Pathways to work-related wellbeing: early childhood education leaders’ stories

Early childhood is a critical period in our social, cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and self-regulatory development, and extensive research has been conducted on children’s overall developmental processes, influencing factors, and their lifelong impacts. Research suggests the over-arching significance of supporting children’s early development through caregiver-child communication, social interactions, and play. Such interactions and opportunities for development in children’s early years are critical for later academic achievement and well-being. Moreover, the positive long-term effects of high-quality early childhood education (ECE), in particular on children’s development, as well as the economic, social, and cultural development of communities on a larger scale, have been extensively documented. In the Arab Gulf region, especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), little research has been done to document and analyze ECE quality, practices, and their impacts. This case study focuses on the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, investigating the scope of programs and their quality, challenges, and opportunities for growth and improvement. The study found and documented extreme variations in the quality of early childhood education centers (ECECs) in the emirate and highlights the need to improve ECE policies, practices, and facilities by adopting recognized international standards, best practices, and support structures. This paper goes on to present data-driven policy recommendations to improve the quality of ECECs in Ras Al Khaimah and the greater UAE.

Background: Current research on early childhood education (ECE) leadership as well as on policy reform in Finland suggests that pedagogical leadership must be considered as a purposeful and planned process. Pedagogical leadership plans play a key role in the purposeful and effective enactment of pedagogical leadership in ECE settings.Aim: This study aimed at examining the contents of pedagogical leadership plans drawn up in Finnish ECE centres to interpret the perceptions of the centre directors on the implementation of pedagogical leadership in their settings.Setting: This study examines pedagogical leadership plans in ECE settings in Finland.Methods: We used inductive content analysis to examine documents drawn up by nine ECE centre directors as pedagogical leadership plans for their centres. Our analysis identified four main categories that describe how the ECE centre directors conceive the enactment of pedagogical leadership.Results: The findings revealed that the focus of the plans was on leading pedagogical issues and processes within the ECE centres. Creating structures for pedagogical development and reflection were emphasised in the plans. The plans reflected a distributed leadership approach.Conclusion: The findings of the study provide information about how the ECE directors intend to enact pedagogical leadership and assist ECE leaders to develop leadership planning in their work settings. In this way, the study contributes to leadership development within the ECE sector.

BackgroundEarly childhood education (ECE) centers are an important place for preschool-aged children to obtain physical activity (PA). A U.S. state government (Louisiana) recently updated requirements for licensed centers’ PA and screen-time policies, which allowed for assessment of 1) ECE center practices, environment, staff behaviors, and policies changes on child-level PA and 2) state level changes on the ECE center.MethodsECE centers were assessed at the beginning of state licensing changes and 1-year later. The ECE centers were assessed via the Environmental Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) tool. The EPAO Sedentary Opportunities score, which primarily assesses television viewing time, was revised to reflect viewing non-television devices (e.g. tablets). Child-level PA was measured using accelerometry. For Aim 1, mixed models assessed ECE center changes and child PA with adjustment for demographic characteristics (fixed effects), baseline EPAO score (random effects), and clustering for center. For Aim 2, paired t-tests assessed ECE center environment differences between baseline and follow-up.ResultsNine ECE centers participated and 49 preschoolers provided complete measures at both time points. For Aim 1, increases in the EPAO revised-Sedentary Opportunities score (as in less non-television screen-time) resulted in increased child PA (p = 0.02). For Aim 2, ECE centers improved their EPAO Active Opportunities and Staff Behaviors score (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02 respectively).ConclusionsECE centers improved their environment after 1-year, resulting in additional child PA. Changes in ECE centers environment, possibly through policy, can positively influence children’s PA.

