Beacon Press: Smart and Capable
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Smart and Capable

Supporting Children's Agency in a Complex World

Author: Jennifer Keys Adair

A global perspective on early childhood learning and education, with 9 experiences to support children’s agency

Young children are smart and capable and already have most of what they need to learn and grow. Author Dr. Jennifer Keys Adair, a professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Texas and a cultural anthropologist-turned-preschool teacher draws upon over 20 years of research to share stories and scientific evidence of how agency expands young children’s capabilities.

Using examples from around the world—the United States, New Zealand, Australia, India, England, France, Namibia, Italy, Germany, and Sri Lanka—this book emphasizes that early childhood learning and development look different depending on where you live, what you have access to, and the way your family and communities are treated by society. Adair includes stories of infants, toddlers, and young children from observations and research projects in parks, homes, childcare centers, elementary schools, preschools, and a host of community gathering spaces.

At the heart of the book is a framework for how adults can offer (or just support) agentic experiences to children in a wide range of circumstances, grounded in nine core experiences: Exploration, Participation, Caring for the Natural World, Conflict, Difficult Discussions, Caring for People, Multilingualism, Multiplicity, and Protection.

Parent and educator approaches to early childhood differ across regions, politics, cultural communities, languages, religions, and family dynamics. Given the variety of lives young children are living, Adair encourages readers to consider how best to support their agency to expand their capabilities so they can live meaningful lives.
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Smart and Capable

ISBN: 978-080704511-4
 Publication Date: 12/1/2026
 Size:6 x 9 Inches (US)
Price:  $26.95
Format: Cloth
Not Yet Published
Will Ship On: December 2026
(Backorder policy)
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