Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight

Covers Birth to Age Eight. This new text provides a balance of theory and application to help novices and practicing early childhood professionals understand why and how to set up, arrange, and make changes to early childhood learning environments. Organized largely by chapters on learning centers (literacy, manipulative and sensory, science, mathematics, etc.), the text also covers foundational information such as the emotionally supportive and equitable environment, the role of the teacher, the importance of the environment, design principles, and health and safety. Coverage woven through every chapter includes material for all age groups in early childhood (infants and toddlers through 3rd grade), assessing the environment, meeting the needs of ALL learners, the teacher's role in facilitating learning in the various environments, and ways to address each curricular area outdoors. It

Julie Bullard is a professor and director of the Early Childhood Education program at the University of Montana-Western. During her thirty years in the early childhood field she has been a preschool and elementary teacher, child care director, Head Start administrator, and a teacher of adults receiving CDA’s, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees in early childhood. Julie has had a passion for the importance of the early learning environment since completing coursework in architecture over thirty years ago. She also has a special interest in curricular standards and is involved on several state and national committees to develop and implement high standards using play-based curriculum. She is active on the National Association for Young Children (NAEYC) professional development panel and is a national reviewer of early childhood higher education programs. She also serves on an oversight committee for NAEYC/NCATE accreditation. Julie was recently appointed to serve on an NAEYC committee to revise the national early childhood higher education standards. She serves on the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Education (NAECTE) national board and is also on the NCATE Board of Examiners. She has been involved in the development of the Montana early childhood knowledge base, infant-toddler guidelines, preschool guidelines, kindergarten standards, and early childhood and elementary higher education standards. Julie received her doctorate from Montana State University.