BackgroundParticipation in outdoor play has been extensively documented as beneficial for the health, well-being, and development of children. Canadian early childhood education centers (ECECs) are important settings in young children’s lives and provide opportunities to participate in outdoor play. However, there are barriers to the provision of outdoor play opportunities at ECECs, such as adverse weather conditions, poorly designed outdoor spaces, outdoor time policies, and early childhood educator comfort levels.ObjectiveThe PROmoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO) study is a wait-list control cluster randomized trial that evaluates the impact of the PRO-ECO intervention, an innovative outdoor play intervention, on children’s outdoor play behavior. The purpose of this paper was to provide a detailed overview of the pilot study protocol and the methods that will be used to develop, implement, and evaluate the PRO-ECO intervention.MethodsA total of 8 ECECs delivering licensed care to children aged 2.5 to 6 years in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, and operated by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver (YMCA GV) are included in this study. Using a wait-list control cluster randomized trial design, we randomly allocated ECECs to either the PRO-ECO intervention arm (n=4) or the wait-list control arm (n=4). The primary outcome measures include changes in the proportion and diversity of observed outdoor play behavior during dedicated outdoor times at the ECECs as measured through observational behavior mapping. Secondary outcome measures include changes in educator attitudes; quality of ECECs’ outdoor play space; and children’s psychosocial strengths, physical activity levels, and social behaviors. A process evaluation of the acceptability of the PRO-ECO intervention in the 8 YMCA GV ECECs will also be assessed. Outcome data will be collected at baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up. Mixed effect models will test the effect of the PRO-ECO intervention on quantitative outcomes. Baseline and postintervention data will be included in the analysis, controlling for the cluster design. Qualitative data will support quantitative findings and provide evidence for the acceptability of implementation.ResultsParticipant recruitment for this study began in August 2021, and baseline data collection was completed at all 8 ECECs in November 2021. As of April 2022, a total of 130 children have been recruited to participate in this study.ConclusionsThe PRO-ECO pilot study will develop, implement, and evaluate the PRO-ECO intervention within 8 YMCA GV ECECs in the Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. The findings of this study will be useful for early childhood educators, ECEC providers, and policy makers to consider means for enhancing outdoor play provision and assessing the sustainability of the intervention in ECEC settings.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05075580; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05073380International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/38365

A study on the status of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECC and E) in Botswana established an absence of a prescribed curriculum and a very low rate of formal training of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers [4].Thus, under the existing circumstances, it was necessary to find out the alternative training measures that were made available to the practicing ECE teachers and the existing classroom practices.This part of the study mapped the views of the teachers working in ECE centres, as demonstrated by their in-service training, classroom practices and.The study comprised of 39 teachers from 39 ECE centres in the neighbourhood.Their views were obtained from a semi-structured questionnaire.A quantitative approach was used for analysis of the data.The study found that around 60% of the in-service teachers attended ECE workshops as alternative training measures.However, it emerged from the study that the content of the workshops needed to be enriched.It also revealed that only 54% of teachers promoted holistic development that catered to physical, cognitive, emotional as well as social domains at tandem; and remaining promoted only a combination of some of the developmental aspects, neglecting some crucial ones completely at times.The findings also indicated that greater emphasis was laid on the development of physical aspect as compared to the other domains.

This chapter explores the perception of head teachers and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centre supervisors on the role of supervisors in leading ECE centres in Solomon Islands. It explores issues of policy emerging from the National ECE policy of the Solomon Islands pertaining to the power that ECE supervisors have to perform their duty, and their ability to set direction and control financial resource for the centre. The study was conducted with three head teachers and three ECE supervisors from five different schools in urban, semi-urban and rural settings using one-to-one interviews. The study reveals that the quality of service delivered in ECE is weak because of the limited power that supervisors have to perform their duty as overall decision-makers of ECE centres. This has affected their role as leaders, impeding their ability to direct the improvement of ECE centres and has restricted their ability to plan and collaborate with stakeholders in order to generate resources for sustaining the operation of centres. The way forward for Solomon Islands, according to this study, is to strengthen and empower supervisors’ leadership responsibilities through regulation via job description improvements under the National ECE policy and with the Teaching Service Handbook.

