Exploring supportive practices in diverse educational childcare settings for children with high support needs in Canada

This article explains early childhood inclusion in Croatia from its beginnings up to challenges in current policy and practice. The first preschool education for children with disabilities dates back to the 1980s and was provided in special institutions. In the last 10 years, mainstream kindergartens have been enrolling children with disabilities but unevenly in different Croatian regions and also with a different quality of support. The lower economic potential of the rural and smaller local communities adversely influence the possibility of organizing support for children with disabilities in general, especially in an inclusive setting. The great challenge in analyzing the quality of early childhood inclusion in educational settings is the lack of reliable sources of data and evaluation research. Main challenges in early childhood inclusion and future directions are discussed.

In accordance with the Special Education Act that indicates that young children with special needs must have individualized educational plans and receive education with their typically developing peers in the general education setting, Taiwan implemented an experimental preschool inclusion program in 1989. Subsequently, during the 1990s, there was an emphasis on the importance of early intervention for children with special needs from birth to 6 years of age. The use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and its Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) has also influenced views on early childhood inclusion in educational settings. This article describes the relevant legislation, current early childhood inclusion practices in different forms, relevant research, challenges, and future directions of early childhood inclusion at the governmental, community, institutional, and individual levels in Taiwan.

The current study examined how parental perceptions of child care quality were related to external quality ratings and considered how parental perceptions of quality varied according to child care context (home-based or centre-based settings). Parents of 179 4-year-old children who attended child care centres (n = 141) and home-based settings (n = 38) in Montreal, Quebec, as well as their educators, participated in the study. Parents were interviewed using the Child Care Satisfaction Rating Scale, a measure of parent perception of child care quality. The home-based and centre-based child care settings were evaluated by research assistants using the Quebec Educational Quality Observation Scale. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between global satisfaction and quality scores, as well as subscale scores for parental and observational assessments of child care quality. In addition, Chi-square analyses revealed that parental satisfaction with the parent–educator relationship and with their child’s emotional well-being in child care was stronger for children in home-based settings than in centre-based care. This research provided empirical support for parents’ ability to discriminate quality child care. It is argued that quality assessment should take the perspectives of multiple stakeholders into account.

Child Care and Early Education in Australia - the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

This article describes conceptual aspects, current policies and practices, and research representing the Israeli perspective regarding early childhood inclusion (ECI) at preschool ages (3–6 years). We review legislative, historical, attitudinal, philosophical, practical, empirical, and cultural issues regarding ECI in Israel. Finally, we focus on several major topics and challenges that call for further discussion and intervention, along with suggestions for future directions to enhance ECI in educational settings with regard to policies, research, training, and practices.

This article describes early childhood inclusion in educational settings in Spain. First, we address the legislative framework of preschool education in Spain and offer a brief analysis of some relevant issues, including the current situation of early childhood education and inclusion at this stage. Second, current policies and practices relating to the inclusion of students with special needs in early childhood education are analyzed. Issues such as staff characteristics and training, the ratio of children with special needs to children without special needs, forms of schooling, curriculum, and available supports are covered. Third, we present a brief summary of the evaluation and research on early childhood inclusion. Despite the limited availability of data, we present some results from a recent study that includes aspects such as the facilitators and barriers to inclusion, development of the student, participation and acceptance, and the ongoing process of inclusion. Finally, the main challenges that we face in our country and the next steps regarding the learning and development of students, participation of families, teacher training, working conditions, and future research are addressed.

In order to evaluate the acceptability and potential impact of the Passion-Driven Statistics curriculum, this article describes background characteristics, and course experiences and outcomes of students enrolled in the multidisciplinary, introductory, project-based course in liberal arts colleges, large state universities, regional college/universities, and community colleges. We found that the course could be successfully delivered across these diverse educational settings. After controlling for educational setting and pre-survey responses to individual outcome measures, consistent predictors of positive course outcomes included student’s initial interest in conducting research, their higher likelihood of enrolling in a statistics course if it were not required, finding the project-based course less challenging, and finding the research project more rewarding than other students. Regional college/university, and community college students reported working significantly harder in the course and finding the course more challenging than students taking the course at liberal arts colleges or state universities. Students from liberal arts colleges generally reported more positive course experiences than students from other educational settings. However, when compared to students from both liberal arts colleges and large state universities, those from regional colleges/universities reported being more likely to have learned more in the project-based course than in other college courses they had taken. Taken together, the project-based course was successfully delivered across diverse post-secondary educational settings and provides a promising model for getting students hooked on the power and excitement of applied statistics.

