Using ITERS-R in assessing ECCE quality environment: a case study at two selected child care centres in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ninety-eight percent of all Danish children between one and six attend an early childhood education and care (ECEC) center. Thirty-eight percent of these children spend eight hours or more a day in an ECEC center. Most Danish ECECs are public and administered by local municipalities. ECEC centers include crèche/nurseries and family day-care providers (zero to three years); kindergartens (three to six years); and the most common, integrated centers (zero to six years). On average, 45 percent of the zero-to-two-year-old children attending an ECEC attend a family day-care provider. Often, ECEC centers are open Monday through Friday from six thirty a.m. to five p.m. Each center varies in size and the manner of its organization, and most are unit based so that every child belongs to a unit with particular adults. Pedagogical approaches also vary, but in general, children spend three to four hours a day outside on a playground. Except for lunch, snacks, and circle times, children take part in adult-initiated or adult-structured activities, typically thirty minutes per day. Otherwise, they are free to choose for themselves with what to play and with whom to play in a child-centered pedagogical environment. The ECEC sector has a high political priority and accounts for a considerable part of municipal budgets since only one-fifth of total costs are financed by parent fees. The ECEC sector is vested with high expectations, which include preventing social problems and providing care, upbringing, and learning opportunities for all children. Danish pedagogues are professionally trained at the bachelor’s level in providing care and supporting development. In an average municipality, 59 percent of the professionals have a degree in pedagogy, while the remaining 41 percent are assistants with some or no pedagogical education. The ratios between adults and children vary between municipalities. In 2018, each professional on average was responsible for 6.2 children, age three to five, or 3.1 children, age zero to two. The early childhood education and care system in Denmark is like other Nordic countries, based on a social pedagogical approach. The sector is closely connected to the development of the Danish welfare state in the 1960s and onward with its tax-financed public health, education, and social system. Another characteristic is that in Denmark most men and women are employed on a full-time basis. In the mid-20th century, legislation regulating the ECEC sector was sparse. It was adopted under the purview of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which reflected the fact that providing day care for preschool children was regarded a social issue rather than an educational issue. A national curriculum of six learning themes became effective in 2004 and has been implemented into a play-based tradition. In 2018, a political initiative was implemented in order to straighten the curriculum framework. One of the aims is to increase the learning environment in Danish ECEC centers and to develop the professionals’ cooperation with parents. In 2019 the Danish parliament introduced initiatives toward a minimum ratio of one adult to three children in nurseries (zero-to-two-year-olds), and one adult to six children in kindergartens (three-to-five-year-olds). The exact model is not negotiated yet, but the implementation is expected to be in place by 2025.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centre registration is an important aspect in promoting quality ECCE. Quality ECCE plays an important role in promoting holistic development for children. In the Malaysian context, ECCE is managed under a dichotomous system which is overseen by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Ministry of Education. The ECCE registration process involves various departments, and hence, the operators need to deal with different authorities in adherence with the rules and regulations set by each authority. The objectives of this study are to explore the perceptions of the ECCE operators on the centre registration process and to investigate the challenges faced by them in the registration process. This study adopted a mixed-method research which involves 127 respondents in the survey and 53 participants in focus group interviews. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and NVivo respectively. From the findings, the operators showed high awareness of the registration guidelines and the consequences of non-registration. They also highlighted concerns in terms of the clarity of the policy information for centre registration, as well as challenges faced in the registration process. The quantitative findings were further supported by the qualitative findings, whereby the operators revealed the challenges faced in the complex ECCE centre registration process as well as the inconsistent requirements for registration. Hence, shared responsibility and effective coordination should be further looked at, in the continuous efforts in promoting quality ECCE.