PurposeThis study examines the social organizational structure of one early childhood education (ECE) center in Finland and the relationship between this structure and the roles and the responsibilities of the members of the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe research is a qualitative case study with ethnographic features. Its variables for content analysis are based on Henry Mintzberg's theory of organizational design.FindingsThe study's results show that the organizational structure of the ECE center follows the organizational configuration of a Professional bureaucracy and that the multiprofessional teams follow the configuration of a Simple structure. The structures for centralization and decentralization are suitable for a professional bureaucracy, but the roles of the members of the organization and the processes for shared decision-making lack clarification. The shortage of qualified ECE teachers disrupts the function of the organization and the work of ECE leaders.Research limitations/implicationsThe educational background of subjects may have affected the findings.Originality/valueThe study uses Henry Mintzberg's organizational structure theory to evaluate how and why power is distributed and activities are coordinated at the ECE center. The results also show what parts of the organization pose challenges that most commonly disrupt the organization's operations. With these findings, it is possible to expand the understanding of roles and responsibilities in the currently reforming ECE environment and what ECE centers need to function effectively. The study is part of a larger research project and will be continued to examine the leadership culture of the ECE center.

This study explored the perceptions of deputy directors about their leadership in Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres in Finland. Our aim was to look beyond task distribution and understand how deputy directors enacted leadership with their colleagues. Six deputy directors employed in one municipality in Finland participated in this study. Interviewed individually, the participants discussed how they themselves perceived being in a leadership position and what their leadership looked like in practice. The emphasis they placed on the various relationships highlight the importance of paying attention to the relational dynamics amongst staff within a centre, taking into account both formal and informal authority. Given the increasing global interest in understanding leadership enactment within ECE centres, and its connection with quality service provision, knowledge of the positional leadership roles of deputy directors is of importance to the ECE sector. This is one of the first studies dedicated to exploring the work of ECE deputy directors.

Objective:To assess the comprehensiveness (scope of nutrition guidance) and strength (clarity of written language) of centre-based nutrition policies (CBNP) within early childhood education (ECE) centres. To also consider the applicability of an existing CBNP assessment tool and policy alignment with best practice food provision and feeding practices.Design:Cross-sectional online study to assess written ECE CBNP using the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool.Setting:Licenced ECE centres in the state of Victoria, Australia.Participants:ECE centres (operating at least 8 h per d, 48 weeks per annum), stratified by location (rural and metropolitan), centre management type (profit and not-for-profit) and socio-economic area (low, middle, high).Results:Included individual CBNP (n 118), predominantly from metropolitan centres (56 %) and low-medium socio-economic areas (78 %). Policies had low overall Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool scores, particularly strength scores which were low across all four domains (i.e. nutrition education, nutrition standards, health promotion and communication/evaluation). The nutrition standards domain had the lowest strength score. The communication/evaluation domain had the lowest comprehensiveness score. Content analysis indicated low scores may relate to the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool applicability for the Australian context due to differences in best practice guidance.Conclusion:Despite the presence of written nutrition policies in ECE centres, many showed weak language and lacked comprehensiveness and strength. This may relate to poor implementation of best practice food provision or feeding practices. Low scores, however, may partly stem from using an assessment tool that is not country-specific. The redevelopment of country-specific tools to assess ECE CBNP may be warranted.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) in India is a relatively new concept and has been gaining popularity in recent years. It is based on the belief that a child's formative years are the most important for his/her development. The focus of ECE in India is to provide children with a holistic, meaningful, and holistic learning experience. This experience is achieved through interactive, play-based activities that help the child to explore the world around them and develop their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. In India, the Ministry of Education has been spearheading efforts to promote ECE. They have launched several initiatives and schemes such as the New Education Policy and the National Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (NECCES) to promote access to ECE services. The government also provides financial assistance to schools, NGOs, and private institutions to open and run ECE centers. To ensure quality ECE, the government has drafted guidelines and regulations for ECE centers. These include standards for teacher qualifications, curriculum and assessment, physical infrastructure and environment, and safety and health standards. The government has also set up an accreditation system for ECE centers to recognize quality and ensure accountability. In addition to government initiatives, there are a number of NGOs, private institutions, and corporate organizations that are making efforts to promote ECE in India. These organizations are working to provide access to quality ECE and to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood education. Jammu and Kashmir have long been at the forefront of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in India.

