https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-rss/?keywordId=1592&orgId=123322&title=Latest+Blog+Posts A selection of the latest research, academic, and other newsworthy developments at Gesell Program in Early Childhood en-us Copyright 2026 Yale School of Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 02:06:50 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/a-childs-right-to-play/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/a-childs-right-to-play/ The recognition that children need to play has been formally acknowledged for decades at the international level. In 1989 The Convention on the Rights of the Child was a landmark recognition of children as persons with their own rights, and not merely extensions of their family. It established that childhood is a protected time for development and that children have a right to be allowed to grow with dignity. It was composed of 54 articles that cover civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, including the right to education, health, protection from violence, and to maintain relationships with parents. It obliges governments signing onto the treaty to incorporate these rights into national legislation. Importantly, Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms that play is an essential part of childhood. Wed, 13 May 2026 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/ensuring-gdo-r-examiners-are-reliable/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/ensuring-gdo-r-examiners-are-reliable/ Child assessment is an essential tool in tracking children’s development as well as for offering important information when considering the match between the expectations of a classroom and a child’s skills and abilities. While the choice of a valid assessment tool is key, the tool is only as reliable as the examiner using it. What constitutes a reliable Gesell Assessment System assessor? Sat, 01 Feb 2025 05:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/play-is-the-law-in-ct/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/play-is-the-law-in-ct/ Learning requires children to be courageous, take chances, and explore. Current research on brain development—in particular on the role of curiosity and wonder in young children’s learning—compels us to restructure practice. Surveys show that most early childhood educators request a reduction in academic pressures and more respect for the normal developmental range of abilities in young children. They want less testing, less data, less paperwork, and more time to focus on the individual and unique needs of children. In short, they want more space to implement developmentally appropriate, child-directed learning experiences: the freedom to play. Mon, 01 Jul 2024 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/how-old-should-a-kindergartener-be/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/how-old-should-a-kindergartener-be/ To send or not to send? The question of at what age a child is most ready for kindergarten is as controversial in some playground circles as bottle feeding a newborn, or screen time before age two. The downward push of academic expectations, dubbing kindergarten the “new first grade,” has intensified the debate. Sat, 01 Jul 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/cdc-milestones-and-gesell/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/cdc-milestones-and-gesell/ The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revised developmental milestones for children aged 2 months through 5 years. As conscientious professionals in the field of developmental assessment we wondered how this might impact our own practice and the use of the Gesell Developmental Observation-Revised (GDO-R) and the Gesell Early Screener (GES). Our exploration leads us to believe that all reliable assessors need to understand why these changes were made in order to best evaluate if their current screening tools and methods are still valid. Thu, 01 Jun 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/going-forward-not-back-to-school/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/childstudy/news-article/going-forward-not-back-to-school/ Remarks offered by Gesell Executive Director, Dr. Peg Oliveira to her own local Board of Education in New Haven, Connecticut, who has voted to begin the year remotely, with some push back at every level. Every district has a story and unique needs. Here is just one story. Wed, 10 Aug 2022 04:00:00 Z