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the role and the involvement of local community within the context of Malaysian early childhood centers (nursery and kindergarten).Design/methodology/approachThe research used a mixed method with a questionnaire survey in the first phase and qualitative interviews in the second phase. Quantitative data were obtained from a survey completed by 3,519 staffs from nursery and kindergarten all over Malaysia. Qualitative data were collected from individual and focus group semistructured interviews conducted with 140 participants of the Malaysian public and private internal and external stakeholders ranging from the relevant personnel of the early childhood care and education (ECCE) centers (administrators, teachers and practitioners), academic experts, regulatory agencies and parents.FindingsSurvey results indicate that the parents and community involvement with ECCE centers from the perspective of the management and practitioners is in the medium category. A total of three overarching themes were identified from the interviews, namely expertise collaboration, resource sharing and operation monitoring. There exists diversity in terms of community engagement and cooperation with ECCE centers.Practical implicationsThe findings are expected to provide valuable guidelines to ECCE centers' management and leadership in the aspect of community involvement where it could help to enhance their efforts of providing quality learning experiences for young children attending their centers.Originality/valueThis study is part of a larger longitudinal and mixed methods project examining the quality practices in setting the standards in the Malaysian National Quality ECCE framework. These findings contribute to the understanding of community involvement with ECCE centers in the Malaysian context.

Research shows an association between mother-infant shared reading and children’s language and literacy development. Educators in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres frequently interact with groups of similar-aged infants, yet infant-educator shared reading has received little attention. This naturalistic observational study videorecorded 20 focus infants (children aged under 2 years) from 20 separate ECEC centres as they went about their normal everyday activities. Each focus infant was videorecorded for approximately 3 h each (a total of 60 h of data), as part of a larger project investigating the language environment in ECEC infant rooms. The present study investigated whether the infants engaged in book-focused interactions with their educators, and if so, whether the infants participated verbally. Each infant’s book-focused interactions were identified and transcribed verbatim, and each infant’s room was assessed using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition (ITERS-R) (Listening and Talking Subscale). Nine of the 20 infants did not participate in any shared reading. The extent to which the remaining 11 infants engaged in shared reading ranged from minimal to extensive. In 85% of ECEC rooms, the ITERS-R score for using books was lower than that for helping children understand language and helping children use language. The findings suggest that many educators may be unaware of the importance of reading with infants. Given the benefits of shared reading for infants’ current and future language and literacy development, it is vital that every infant has the opportunity to participate in frequent, sustained, language-rich interactions with their educators.

Barriers and facilitators to structured physical activity interventions in early childhood education and care centres: a systematic review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present and discuss contrasting perceptions regarding “leadership and mentoring” among leaders of Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres in their mentoring practices with newly qualified early childhood teachers (NQTs).Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with eight leaders in Norwegian ECEC centres.FindingsLeaders in dual roles as leaders and mentors have varying orientations in mentoring NQTs. The paper presents the findings as two main orientations: an individual and an organizational orientation. Individually oriented leaders as mentors focus on individual needs and support of the NQT. Organizationally oriented leaders as mentors emphasize collective reflection and learning in the staff group and include NQTs in various learning processes in the ECEC centre.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is a qualitative research inquiry in a specific context and may not be representative for larger groups. Further studies could include larger samples of leaders and NQTs. Such studies could focus on the balance between NQTs’ individual needs and organizational needs, and how NQTs are included in the organization’s collective reflection and action.Practical implicationsThe study provides insights into how leaders as mentors in their dual roles try to meet both the needs of the individual NQT and the needs of the organization. It also identifies and highlights some of the challenges that leaders must cope with in their dual roles. The paper benefits those working in such dual roles and in the education of mentors and leaders.Originality/valueThe study contributes to increased knowledge on how leaders’ views on leadership and organization influence their mentoring with NQTs. The study is relevant for leaders in other educational settings such as schools. In ECEC centres, the leader is responsible for mentoring NQTs and other staff members. This study shows different ways of conceptualizing mentoring with NQTs in the role as leader.

This article presents autoethnographic short stories that describe an early childhood education and care (ECEC) centre director's work for one year in a municipality in Finland. The purpose of this article is to provide a glimpse into what it is like to enter into an ECEC director position and live everyday ECEC life with economic data that are produced by frequently fluctuating child–staff ratios. This study contributes to a better understanding of the transformational implications of datafication by providing insight into affective interrelations held together by economic aspirations. It shows that datafication is a powerful tool to affect and to be affected in the female-dominated care work of ECEC. The study highlights the possibilities of using an autoethnographic analysis to recognise how data affect the body in data dominated ECEC and how to utilise this very recognition as resistance.

