Elizabeth J. Sandell

Using ACEI's Global Guidelines Assessment for Improving Early Education

The Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21 st Century were developed as a collaborative project between the U. S. National Committee of the World Organization for Early Childhood (OMEP) and of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). The project’s intent was to provide guidance concerning the fundamental elements that are necessary to create high quality environments for early care and education. This paper presents the history of the development of a related instrument, called the ACEI

Kindergarten in Russia's Far East: The Effect of Climate

Russia’s Far East region is dark, cold, and isolated for much of the year. However, programs for young children demonstrate the community commitment to provide for its youngest citizens and to promote the cultural heritage of the region. This chapter addresses how leaders have adapted childhood care and education to the region’s geography, economy, and culture. In 2008, the city of Magadan reorganized the programming and renovated the building for Kindergarten 3. The program components are organized so that children acquire knowledge and correct deviations, as well as to develop personality, acquire learning skills, enhance self-concept, and orient to the surrounding world. The fundamental direction and content of the Kindergarten includes: revival, preservation and transfer of meanings and values of national culture, and love for nature and the native land in which youngsters live and develop. The program, “Severyachok: Children of the North,” provides children with experiences related to the lives of indigenous people groups. Children hear stories, see everyday objects from the natives of the Far North–East, and learn how people use these objects in life.