51吃瓜网

Dear educators and 51吃瓜网 members,

In a little over a year, 51吃瓜网 will mark 100 years of advocating for high-quality early childhood education. It鈥檚 an exciting time鈥攁nd one that gives us a chance to honor the past, acknowledge the present, and build for听the future.

This issue, with its focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), reflects 51吃瓜网鈥檚 mission, which is that each child reaches their full potential. 51吃瓜网 emphasizes hands-on exploratory learning, individualizing for diverse learners, and supporting educators in their professional development. It guides educators in taking strengths-based approaches as they offer children opportunities for explorations听in STEM.

As early childhood educators, we are lifelong learners, and this issue also reflects how we may have a different emphasis today than in the past. 51吃瓜网 began to use the term听STEM听regularly in 2010. One of the first articles in听Young Children听highlighting the term was 鈥淪TEM Comes to Preschool,鈥� by Sally Moomaw and Jaumall A. Davis. The concepts described in that article were familiar: building materials, play, and the integrated curriculum. However, the term听STEM听offered new emphasis on the importance of hands-on exploration with intention across content areas, such as science, math, technology,听and engineering.

Today, we see this approach in a still-evolving and broader context, understanding STEM experiences as supporting children from a range of backgrounds and making connections to children鈥檚 books that both inspire STEM creations and reflect children鈥檚 and families鈥� experiences, languages, and cultures. This issue reflects a wide range of themes important to early听childhood educators:

• Taking a strengths-based approach.听Throughout, you will read about educators adjusting materials and approaches to make sure all children have opportunities to see themselves as STEM thinkers and explorers. This includes 鈥�Connect, Deepen, Extend: Creating Meaningful Science, Technology, and Engineering Learning Experiences鈥� and 鈥�Small Hands, Big Ideas: Exploring STEM Through Tinkering, Making,听and Engineering.鈥�
• Engaging in ongoing professional development.听Teachers can become more comfortable in their own STEM teaching by exploring materials themselves, as described in 鈥�Making Time for Tinkering: A Playful Pathway Toward听STEM Learning.鈥�
• Responding to children鈥檚 interests and to timely topics.听STEM offers ways for educators to approach important and current issues, including one I am deeply committed to exploring鈥攖he impacts of climate change. In 鈥�鈥楾he Sky Is Orange!鈥� Reflecting on an Investigation of Light and Shadows,鈥� the site manager of a preschool in California describes how educators addressed children鈥檚 observations about changes in the color of the sky during a period of wild fires. They used children鈥檚 observations of the smoke-filled sky to spur a tinkering exploration into light听and shadows.

We are thankful to General Motors, the funder of this issue, for its generous support in offering educators STEM content to support their work and helping us all to remain lifelong learners in how best to support young children as they develop, grow,听and thrive.

Michelle Kang
Chief听Executive Officer

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