This article explores parents’ perceptions of their children’s belongingness in early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres. It stems from the unexpected findings of a transformative ECCE pedagogy research project, which was characterised by multicultural, multiracial and varied economic conditions. As such, the authors expected controversial parental perceptions of the quality of the care and education their children experienced in these centres. However, this was not the case. Drawing on the theory of salutogenesis and its key concept, namely a sense of coherence, parents’ responses about their children’s early learning and well-being across diverse ECCE contexts were overwhelmingly positive. This prompted the question: what was it in these centres that allowed parents to experience a strong sense of belonging and such positive sentiments concerning their children’s sense of well-being? This phenomenological study was informed by the narratives of 19 parents, collected through the transformative pedagogy project, set in rural and urban situations, and at well-resourced and under-resourced centres. Findings reflected four identifiable themes. Firstly, parents favoured the diversity of influences at the centres, viewing these as rich opportunities for their children’s development and learning. Secondly, parents felt a strong conviction that the ECCE teachers were genuinely concerned about and sensitive towards their children. Thirdly, parents believed that their children were learning playfully in safe, loving spaces, and fourthly, parents were confident that their children were happy in the centres. These findings are particularly welcomed in the ECCE space, which is often demoralised and marginalised within the broader schooling system.Transdisciplinarity Contribution: The article shows that quality early childhood learning and teaching can take place across disparate contexts, be they urban or rural, well-resourced or under-resourced. This study identified factors that led to parents perceiving that their children experienced happiness and a sense of belonging in different centres.

This research is an integrative literature review regarding the variety of university-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) centre models. This research focuses on those models that collaborate closely with early childhood (EC) teacher education programmes. The data were gathered from three different databases: ERIC (Ebscohost), Education Research Complete (Ebscohost) and ProQuest Central by using six different search terms. A total of 2766 publications were found. Based on the inclusion criteria, 40 publications were included in a data analysis. These publications consisted of descriptions of 53 different models regarding the collaboration between ECEC centres and universities. Two out of three models (n = 34) were university-based ECEC centres that collaborated closely with EC teacher education programmes by implementing various collaborations in education and research in their daily work. Outreach efforts were also implemented. This research invites EC teacher education programmes and ECEC centres for international collaboration and further research on this topic.

Background Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers play an important role in fostering healthy dietary habits. The Nutrition Now project focusing on improving dietary habits during the first 1000 days of life. Central to the project is the implementation of an e-learning resource aimed at promoting feeding practices among staff and healthy dietary behaviours for children aged 0–3 years in ECEC. Implementing new interventions often presents challenges. This study explores ECEC staff views and experiences with selected strategies for implementing an e-learning resource in ECEC centers in a municipality in Southern Norway. Methods The study is a part of the Nutrition Now study, a hybrid type 1 non-randomized controlled trial. The implementation process followed the Dynamic Integrated Evaluation Model (DIEM). Implementation strategies were selected from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project and included identify and prepare champions, conduct educational meetings, distribute educational materials, create a learning collaborative, and remind clinicians. ECEC teachers from participating ECEC centers in the intervention municipality were recruited as champions. Brief (5–7 min minutes), semi-structured phone interviews, covering key points, were conducted with the champions 8 times, evenly distributed over six months. The interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results In total, 29 of the invited ECEC centers (53%) participated, and 260 brief interviews (88%) were conducted with champions (n = 37). An evaluation of the feedback from the champions suggests that the five selected implementation strategies were acceptable. Five main themes were developed by qualitative analysis: 1) Being a champion resembles what I already do. 2) Educational meetings are fine but take time. I prefer when peers share experiences. 3) Newsletters were helpful and reminded me, but I do not always have enough time to read. 4) Evaluations have increased my awareness, and we do them informally and formally. 5) The regular phone calls reminded me I could receive support and express my opinion. Conclusion This study’s findings suggest that several implementation strategies are acceptable for stakeholders in an ECEC e-learning healthy eating intervention. However, time constraints among champions may hinder deep engagement. These results provide valuable insights into how the selected implementation strategies may function in practice and how they are perceived and experienced by the ECECs staff. Trial registration Trial registration on June 6, 2022: ISRCTN10694967.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff are central to promoting young children’s development, learning and well-being. ECEC staff work in teams and the staff roles included these teams vary both across countries and within countries, for instance related to the size and location of ECEC centres. Initial education and ongoing professional development of staff in different roles (e.g. teacher compared with assistant) also varies, with implications for children’s daily experiences in their ECEC settings. Creating staff teams with complementary skill sets and fostering collaborative learning among ECEC professionals are policy approaches that can make the most of these different training profiles. In addition, ensuring staff with specific training to work with children with special needs or those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are present in centres with higher shares of these children can help increase equity in ECEC for all children.

