Unsmiling Faces: Creating Preschools That Heal

A must for any early childhood educator whoseriously takes their young student's emotional well-being. Koplow and contributors give clear, understandable overview of key mental health concepts,learning, and practical interventions to address trauma in the young child's life,life issues and developmental issues that impact on a child's learning and social-emoiotnal development. This book should be in every preschool/Head Start program library and made required reading for early childhood professionals. I use this book and direct staff to read excerpts as part of their staff training.

I recommend Unsmiling Faces to teachers of young children more than any other book in my extensive early childhood education library. I originally purchased this book with the intention of extending my understanding of how to work with children who have been traumatized or are otherwise considered at "high risk." I found, however, that the concepts in the book are applicable to any classroom and are beneficial to all children and their families. As a preschool teacher for more than 30 years and a college instructor this past decade, I have come to understand that supporting the child's emotional life must come first in order for cognitive growth to occur. This book is a fascinating and informative read. I highly recommend it for any individual who works with young children, whether a classroom teacher, graduate student or college instructor.

Now in a newly updated second edition, Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools Can Heal is a guide especially for professional educators concerning quality intervention and prevention programs for the sake of emotionally fragile and developing young children. Essays by a variety of expert authors discuss subjects ranging from "Developmental Reality and the Reality of Experience" to "Play Therapy as Early Intervention", "Lesson Plans for Emotional Life", "Why Homeless Children Can't Sit Still", and much more, all written with a keen eye toward methodologies for improving the quality of life as well as the education of children. An invaluable asset for any professional preschool educator.

As a preschool teacher of both typically developping and delayed children, I have found Lesley Koplow's book to be a valuable resource. Her easy to read book is complete with background on the major developmental milestones of early childhood, practical techniques to foster a nurturing classroom environment, and actual lesson plans to implement emotional goals. Numerous anecdotes from the classroom make it easy to envision this plan in action. Lesley Koplow shares a wealth of knowledge, research, and experience that make this book a "must-read" for anyone whose goal is to nurture their students' emotional needs.