- Getting Started
- In the Library
- Activities
- Online Resources - Child Development
- Online Resources - Early Childhood Education
- OER
Welcome to the DCTC Library's Early Childhood & Youth Development subject guide. On this page you will find general information about the Library and the research and writing process, plus helpful career and exam preparation resources.
The 2nd page has information about the resources in our library and how to find them using our catalog.
The 3rd and 4th pages are gateways to the Library's best online resources and web sites for the Early Childhood & Youth Development program (divided into child development and early childhood education), including some tutorials for these resources.
Let's get started!
- Association for Child and Youth Care Practice
- Child Care Aware of Minnesota
- National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE)
- National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL)
- National Child Care Association (NCCA)
- National Head Start Association (NHSA)
Abraham Lincoln famously said you shouldn't believe everything you read online. And 82% of all statistics are made up.
There's a lot of misinformation out there. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield developed the SIFT method to help students evaluate information and make better decisions about what sources to trust:
Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context
Here are more guides to help you evaluate sources of information:
- Criteria for Evaluating Information (Otis College of Art and Design)
- Evaluating Information (Johns Hopkins University)
- Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
- Evaluating Sources of Information (Purdue University)
- Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (YouTube)
The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8420 or visiting room 2-101.
LearningExpress Library is an outstanding resource for academic and career development with hundreds of online tutorials, practice tests, and ebooks.
The Career Preparation center includes practice for the Praxis II Early Childhood PLT exam and two practice tests for the Praxis II Early Childhood: Content Knowledge exam. You'll also find ebooks to help you with your job search, interviewing, networking, and workplace skills.
There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments, but writing for English and the humanities usually requires MLA (Modern Language Association) style. The Purdue Online Writing Lab has an excellent guide to using MLA style, with lots of examples:
You can also go straight to the source:
Our catalog and databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select MLA style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!
"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."
This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct.
Citing your sources like this or in a bibliography is an essential part of the research process. It allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their work.
Use our catalog, OneSearch, to find the books and videos on our shelves, plus ebooks and streaming videos.
The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify My Results options on the left side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.
Please ask a librarian if you need help locating anything you find in our catalog.
If we don't have the book, video, or article you're looking for, you can request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) and it will come to you. It's easy! E-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know what you're looking for and we'll do the rest.
We have hundreds of books about early childhood and child development in our collection. Most of these are in the Main LB1139 - LB1140 call number range, if you'd like to browse our shelves.
We're also very proud of our Juvenile collection of nearly one thousand children's books, perfect for storytime.
Behind the circulation desk we have our Course Resources collection. These are books and videos that instructors have asked us to reserve for certain classes. Books for Early Childhood & Youth Development courses include Understanding Child Development, Guiding Children's Social Development and Learning, Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Curriculum and Development in Early Education, and Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. Books on reserve must be used in the Library, except with permission from your instructor to check them out overnight. Ask a librarian if you're looking for one of these.
Here are some of our books about activities for children:
The Encyclopedia of Infant and Toddler Activities: For Children Birth to 3
Donna Wittmer, 2006
Main Books LB1139.35 .A37 E53 2006
The GIANT Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities for Children 3 to 6: Written by Teachers for Teachers
Kathy Charner, 2006
Main Books LB1139.35 .A37 G533 2006
Creative Activities for Young Children, 8th ed.
Mary Mayesky, 2006
Main Books LB1139.35 .A37 M365 2006
Making It Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World
Barbara Oehlberg, 2014
Main Books LB1139.35 .A37 O44 2014
Here are more of our books about activities for children:
101 Learning and Transition Activities
Bradley Smith, 2006
Main Books LB1139.35 .A37 S65 2006
Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers
Lisa Daly, 2016
Main Books LB1139.35 .P55 B45 2016
Let's Play: (Un)Curriculum Early Learning Adventures
Jeff A. Johnson, 2014
Main Books LB1139.35 .P55 J66 2014
The Possibilities of Play: Imaginative Learning Centers for Children Ages 3-6
Jean R. Feldman, 2021
Main Books LB3044.8 .F456 2021
Here are some of our ebooks about activities for children:
Loose Parts 4: Inspiring 21st-Century Learning
Lisa Daly, 2020
50 Fantastic Ideas for Circle Time
Judith Harries, 2018
Teachable Transitions: 190 Activities to Move from Morning Circle to the End of the Day
Rae Pica, 2017
More Than Letters: Literacy Activities for Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade
Sally Moomaw, 2020
APA PsycArticles features full-text articles from more than 100 peer-reviewed psychology journals, which cover topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Searching APA Databases tutorial
Gale OneFile: Psychology offers 4.1 million articles in all fields of psychology, covering topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Films On Demand features more than 350 streaming videos on child and adolescent development.
