Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Child care and preschool options proliferate—in America and worldwide—as families and civic leaders aspire to lift the next generation. But how to raise children right? What kinds of caregivers and preschools truly enrich children’s vitality? These essential questions have sparked lively debate and sacred mythology over the past half-century. This traveler’s guide to the field of early education tackles these deeply human issues—distinguishing heartfelt beliefs for how to shape childhood from empirical findings on what works in elevating diverse children. Exploring this still wild and unsettled field, this book weighs common mantras—learning through play is best, classroom routines are key, free pre-K for all will lift poor children—then unpacks the ideological roots and evidence for each. A practical map to this still rugged field, the book invites educators, parents, and advocates to clarify their goals for young children—the cognitive and moral ends that inform for how we nurture our offspring. To win broader public support and enrich benefits for kids, this book points to potent policy strategies, classroom practices, and nurturing relationships. And the grown-ups are challenged to become more curious and playful, questioning conventional wisdom. Berkeley’s Bruce Fuller brings five decades of experience—as parent, teacher, and policy activist—to the field, nudging you to weigh alternative philosophies of childhood and how to better engage a rainbow of families and communities.</jats:p>