ABSTRACT
The mission of the Hollingworth Preschool is to provide an optimal match between the needs of the population it serves and a responsive early childhood program. In 1980, with funds from the Federal Office of the Gifted, Dr. Karnes opened University Primary School, a preschool to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate a model for young gifted children. The historical context demonstrates the powerful role that instruction plays in developing young children’s gifts and talents. Today’s specialized gifted programs for preschoolers focus on the whole child, recognize asynchronous development as a primary feature of an advanced young child, and design curriculum to nurture potential. Ricks Center at the University of Denver, Colorado, serves gifted students from preschool through eighth grade. The preschool program has similar views of the children as competent, curious, and engaged learners, and their curriculum is generated by students’ interests and investigations facilitated by the teachers.