There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles. These databases include ERIC and Professional Development Collection, which cover early childhood education and APA PsycArticles, which covers developmental psychology.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles. These databases include Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete, which covers preschool education and Gale OneFile: Psychology, which covers developmental psychology.
Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Here are just a few of the ebooks about child development you'll find in our EBSCO eBook Collection:
Understanding Child Development 0-8 Years: Linking Theory and Practice, 4th ed.
Jennie Lindon, 2016
Nurturing Personal, Social and Emotional Development in Early Childhood
Debbie Garvey, 2018
Infant-Toddler Social Studies: Activities to Develop a Sense of Self
Carla B. Goble, 2018
Child Development and the Brain: An Introduction
Rob Abbott, 2015
Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete offers articles from more than 1,100 periodicals covering levels of education from preschool to college and topics such as technology, bilingual education, health education, testing, administration, funding, and policy.
Video tutorials for Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, includes more than 1.6 million records and 750,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966.
Professional Development Collection offers full-text articles and reports for educators and education researchers.
Films On Demand features nearly 300 streaming videos on early childhood education.
The following ebooks from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) are available in our EBSCO eBook Collection. Unlike our other ebooks, these titles are limited to one user at a time. If you can't view one of these ebooks, please e-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know and try again later.
Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education: Elevating Voices and Actions
Iliana Alanis, Susan Friedman, and Iheoma U. Iruka, 2021
Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens
Susan Friedman and Alissa Mwenelupembe, 2020
The Essentials: Supporting Dual Language Learners in Diverse Environments in Preschool and Kindergarten
Iliana Alanís, María G. Arreguín, and Irasema Salinas-González, 2021
Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young Children’s Learning
Rebecca Isbell and Sonia Akiko Yoshizawa, 2020
Trauma and Young Children: Teaching Strategies to Support and Empower
Laura J. Colker, Sarah Erdman, and Elizabeth C. Winter, 2020
There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles. These databases include ERIC and Professional Development Collection, which cover early childhood education and APA PsycArticles, which covers developmental psychology.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles. These databases include Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete, which covers preschool education and Gale OneFile: Psychology, which covers developmental psychology.
Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Here are just a few of the ebooks about early childhood education you'll find in our EBSCO eBook Collection:
Acting Out! Avoid Behavior Challenges with Active Learning Games and Activities
Rae Pica, 2020
Storytelling and Story-Reading in Early Years: How to Tell and Read Stories to Young Children
Mary Medlicott, 2018
Supporting Toddlers’ Wellbeing in Early Years Settings: Strategies and Tools for Practitioners and Teachers
Helen Sutherland, 2018
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8, 4th ed.
Susan Friedman, 2022
Open Educational Resources (OER) are free and openly-licensed teaching materials. These materials are easy for educators to integrate with their existing courses and reduce costs for students.
The University of Minnesota's Open Textbook Library is an example of OER. This is a collection of nearly 800 textbooks on a wide variety of subjects, freely available online to view or download. Educators can even adapt a textbook for their own needs, whether that's removing chapters or adding their own content. For those who prefer print, professionally printed copies are available at a fraction of the cost of most textbooks.
Lumen Learning is another example of OER. These are whole courses including textbooks, assignments, quizzes, interactive practice, videos, and more. Lumen Learning courses are free, online, mobile-friendly, adaptable, modular, and easy to integrate within D2L Brightspace (including grading).
Here are some of the child development textbooks you'll find in the Open Textbook Library:
Child Growth and Development
Jennifer Paris, Antoinette Ricardo, Dawn Rymond, and Alexa Johnson, 2019
Child and Adolescent Psychology
This Lumen Learning Course covers child and adolescent psychology in six modules.
Child Development
This Lumen Learning Course covers child development in 14 modules.
Foundations of Education
This Lumen Learning Course outlines a 15-week education curriculum, covering Early Childhood Education and Pre-K.
Here are some of the early childhood education textbooks you'll find in the Open Textbook Library and LibreTexts:
The ELC: An Early Childhood Learning Community at Work
Heather Bridge, Lorraine Melita, and Patricia Roiger, 2020
Safety, Health, and Nutrition in Early Childhood Education
Jennifer Paris, 2018
Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood Education
Gina Peterson and Emily Elam, 2021
Introduction to Curriculum for Early Childhood Education
Jennifer Paris, Kristin Beeve, and Clint Springer, 2019
The Role of Equity and Diversity in Early Childhood Education
Krischa Esquivel, Emily Elam, Jennifer Paris, and Maricela Tafoya, 2021