The primary strength of BEGINNINGS AND BEYOND: FOUNDATIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, 10th Edition, is its blend of simplicity and depth. In a clear and easy-to-understand style, the book lays out basic questions any student of early childhood education would want answered -- and presents key concepts, the latest research, and practical examples so that questions are thoroughly answered. Coverage of the current Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) are woven throughout the text, as is material on diversity and development, how brain-based research is connected to development, and intentional teaching. Through its tone, numerous visuals, and carefully crafted pedagogy, the book is accessible to and respectful of readers with a range of abilities and learning styles. This California-specific edition directly connects the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies to the material in the text.

Part I: WHAT IS THE FIELD OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?
1. History of Early Childhood Education.
2. Types of Programs.
Part II: WHO IS THE YOUNG CHILD?
3. Defining the Young Child.
4. Developmental and Learning Theories.
Part III: WHO ARE THE TEACHERS?
5. Teaching: A Professional Commitment.
6. Observation and Assessment of Children.
7. Guiding Children's Behavior.
8. Families and Teachers: Partners in Education.
9. Creating Environments.
Part IV: WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT?
10: Curriculum: Creating a Context for Learning.
11: Planning for the Body: Physical/Motor Development in Action.
12: Planning for the Mind: Cognitive Development in Action.
13: Planning for the Mind: Language and Literacy Development in Action.
14: Planning for the Heart and Soul: Psychosocial Development in Action.
Part V: HOW DO WE TEACH FOR TOMORROW?
15: Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education: Four Themes.

The primary strength of BEGINNINGS AND BEYOND: FOUNDATIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, 10th Edition, is its blend of simplicity and depth. In a clear and easy-to-understand style, the book lays out basic questions any student of early childhood education would want answered -- and presents key concepts, the latest research, and practical examples so that questions are thoroughly answered. Coverage of the current Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) are woven throughout the text, as is material on diversity and development, how brain-based research is connected to development, and intentional teaching. Through its tone, numerous visuals, and carefully crafted pedagogy, the book is accessible to and respectful of readers with a range of abilities and learning styles. This California-specific edition directly connects the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies to the material in the text. Students can begin developing or adding to their personal libraries of professional tools for the classroom with charts, figures, summaries, and forms in the text, identified as Professional Resource Downloads. These documents, some of which are editable, are available as digital downloads with the MindTap online learning experience available with the text. They include a checklist for program evaluations, an observational techniques summary chart, a culturally responsive list, a daily schedule, and many others. MindTap® Education for Beginnings and Beyond is a highly personalized, fully customizable learning platform with an integrated e-portfolio. MindTap helps students to elevate their thinking by guiding them to know, remember, and understand concepts critical to becoming a great teacher; apply concepts, create curricula and tools, and demonstrate performance and competency in key areas, including education standards; prepare artifacts for their portfolio and eventual state licensure, to launch a successful teaching career; and develop the habits to become a reflective practitioner. Thorough revision of all chapters brings the content completely up-to-date to meet the needs of today's practitioners and includes current coverage of standards-based education and accountability, developmentally appropriate practice, and special education. A focus on the professional standards of the field includes chapter-opening lists of key NAEYC Standards for Professional Preparation and sections of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Content that are related to upcoming content. This California-specific edition directly connects the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies to the material in the text. The beginning of each chapter highlights which competencies are covered in the chapter, and a detailed chart in the appendix shows the correlation of each chapter to the standards through the competency area/performance area/topic levels. A "Brain-Research Says…" feature in every chapter emphasizes the connection between neuroscience and development, and is accompanied by reflection questions ideal for student assignments. Another feature, "Teaching with Intention," emphasizes the important theme of intentional teaching, and is also accompanied by reflection questions for homework or in-class discussion. Pedagogy includes chapter-opening "Learning Objectives" tied to the chapter's main heads, which serve as an advance organizer for students; and "Observe and Apply" activities at the end of the chapter, which provide field observation suggestions and opportunities for application of concepts. A specially designed section on Word Pictures showcases a unique and popular asset of this text. Providing a handy reference guide on common behaviors in six developmental areas for children of different age levels, this feature helps classroom teachers know what to expect and when to expect it, and thus helps them prescribe programs, plan activities, and appropriately create curricula. Diversity coverage woven throughout the book -- including a "Diversity" feature in each chapter -- enables readers to recognize issues of gender, race/ethnicity, ability, language, and family patterns in every aspect of teaching. Curriculum chapters are based on development to show readers how activities can be based on children's physical, cognitive, language, and social developmental levels rather than on subjects or themes, thereby helping educators understand how to create developmentally appropriate curricula. All major areas and curricula are covered, making the text useful in a multitude of courses.