Designed to spark an interchange of ideas, this book presents early childhood education as a nuanced, shifting, and complex field. Readers will bear witness to several decades of the lived experiences of influential leaders engaged in conversation about seven major topics.

Contents Foreword Diane M. Horm  vii Introduction  1 Nancy File, Nancy E. Barbour, and Andrew J. Stremmel 1.  Systems of Early Care and Education  5 W. Steven Barnett and Jacqueline Jones Reflections on the Systems of Early Care and Education Conversation  25 Nancy E. Barbour 2.  Diversity, Equity, and Children’s Rights in Early Childhood Education  31 Gloria Swindler Boutte and Dina C. Castro Reflections on the Diversity, Equity, and Children’s Rights in Early Childhood Education Conversation  43 Nancy File 3.  Developmentally Appropriate Practice: The Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children  49 Sue Bredekamp and Marilou Hyson Reflections on the Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conversation  69 Nancy E. Barbour 4.  The Place of Play in Early Childhood Education  75 Jaipaul L. Roopnarine and Jeffrey Trawick-Smith Reflections on the Place of Play in Early Childhood Education Conversation  95 Nancy File 5.  Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education  101 J. Amos Hatch and Marjorie Kostelnik Reflections on the Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education Conversation  121 Andrew J. Stremmel 6.  The Place of Infants and Toddlers in Early Childhood Education  127 Mary Benson McMullen and Susan L. Recchia Reflections on the Place of Infants and Toddlers Conversation  145 Nancy File 7.  Families and Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education  151 Douglas R. Powell and Mari Riojas-Cortez Reflections on the Families and Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education Conversation  169 Andrew J. Stremmel 8.  Closing Thoughts: Reflections and (Re)Claiming  173 Katherine K. Delaney Afterword: A Final Word on Conversations  183 Andrew J. Stremmel Index  185 About the Editors  193

“A perfect textbook for both undergraduate- and graduate-level ECE courses focused on the history of our field…. I found the book leaving me celebrating our successes with a renewed dedication to addressing our challenges in the years ahead.” —From the Foreword by Diane M. Horm, director, Early Childhood Education Institute (ECEI), GKFF Endowed Chair and professor of early childhood education, David L. Boren Professor, The University of Oklahoma–Tulsa