Reference Terms
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Early childhood education
Much of the first two years of a child's life is spent in the creation of a child's first "sense of self"; most children are able to differentiate between themselves and others by their second year. This is a crucial part of the child's ability to determine how they should function in relation to other people. Early care must emphasize links to family, home culture, and home language by uniquely caring for each child.[according to whom?]
Infant education is the education of children before they would normally enter school. The term "Infant" is typically applied to children between the ages of 1 month and 12 months.
Early childhood education focuses on children's learning through play, based on the research and philosophy of Jean Piaget. This belief is centered on the "power of play." It has been thought that children learn more efficiently and gain more knowledge through play-based activities such as dramatic play, art, and social games. This theory plays stems children's natural curiosity and tendencies to "make believe," mixing in educational lessons.
Researchers and early childhood educators both view the parents as an integral part of the early childhood education process. Often educators refer to parents as the child's "first and best teacher."
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October 27, 2025
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Oct. 24, 2025 — Researchers have finally seen and measured the tiny alpha-synuclein oligomers that may ignite Parkinson’s disease. With the ultra-sensitive ASA-PD imaging method, they captured these clusters in brain tissue, finding larger and more numerous ...
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Oct. 20, 2025 — Feeling in control may be the key to conquering daily stress. Penn State researchers found that people were 62% more likely to resolve everyday hassles on days when they felt greater control. This ...
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Oct. 20, 2025 — A major collaboration between UC San Diego and 23andMe identified genes that shape cannabis use behaviors. The study linked the CADM2 and GRM3 genes to cannabis use and connected these patterns to ...
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Oct. 18, 2025 — A long-term Australian study found that calcium supplements do not raise dementia risk in older women, countering previous fears. The research followed more than 1,400 participants for nearly 15 ...
Oct. 16, 2025 — Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even ...
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