The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) is a structured observation instrument. It has been developed to support high-quality early childhood inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the cultural validity of the instrument in Swedish preschools and to investigate its perceived usefulness in a Swedish preschool context. Ten special educators, who conducted professional dialogues with preschool teachers and other preschool staff members in a Swedish municipality, were enrolled. The instrument was compared with the Swedish national curriculum for the preschool, and the perceptions of special educators were collected by way of dialogue seminar method. Thematic analyses were conducted. The results of the study show that the instrument, with few exceptions, is valid in Sweden, and that the instrument can be useful for special educators conducting professional dialogues about early childhood inclusion with preschool teachers and other preschool staff members. The study has relevance for those who work with early childhood inclusion in Sweden as well as elsewhere, and for those who plan to validate the instrument and investigate its perceived usefulness in a context pertinent to them. High-quality inclusion is on the agenda in many nations, and a Sustainable Development Goal.

To examine the current status of early childhood inclusive education in New Zealand, this article highlights the country's overall structure of inclusive education and other services for individuals with special needs. The unique features of early childhood special education services are also highlighted. Challenges to enhance the quality of education and services for young children with special needs, as well as future possibilities in New Zealand, are also discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception and practice of media literacy education among childcare teachers. Accordingly, the research questions were estalished to include childcare teachers' awareness of media literacy education, educational practice, and perception of educational revitalization.
 Methods: The subject of the study involved two hundred questionnaires collected from childcare teachers currently working in metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon. Of these, 171 copies, excluding twenty-nine inappropriate ones, were collected using the SPSS 26.0 Window program to determine the mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages, multiple responses, and other areas were calculated.
 Results: According to the research question, the research results indicated that the majority of childcare teachers have never been exposed to media literacy, and answered that YouTube is the medium that has the greatest influence on infants and toddlers. They recognized that violent scenes in the media have a negative impact on infants’aggression levels. As for the status of media literacy education for childcare teachers, most teachers conducted it once a week, and the content of the education was to learn about promises that must be kept when using media. Regarding the revitalization of media literacy education, they responded that media literacy education is necessary for infants and toddler sto have diverse experiences, and that if there is media literacy-related training in the future, they will ‘participate if possible’. They also said that environmental support, such as media and educational materials that can be utilized in educational settings, is required.
 Conclusion: Media literacy requires continuous education from infancy, and the implication is that it is necessary to develop good media literacy education materials and programs so that media literacy can be achieved through connections not only with educational institution but also with families.

Objectives This study examines the structural relationships among childcare teachers’ instructional creativity, creative teaching efficacy, and their ability to implement a play-based curriculum. In addition, the research inves tigates the mediating role of creative teaching efficacy in the relationship between instructional creativity and the application of a play-based curriculum. Methods A survey instrument was used to analyze childcare teachers' teaching creativity, creative teaching effi cacy, and ability to implement curriculum during play among 215 childcare teachers with experience teaching tod dler classes in daycare centers in Chungcheongbuk-do. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 23.0, incorporating descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling. Moreover, the mediating effect of creative teaching efficacy on the relationship between instructional creativity and the implementation capacity of a play-based curriculum was examined through bootstrapping techniques. Results First, an analysis of the structural relationships among childcare teachers’ instructional creativity, creative teaching efficacy, and their competence in implementing a play-based curriculum showed that both instructional creativity and creative teaching efficacy positively influence the implementation capacity. Second, the examina tion of the mediating effect of creative teaching efficacy between instructional creativity and the implementation capacity of a play-based curriculum indicated that creative teaching efficacy functions as a significant mediator. This partial mediating effect established both the direct influence of instructional creativity on the implementation capacity and the indirect effect mediated by creative teaching efficacy. Conclusions This study suggests that childcare teachers’ instructional creativity and creative teaching efficacy must be preceded in order to their ability to implement a play-based curriculum execution capabilities, and that it is necessary to improve childcare teachers’ play-oriented curriculum execution capabilities and seek an envi ronment in which teachers can demonstrate instructional creativity and creative teaching efficacy.

