This issue of Upbeat News is packed with resources for early childhood educators. We share an excerpt from the recently published Big Conversations with Little Children by Lauren Starnes, Ed.D., which provides six guidelines for having difficult conversations.

We’re also spotlighting Intentional Teaching in Early Childhood by Sandra Heidemann, M.S., Beth Menninga, M.A.Ed., and Claire Chang, M.A., a unique resource that guides early childhood teachers on a journey of self-discovery and self-determination to take charge of their own professional development.

For additional early childhood education resources, read on. Also, be sure to grab our free download this month, a “Getting to Know You” family survey from Uncover the Roots of Challenging Behavior by Michelle Salcedo, which can help early childhood educators learn more about their students and families and create nurturing environments.

“Most kids have plenty of adults in their lives. Sometimes they are easy to get along with, but sometimes it seems to be the most difficult thing in the world. So if a middle-grader could find a nice book chock-full of good advice about dealing with adults, that would be a real gift. And if the book had a friendly tone and used lots of humor and a ton of fun illustrations, that would be even better. And then, if none of it came across as being preachy, well, that would be almost too much to hope for, but this is that book. This is a winner.” —San Francisco Book Review

Learn more about How to Take the GROAN Out of Grown-Ups (and Get Along!)