Editors of the Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP) online journal are thrilled to report that they are in the early stages of an agreement to have selected articles translated into Russian. 

An educator from the Russian Federation has volunteered to translate up to six of the online journal's articles annually that are most likely to be relevant to Russian readers. The Russian translation is expected to begin next year.

The journal is already available in English and Spanish, with selected articles from four issues also available in Chinese. Chinese translation is made available by the Yew Chung Education Foundation, according to the journal's editor Lilian Katz and associate editors Jean Mendoza and Susan Fowler. 

The journal is the first of its kind in many ways—worldwide, it is the only open-access (free of charge), peer-reviewed, multilingual internet journal in early care and education. The journal is well-known and highly respected worldwide.

"The uses of it are just huge," Katz explained. "I don't think there is a publication like it anywhere," referring to the fact that it is offered online, free of charge, and soon to be available in four languages.

In fact, the journal was visited by scholars from 194 countries and received more than 1.5 million visits in the past year alone, according to Mendoza.

"The articles are well-received and are cited by many scholars," said Katz, who speaks about the journal like a beaming parent. "Scholars in early childhood who want to get the word out want to be published in the journal," she added.

The publication cannot accept advertising or subscription fees, and runs on individual donations, foundation support, and corporate sponsorship to support its operating costs.

"The upside is that it's free," Katz joked, "and the downside is that it's free." There are costs involved in not only translating the publication in the case of English to Spanish, but also in reviewing, copy-editing, and other editorial tasks.

The journal is sponsored by the Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative, and published its first issue in 1999. ECRP publishes research reports, literature reviews, essays, interviews, reflections, and commentary by scholars and practitioners from around the world. Areas of emphasis include classroom practice, curriculum, ethics, teacher preparation, higher education, policy, and parent participation. To convey teaching methods and provide examples of interactions, the journal also offers video clips, something a paper journal cannot do.

Via video recordings, journal visitors can observe adult educators and children interacting in various settings from all over the world. The fact that the journal can offer video footage and a large number of photos "makes a huge difference in our field," Katz said.

Katz has been a visiting professor in many countries, has lectured in 55 countries and in all 50 United States, and is slated to be the opening speaker at an international conference sponsored by UNESCO and the World Bank in Moscow this coming December. "I've not been anywhere where people have not heard of our University," Katz said, adding that the College has a longstanding reputation in Early Childhood Education, as well as Special Education, that was well-known when she first arrived on campus in 1968.

"We know that special education needs attention very early in a child's development," Katz said. "It's a combination of what we know of childhood development in the early years and special education and our concern with special needs and the importance of meeting them in the early years. People come here from all over the world to study that."

"We sort of feel like pioneers," Katz said, adding that coeditor Susan Fowler is a sought-after scholar and expert in the field of Special Education whose research focuses on the lives of young children and their families between birth and early elementary school.

When asked about being a pioneer of sorts, Katz is humble. "It's a bit frightening," she admitted. "You'd better be right!"

About modern technology and having a journal with a limitless audience, Katz said, "Today, this is what happens. We're right there at the front of it."

Katz said the Journal is always in need of donations to help defray editorial costs. Visit the Journal's website for more information.

Photos, left to right, the editors of Early Childhood Research & Practice: Lilian Katz is the co-director of the Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative–Clearinghouse on Early Childhood and Parenting and professor emerita in Elementary and Early Childhood Education; Jean Mendoza is a visiting information specialist for the Collaborative/Clearinghouse; and Susan Fowler is a professor in the Department of Special Education and a former dean of the College.