In early childhood education, the concept of distributed leadership has emerged as a key analytical tool for understanding leadership as well as a normative guide for what leadership should be. The concept originates in Peter Gronn’s work, where it is positioned as overcoming the structure-agency debate, which is a foundational question in the study of social reality. While distributed leadership itself has been extensively studied, the problem motivating Gronn’s work—the structure-agency problematique—has rarely been investigated. In an effort to create a deeper understanding of the role of structure and agency in constituting early childhood education leadership, this study examines how these two key dimensions of social reality structure early childhood education center leaders’ understanding of leadership. The data for the study consist of focus group interviews where early childhood education center leaders discuss various aspects of leadership. The data are analyzed in the broad framework of post-structural discourse analysis, using the analytic concept of frame, which reveals the interplay of structure and agency in early childhood education leaders’ understandings of their work. The findings show that early childhood education center leaders’ understanding of leadership is mainly focused on the side of structure and offers few chances for the kind of collective effort hoped for by Gronn.

Feasibility and potential efficacy of Movement-Active-Physical-Play (M.A.P.P) physical activity program in New Zealand's early childhood education centres: A pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial.

The link between hours of center-based childcare and child development in 3- to 6-year-olds: Evidence from Singapore

In this study, Palestinian Early Childhood Education (ECE) center female directors' perceptions of their leadership styles are examined from their own perspectives. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a stratified random sample of 166 ECE center directors and from structured, face-to-face interviews with 10 directors who had been purposefully selected. The questionnaire's validity (referee) and reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) had been tested beforehand. Using Google survey techniques, a stratified random sample from the West Bank and Gaza Strip was selected in July 2020. The study employed a descriptive quantitative and qualitative research method. The quantitative results showed that the directors of the ECE centers perceived six leadership styles in rank order from high to low: comprehensive and developmental, humanistic, democratic, supportive and transformative, autocratic and finally laissez-Faire. Nevertheless, a dialogue-based leadership concept is the preferred style as shown in the qualitative results. However, the directors of ECE centers found it difficult to articulate their leadership styles; instead, they preferred to explain what they do. The study is concluded with recommendations for ECE directors to improve their practices and for policy makers to finalize an ECE philosophy which would promote the professional foundations of ECE and the qualification of all directors and educators in the field. Directors are also recommended to establish networks in order to collaborate, have discussions, create a joint language based on their experiences and related research findings. Consequently, directors will be able to gain better knowledge of their leadership styles, strengthen their own leadership roles, and ultimately boost the quality of early childhood education in Palestine.

 When developing inclusive practices in early childhood education (ECE) settings teachers are required to be guided by the principles enshrined in Te Whāriki. When a child deemed to need 'extra support' comes into an ECE setting, to what extent might ECE teachers and support staff draw on the spirit and intention of this document to support the provision of a quality inclusive educational environment for the child concerned? To address this question, a small three-part qualitative survey of the views of a cohort of ECE staff charged with implementing fully inclusive practice in relation to children with special needs in not-for-profit kindergartens and ECE centres in New Zealand was initiated. Survey responses from the 27 ECE teachers suggest that further queries about how Te Whāriki might provide ECE teachers with enough clarity of purpose necessary to successfully include all children with special needs in their centres may be necessary. The article concludes by suggesting that in-depth conversations with ECE teachers and centre leaders about how the principles contained in Te Whakiri and existing government policy statements might more effectively align, so as to better facilitate delivery of EC education to children with special needs, may be useful.