Pressure Ulcers (PU), decubitus ulcers, are localized injuries to the skin, and underlying tissues, often over bony prominence, resulting from pressure or shear. It remains a significant global healthcare challenge, especially in home-based care settings. This cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge and practices of home health care nurses in Karachi, Pakistan, regarding PU prevention and management. Fifty registered nurses from a home health care agency participated, completing a self-administered questionnaire. The findings revealed that 78% of participants were knowledgeable about PU development and preventive measures, such as repositioning and early signs. Still, gaps existed in understanding staging and the role of nutrition. Barriers, including staff shortages (32%) and lack of resources (20%), hindered optimal care delivery. Despite their awareness, inconsistent application of knowledge in practice was evident. These results underscore the need for targeted training programs, adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and resource allocation to bridge the knowledge-practice gap. Enhancing nurses' competencies in PU prevention and management can significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in home-based settings.

This study aimed to examine the management of bisphosphonate (BP) therapy for osteoporosis in Japan, focusing on treatment duration, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessment status, therapy despite renal impairment, and history of atypical femoral fracture (AFF). This single-center, cross-sectional study included 117 women inpatients aged ≥ 65 years admitted to the Department of General Medicine at Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital between October 2022 and September 2025 while receiving BP therapy. The primary outcome was the prevalence of ultra-long-term therapy (≥ 10 years oral or ≥ 6 years intravenous). Secondary outcomes included long-term therapy (≥ 5 years oral or ≥ 3 years intravenous), unknown treatment duration, inadequate DXA assessment, therapy despite renal impairment (serum creatinine ≥ 1.5 mg/dL), and AFF history. The mean age was 84.3 ± 7.1 years. Ultra-long-term therapy occurred in 5.1% of patients, long-term therapy in 23.1%, unknown treatment duration in 29.9%, and inadequate DXA assessment in 49.6%. Therapy despite renal impairment was noted in 6.8%, and one patient (0.8%) had AFF. Unknown treatment duration and inadequate DXA assessment were significantly more common in nonorthopedic care and in facility- or home-based settings (p < 0.01). Among older women in Japan, ultra-long-term BP therapy was rare; however, nearly half lacked adequate assessment of treatment duration or documented DXA evaluation. These findings reveal shortcomings in long-term osteoporosis management, particularly in nonorthopedic and facility- or home-based care settings. Standardized reassessment, appropriate DXA evaluation, and improved information sharing across care transitions are essential to optimize treatment quality and safety in an aging population.

This study investigates how school staff perceive and engage in working relationally, with a particular focus on exploring their professional practice and perceptions of children and young people’s (CYP) experiences. It forms the preliminary study of a research project exploring the views of CYP on working relationally in educational settings. An exploratory qualitative design was employed, utilising a virtual focus group with seven members of school staff from diverse educational settings across England and job roles, including teaching and non-teaching staff members. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed key characteristics of working relationally (compassion, authenticity, personalisation and engagement) and the elements that contribute to establishing and maintaining positive staff–child relationships (professional practice, personal traits, facilitators and barriers). Staff described CYP’s responses to and perceptions of relational approaches as positive, accepting, validating and empowering. The results offer insights that could inform the development of a guiding framework for relational practice in schools, with implications for policy, staff training, and CYP’s wellbeing. While the study is limited by its small sample size and lack of socio-cultural diversity, it opens valuable avenues for future research, including the exploration of CYP’s views, cultural considerations when working relationally, and the role of staff wellbeing. Overall, this research provides practical guidance to promote the development of positive staff–child relationships, informed by members of the school community, and makes a meaningful contribution to the literature advocating for relationship-centred education.

This work examines early childhood inclusion in educational settings in Italy. It begins with the history, culture, and socio-political landscape of Early Childhood Intervention and an analysis of the current situation regarding education and inclusion. Next, it analyzes current policies and practices for including students with special needs, addressing aspects such as staff characteristics and training, the ratio of children with and without special needs, forms of schooling, curriculum, and available supports. A summary of evaluation and research on inclusion is then presented, highlighting recent findings on facilitators and barriers, child development, family participation, and social acceptance for an equal and inclusive education for everyone. Finally, the article discusses the main challenges faced in the country and outlines next steps regarding student learning and development, family participation, teacher training, working conditions, and future research. By analyzing the latest relevant scientific literature and policy documents in Italy, the article aims to provide a comprehensive yet detailed overview of the inclusion model in Italy.