Early Child-care And Education Research Articles

Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

For many young children, early childcare and education (ECE) programs are the only source of nutritious meals and physical activity (PA); however, the COVID-19 pandemic led to program closures, restrictions, and changed practices. To examine changes in nutrition and PA-related best practices in ECE settings in Illinois from 2019, just prior to the pandemic, as compared to 2022. We also examined how changes over time varied by program type (ie, centers vs homes), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) status, and/or Head Start/Early Head Start status. The study design is a repeated cross-sectional survey administered in December 2019 and October 2022. State of Illinois. A total of 888 and 1162 ECE providers completed initial and follow-up surveys, respectively. NA. Provider report of meeting 14 nutrition and 9 PA-related best practices. Overall, 9 nutrition-related best practices were maintained and 5 declined over time. Centers, CACFP, and Head Start providers reported significant declines in meeting nutrition-related practices over time. A total of 8 PA-related best practices were maintained and 1 declined over time. Centers reported a significant decline in 5 of the PA-related best practices over time, and these declines were significantly different than in homes over time. Similarly, Head Start programs reported a decline in 4 PA-related best practices over time, and the change was significantly different from non-Head Start programs in 3 of the 4 practices. The findings of this study should be considered a new baseline for ECE nutrition and PA-related best practices in Illinois and should serve as a wake-up call for advocates nationwide with regard to the provision of nutrition and PA-related best practices in centers and by CACFP and Head Start providers postpandemic.

Quality of early childcare and education predicts high school STEM achievement for students from low-income backgrounds.

High-quality early childcare and education (ECE) has demonstrated long-term associations with positive educational and life outcomes and can be particularly impactful for children from low-income backgrounds. This study extends the literature on the long-term associations between high-quality caregiver sensitivity and responsiveness and cognitive stimulation (i.e., caregiving quality) in ECE settings and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in high school. Using the 1991 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 1,096; 48.6% female; 76.4% White, 11.3% African American, 5.8% Latine, 6.5% other), results demonstrated that caregiving quality in ECE was associated with reduced disparities between low- and higher-income children's STEM achievement and school performance at age 15. Disparities in STEM school performance (i.e., enrollment in advanced STEM courses and STEM grade point average) and STEM achievement (i.e., Woodcock-Johnson cognitive battery) were reduced when children from lower-income families experienced more exposure to higher caregiving quality in ECE. Further, results suggested an indirect pathway for these associations from caregiving quality in ECE to age 15 STEM success through increased STEM achievement in Grades 3 through 5 (ages 8-11 years). Findings suggest that community-based ECE is linked to meaningful improvements in STEM achievement in Grades 3 through 5 which in turn relates to STEM achievement and school performance in high school, and caregiving quality in ECE is particularly important for children from lower-income backgrounds. This work has implications for policy and practice positioning caregivers' cognitive stimulation and sensitivity in ECE settings across the first 5 years of life as a promising lever for bolstering the STEM pipeline for children from lower-income backgrounds. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Caring Piously: New Institutionalisation of Childcare Services in Turkey

In Turkey, Early Childcare and Education (ECCE) policy has never been prioritised in the social policy agenda and was even further pushed back with the welfare state’s weakening role in the 2000s. The private sector, inaccessible for many, particularly low-income households, has tried to fill the significant gap in the supply side of these services. Municipalities and the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PoRA) have also recently become new actors in the provision of low-cost ‘care services’. This article compares the quality of these services by examining the number of students served, regulations, infrastructure, curricula, cost, and staff. Although neoliberalism has had an impact on welfare regimes in the European Union (EU) context, more established welfare and gender equality regimes have modified those impacts, resulting in a new institutionalisation, based on non-institutionalisation, of childcare services in Turkey’s national policy frame.

Early Childcare and Education in a Post-Industrial Landscape: Inequalities in Proximity to Active and Relic Manufacturing in Metropolitan Providence, Rhode Island.

Children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental health risks associated with industrial contamination, and early childcare and education (ECE) facilities are important sites for potential exposure to environmental contaminants. Emerging research on historic urban industry has additionally demonstrated that urban environmental risk accumulates historically and spatially across urban landscapes. Accordingly, this study pairs cross-sectional data on licensed childcare facilities with longitudinal manufacturing site data in Providence, Rhode Island. We use these data to investigate the proximity of ECE facilities to active and relic manufacturing sites, controlling for a range of organizational- and tract-level characteristics. Results show that type of childcare facility (center-based vs. in-home) and language of instruction (Spanish vs. English) are important predictors of children's proximity to industrial lands, past and present. These findings indicate that Spanish-speaking children in Providence may experience a "double jeopardy" in the form of disproportionate legacy environmental hazards at ECE as well as at home-suggesting that the historical nature of urban industrial land use is an important mechanism of environmental inequality for young children.

Investigating the Differential Effects of Early Child Care and Education in Reducing Gender and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps From Kindergarten to 8th Grade

We used the generalized propensity score method to estimate the differential effects of five Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) experiences (Prekindergarten, Head Start, Center-based Child Care, Home-based Child Care, and Parental Care) in reducing math and reading achievement gaps between boys versus girls, Latinx versus Whites, and Blacks versus Whites. Findings revealed differential effects of ECCE in reducing gender and racial achievement gaps. However, results indicated that significant gender and racial gaps still exist despite ECCE experiences and that these gaps widen throughout the elementary and middle school years.

A Safety Net Unraveling: Feeding Young Children During COVID-19.

