into my office, she was beaming. “I love this,” she told me. “Just give me a chance. I’ll learn.”</p><p>Her name is Lindsay. Fifteen years later, she’s still teaching.</p><h4>Seeing the Educator</h4><p>Lindsay’s story isn’t just about passion or perseverance; it’s about support. We made a deliberate choice — over and over again — to see her as a whole person first and an employee second. We figured out scheduling so she could get her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. We found coverage when she needed practicum hours elsewhere. I wasn’t there for every step of Lindsay’s journey that followed, but she and I have stayed in touch throughout all these years. She earned her associate’s degree and then her bachelor’s degree; she grew from part-time infant teacher to lead teacher to program coordinator.</p><p>Lindsay’s story shows us what happens when an educator is truly seen — something our field has yet to get right. What gets overlooked most in conversations about the quality of early childhood education is that educators are engineers. Every learning opportunity a young child experiences is designed, built and brought to life by a teacher. There is no curriculum three-year-olds activate for themselves. Every moment of discovery, every language-rich exchange and every carefully scaffolded small group experience is built by someone. A teacher looks at a group of children, weighs their individual needs, considers the family’s hopes, aligns these needs and hopes to learning objectives and makes a decision about what to put in front of those kids at that moment. And they do this all day long.</p><p>These edu
- NewsOxford University Press ELT Blog5 Jun 2025
Teaching Values To Very Young Learners
A preschool classroom activity helped a young learner internalize the value of helping others through active participation. The article discusses integrating value-based lessons into very young learners' language education, highlighting the importance of fostering social-emotional skills alongside language development.
Original abstract
I vividly remember Oscar, a preschool child in my class, jumping up and down excitedly during an activity as he called out, ‘I’m helping!’ Oscar knew that not only had he learnt that helping others was a nice and good thing to do, but he could also put it into practice. For him, it was […] The post Teaching Values To Very Young Learners appeared first on Teaching English with Oxford .