Early Childhood Education Today, 16th edition

Published by Pearson (December 3, 2026) © 2027
  • George S Morrison
  • Lorraine Breffni
  • Mary Jean Woika

Title overview

For introductory early childhood education courses.

Teaching practices from PreK to Grade 3

Early Childhood Education Today promotes high-quality early education with a focus on current, evidence-based examination of this constantly evolving field. It emphasizes the practical, applicable content needed for future educators to help their students gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviors for success in school and life.

The 16th Edition explores technology in the classroom and the impact of AI on all aspects of education; provides many examples of evidence-based instruction; adds a new Teaching in Practice feature; and many more enhancements.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Chapter-opening learning outcomes align with major text sections.
  • NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards are provided throughout.
  • Implications for Teaching sections in every chapter outline and identify classroom techniques.
  • Chapter-ending Activities for Professional Development help students apply concepts.
  • Ethical Dilemmas are based on facts, current issues and real-life situations faced by early childhood teachers today.
  • Voice from the Field: Competency Builder features build students' confidence in performing essential teaching tasks, step by step.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Teaching in Practice helps novice professionals confidently transition from theory to practice in today’s educational settings.
  • NEW: Focus on the Digital PreK-3 Classroom encourages aspiring primary educators to become tech-savvy facilitators, data-driven instructional designers, and STEAM integrators to help equip their future students for success.
    • The chapter on Digital PreK-3 Classrooms: Integrating STEM into Your Teaching (Ch. 12) has been entirely revised.
    • The integration of AI and STEM into all curriculum areas is explored.
  • NEW: Phonics and the Use of Science-Based Pedagogy (SBP) to teach children to read is discussed in depth, with "how-to" examples provided.
  • REVISED: Dramatic demographic shifts and their implications for educators and children are addressed, with the aim to help students meet these challenges with professionalism and confidence.

Key features

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 13th Edition

  • Video Examples in each chapter illustrate principles or concepts aligned with the material. Clips show students what experts do in real classrooms; captions encourage them to reflect and think critically about real-life teaching situations.
  • Interactive Glossary highlights need-to-know terms in each chapter. By clicking on these boldfaced terms, students quickly access and learn the terms that affect how they will practice partnerships.
  • LMS-Compatible Assessment Bank: All quizzes, application exercises, and chapter tests are included in LMS-compatible banks for Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, and Moodle. These packaged files give instructors maximum flexibility for importing, assigning, and grading. Assessment types include:
    • Chapter Review Quizzes: Higher-order, multiple-choice questions in each quiz also provide correct answers and distractors, and explain why each response is correct or incorrect.
    • Application Exercises are usually in short-answer format, and can be based on Pearson eText Video Examples, written cases, and proposed scenarios.
    • Chapter Tests: Suggested test items are provided for each chapter and include questions in multiple choice and short answer/essay format.

Table of contents

I. Early Childhood Education and Professional Development

  • 1. What Does It Mean to Be an Early Childhood Professional?
  • 2. Contemporary Issues Involving Children and Families: Implications for Teaching and Learning
  • 3. Observation and Assessment for Teaching and Learning: Effective Teaching Through Appropriate Evaluation

II. Foundations: History and Theories

  • 4. The Past and the Present: Prologue to the Future
  • 5. Theories Applied to Teaching and Learning: Foundations for Practice

III. Programs and Services for Children and Families

  • 6. Early Childhood Programs: Applying Theories to Practice
  • 7. High-Quality Child Care: Meeting the Needs of Children and Families

IV. Teaching Today’s Young Children: Linking Development and Learning

  • 8. Infants and Toddlers: Building Strong Foundations for Life
  • 9. The Preschool Years: Readiness for School and Life
  • 10. Kindergarten Education: Learning All You Need to Know
  • 11. The Primary Grades: Preparation for Lifelong Success
  • 12. Technology in Today’s Classrooms: Integrating STEM into Your Teaching

V. Meeting the Special Needs of Young Children

  • 13. Guiding Behavior: Helping Children Become Responsible
  • 14. Children with Diverse Needs: Appropriate Education for All
  • 15. Parents, Families, and the Community: Building Partnerships for Children’s Success

Author bios

About our authors

George S. Morrison is Professor Emeritus of early childhood education, University of North Texas, where he taught early childhood education and development to undergraduates and mentored masters and doctoral students. He is an experienced teacher and principal in the public schools.

Professor Morrison’s accomplishments include a Distinguished Academic Service Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Outstanding Service and Teaching Awards from Florida International University, and the College of Education Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at the University of North Texas. His books include Early Childhood Education Today; Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 9th Edition; and Teaching in America, 5th Edition. Professor Morrison has also written books about the education and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; child development; the contemporary curriculum; and parent/family/community involvement. He finds the intersection of theory and practice has tremendous implications for how we practice early childhood education.

Lorraine Breffni is the Associate Dean of the Dr. Pallavi Patel School of Rehabilitative Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. She also directly supervises the Kapila Family Nourishing Lives Feeding Clinic for children with pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, and has expertise in the fields of child development, early childhood education, and infant mental health.

Dr. Breffni has co-authored the Pearson texts All About Child Care and Early Education; All About Child Care and Early Education: A Trainee’s Manual; Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 9th Edition; and Early Childhood Education Today, 16th Edition. She has written numerous articles for publication and has developed and taught a diverse range of academic subjects at NSU, including courses on Developmental Psychopathology, Play Therapy, Best Practice in Emergent Literacy, and Best Practice in Prekindergarten Curriculum.

Mary Jean Woika has worked in early childhood education and early childhood special education for more than 30 years. She is currently an adjunct professor at Broward College’s Early Childhood Program. Ms. Woika has co-authored the textbook and trainee’s manual All About Child Care and Early Education, which was developed to be used in the training of child development association (CDA) students; contributed chapters to Early Childhood Education Today, 14th Edition; co-authored Early Childhood Education Today, 15th Edition; contributed chapters to Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 8th Edition; and co-authored Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 9th Edition.

Before coming to Broward College Ms. Woika was a childcare director, an early interventionist, an early childhood special education teacher, a behavior consultant, and an inclusion specialist in an outreach program. She has taught college courses in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Florida, in face-to-face, blended, remote, and online formats. Ms. Woika has also sat on several state and county early childhood education and early childhood special education committees.

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