The guiding principles are overarching conceptual commitments about young children and STEM education, and at the same time are specifically intended to correct larger misconceptions about STEM disciplines that currently abound in early childhood. These principles generally reflect best practices for early childhood education that are often overlooked or forgotten in STEM education.

The six recommendations for action, while embedding the guiding principles, target key steps for policy, practice, and research that will promote dramatic improvement in early STEM education. They are intended for school leaders and district decision-makers, policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels, researchers, and funders. Our aim is to help guide discussion and change at a critical point in public discourse about the need for high-quality early childhood education.

The Early Childhood STEM Working Group is a group of scholars, policymakers, curriculum developers, and educators who share a common goal and vision of universal access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate STEM education for preschool children. The intent of the Working Group is to pool knowledge about the development of STEM concepts and practices during the early years, discuss ways to support early STEM education, and make achievable recommendations to educational leaders, policy makers, researchers, and funders that will promote research, practice, and advocacy that will lead to high-quality STEM experiences for all young children.