Early childhood education in the Netherlands

Abstract

Parental engagement is an essential component when children participate in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Parent engagement can take different forms but is most successful when both educators and parents take an active approach towards informing and supporting one another in order to promote the child’s development. More systematic research on the current state of parent engagement in Dutch ECECs is needed as little research has been done in this area. We also need more information on pre-service and professional development training around parent engagement and best practices. When the ECEC is viewed as a community where children bring educators and parents together, it is easier to engage parents around their children, but also around other parents. This benefits the entire community of families and educators. The government needs to play an active role in assuring that quality in ECECs also includes parent engagement and the association to child outcomes. Recent child care policy changes in the Netherlands are aimed at increasing the quality of care in the Netherlands. As child care in its current form is a relatively new phenomenon for Dutch parents, it is important to educate parents about the benefits of high-quality child care on child development. This will require a shift in thinking on both parents’ and educators’ part from ECECs being basically childminding facilities to communities of high-quality care benefiting child development. The recent policy changes require ECECs to engage parents more directly and offer opportunities for parents and educators to work more closely in creating these communities of care.