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON findings from research (Warren, 2013) which sought to understand, in the New South Wales (NSW) context, the factors impacting on the transition into early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres for children with disabilities from the perspective of both parents of children with disabilities and educators in ECEC centres. The study aimed to identify successes and barriers, and consider potential interventions and procedures that might increase the participation of children with disabilities in ECEC centres. This paper will discuss findings from the educator perspective only, including 37 completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from 10 teacher participants. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of communication with parents, relationships with previous service providers, opportunities for professional learning and organisational support.

This research investigates how consulting early childhood special education teachers (ECSETs) perceived teamwork in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers. The following research questions were set: (1) What constructs or prevents the functionality of teamwork in ECEC according to ECSETs experiences, and (2) what are the perceived consequences of teamwork in ECEC as experienced by the ECSETs? We arranged 13 group discussions in which 35 ECSETs discussed their own experiences of successful teamwork in ECEC. Using a phenomenographic approach, we identified four factors that impacted the functionality of the teams: external, unit-specific, team-specific, and employee-specific factors. ECSETs described how teamwork specifically affects the quality of ECEC and the implementation of educational support for children. Our research will help in understanding the factors and functions of teamwork as well as to develop team strengths and practises in ECEC centers.

Using a multilevel random-coefficient approach, we examined the longitudinal association between toddlers’ early shyness and their well-being during their first year in Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres. We used data from two measurement points (preintervention and postintervention) from a larger cluster randomized controlled trial study, Thrive by 3. We followed 567 children (answered by 415 mothers and 152 fathers) who were younger than 19 months and had just started in ECEC at preintervention. Our findings indicate that toddlers’ early shyness during their starting period in ECEC is associated with their well-being by the end of their first year in ECEC. Our findings highlight the importance of paying extra attention to shy toddlers, as they seem to show less well-being during their early period in ECEC. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03879733.

This literature review is about the exploration of teachers’ teaching practices of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teachers utilized in different context’. The findings of this study are based on literature published between the years 2000 and 2020. This document is established as a current analysis of teaching practices of ECCE teachers. The limitation of this paper is that the majority of the study is based on Australia, UK, France, Germany, Pakistan Australia, and USA which restricts the results' worldwide application. The results are presented in seven comprehensive themes; Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), Importance of Early Childhood Care and Education, Global status of Early Childhood Care and Education, Challenges in Early Childhood Care and Education, Strengthening in Early Childhood Care and Education, best teaching practices in Early Childhood Care and Education and teaching practices utilized by ECCE teachers in different contexts. At the root, all of these themes reveal the practices of ECCE teachers in different context. This study is directly linked to policymakers, educationist, government leaders, community members, researchers and parents who are interested to make early childhood education more effective and appropriate. However from this literature review it is found that ECCE teachers are not much practicing the effective teaching practices in their classrooms just as; collaborative activity, interactive activity, Hands-on or project based activities. Even it is also found that in many contexts in ECCE physical and social environment was not much conducive for children in order to make their learning effective.