Early childhood education covers the years before and at the start of formal school: preschool, pre-K and kindergarten. These are the years when children build the language, early math, attention and self-control that the rest of school depends on, and gaps that open before kindergarten can be hard to close later.
Access varies widely. Some states fund free pre-K for every four-year-old, others serve only some families, and rural communities in particular can have few programs nearby. Kindergarten itself has changed too, with more academic expectations than a generation ago.
edCircuit's coverage is written for early childhood and elementary educators, school leaders and parents. It explains why early learning matters, how schools can ease the move from preschool into elementary school, what executive function is and how to strengthen it, and the lessons from programs that shaped generations of young learners. For older students with learning needs, see Special Education and IEPs.
Start with the articles below, then browse the full archive, newest first.