Abstract
BackgroundIn Australia, 61.5 % of children aged 3–4 attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs. Children’s experiences within these programs vary widely and impact directly on educational wellbeing and social development. Research has shown that higher quality programs enhance children’s learning and developmental outcomes, foster social participation and have long-lasting effects on their productivity as adults. Quality matters, yet we do not know what components of ECEC result in a quality program.Effective Early Educational Experiences (E4Kids) is a 5-year longitudinal study designed to identify and assess the impact of mainstream ECEC programs and program components on children’s learning, development, social inclusion and well-being. E4Kids sets out to measure quality ECEC; identify components that add value and positively impact children’s outcomes; evaluate the effects of child, family, community and environment characteristics on programs; and provide evidence on how best to invest in ECEC.Methods/designE4Kids follows a sample of 2,494 children who have experienced a variety of approved care programs (long day care, kindergarten, family day care and occasional care), as well as 157 children who have not accessed such programs. Children are tracked to the first point of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing at Year 3. The study presents a multi-level design in which ECEC programs were sampled from two states – Queensland and Victoria – then randomly sampled from two greater metropolitan regions and two regional and remote locations.Parents, centre directors, educators and carers complete questionnaires to provide information on demographics and children’s progress. Data collected also include the make-up and organisation of ECEC programs and schools children attended. The quality of adult-child interactions is directly assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and direct testing of children’s cognitive abilities and achievements is undertaken over 3 years and linked with NAPLAN scores.DiscussionFindings from the E4Kids study have the potential to influence the quality of ECEC available in Australia by providing up-to-date evidence on the impact of ECEC programs and program components to inform future policy decisions and research.
Highlights
In Australia, 61.5 % of children aged 3–4 attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs
To normalise the age ranges of children from different provision types and ensure all major provision types were included in the study, the target population was reduced in scope to include children who participated in ECEC classrooms that usually included 3–4 year old children
All sampled families were sent an E4Kids recruitment pack that included a statement about the study, a consent form and a short survey asking about their use of ECEC services to screen out any families whose children had previously participated in approved programs
Summary
The E4Kids study is innovative in two key ways Focus This is the first study of the effectiveness of ECEC programs in Australia. Methodology The multi-level study design focuses on quality of provision, taking account of community, program and family contributions to child outcomes. Great attention is taken with measurement to map to currently untested developmental and economic hypotheses concerning the mechanisms by which ECEC programs promote human and social capital formation. Contribution to knowledge: The study represents a culmination of considerable research conducted by the team both nationally and internationally. This collective work deepens our current understanding of the effectiveness and costs of early education and care. The Australian context affords a unique opportunity to contribute to knowledge through the provision of a NPC group
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