The emergence of COVID-19 in the United States led most states to close or severely limit the capacity of their early child-care and education (ECE) programs. This loss affected millions of young children, including many of the 4.6 million low-income children who are provided free meals and snacks by their ECE programs through support from the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).Although Congress swiftly authorized waivers that would allow CACFP-participating ECE programs to continue distributing food to children, early evidence suggests that most ECE programs did not have the capacity to do so, leaving a fragmented system of federal, state, and local food programs to fill the gaps created by this loss.Critical steps are needed to repair our nation's fragile ECE system, including greater investment in CACFP, to ensure the nutrition, health, and development of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

P44 Influences of Provider Nutrition Knowledge and Self-Efficacy on Nutrition Practices and Policies of Oklahoma Family Child Care Homes

<h3>Background</h3> Early child care and education (ECE) are favorable locations for early obesity prevention. Few studies include Family Child Care Homes (FCCH) compared to larger ECE settings. Several ECE interventions show that introducing or improving a written policy has positive effects on food environment and foods served. However, a gap exists on possible influences of policies and practices in FCCHs. <h3>Objective</h3> To determine impact of FCCH providers' nutrition knowledge and nutrition self-efficacy on program nutritional practices and policies. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> This cross-sectional study uses baseline data from an intervention study (Happy Healthy Homes) of FCCH providers caring for 2- to 5-year-old children within 60 miles of Oklahoma City. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> From October 2017 to November 2018 providers completed surveys including demographics, nutrition knowledge, nutrition self-efficacy (confidence and barriers), and NAP SACC practices and policies. Spearman's rank-order correlation, linear regression, and logistic regression were used via SPSS version 25. <h3>Results</h3> Forty-nine FCCH providers participated (100% women, 45 ± 13 years old). Confidence self-efficacy is inversely correlated with barriers self-efficacy (rs(47) = −0.4, <i>P</i> = .004). Nutrition knowledge was not correlated with confidence or barriers self-efficacy. Multivariate linear regression indicates nutrition knowledge as the strongest predictor of nutrition practices (std β = 0.442, <i>P</i> = .001) followed by confidence self-efficacy (std β = 0.358, <i>P</i> = .001), while barriers self-efficacy does not (std β = −0.061, <i>P</i> = .651). There was no association between knowledge, self-efficacy, and nutrition policies. <h3>Conclusions</h3> As FCCH provider nutrition confidence increases, barriers to serving healthy foods decrease. However, nutrition knowledge was not related to either confidence or barriers self-efficacy. Collectively, knowledge and self-efficacy were associated with FCCH practices. Results suggest that increase in knowledge and confidence may have a positive effect on nutrition practices in the FCCH. However, they do not necessarily influence each other. Knowledge and self-efficacy each need to be included in provider training opportunities.

Parents’ Perspectives on Quality ECCE Curriculum: Instrument Development

The aim of the study was to develop and validate the Early Childcare and Education (ECCE) Curriculum Instrument for Parents (QECCECI-P) by examining parents’ perspectives on the quality of the ECCE curriculum in the Malaysian context. The items were developed based on the existing literature that examines curriculum programmes for young learners. The instrument was validated by ECCE curriculum experts. More than 350 parents who send their children to government- or non-government-funded preschools were involved in the study. The study shows that two factors are related to parents’ perspectives on the quality of the ECCE curriculum: curriculum content and philosophy and core principles. The items in this instrument have factor loading values ranging from 0.479 to 0.84. The items also have high internal consistency with the alpha reliability coefficient values for each factor, which are more than 0.9. The results indicate that the instrument is valid and reliable for measuring parents’ perspectives on the quality of the ECCE curriculum in the Malaysian context.

Change in the implementation of healthy nutrition and physical activity best practices in Minnesota early care settings: A longitudinal cohort study (2010-2016).

The goal of the ‘Healthy Start, Healthy State’ study was to describe changes in the implementation of healthy nutrition and physical activity (PA) best practices in early child care and education (ECE) settings from 2010 to 2016. A cohort of 215 Minnesota licensed center- and family/home-based providers completed a survey describing 15 nutrition and 8 PA best practices that they “already do” in 2010 and again in 2016 were analyzed in 2016. There was a significant net implementation rate increase for 15 best practices (10 nutrition, 5 PA) in centers and 12 best practices (8 nutrition, 4 PA) in family/home-based programs. The 2010 nutrition and PA scores were negatively associated with mean change in 2016 indicating the decreased potential for improvement among sites with more best practices already implemented in 2010. Adjusted for 2010 nutrition score and other factors, centers implemented, on average, 1.45 more nutrition best practices from 2010 to 2016 than family/home based programs, and CACFP participating programs implemented, on average, 1.7 more nutrition best practices from 2010 to 2016 than non-CACFP participants. Urbanicity, provider education, and provider years of experience were not significantly associated with 2010–2016 change in nutrition score. The mean PA score change had a small but significant increase for each additional year of provider ECE experience after adjusting for the 2010 score. State-level surveillance of implemented best practices in ECE settings is useful. Findings identify opportunities for stakeholders to respond with targeted technical support and training and to consider potential future policy levers.

Relationship between Outdoor and TV Viewing Time with Children's Movement in Early Care Settings

ABSTRACT Childhood obesity may be prevented by decreasing sedentary behavior (SB) and increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in young children. Outdoor time and TV viewing time may contribute to SB and MVPA. Early childcare and education (ECE) settings are important environments for SB and MVPA. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between outdoor and TV viewing time with body mass index (BMI) percentile and movement in children attending ECE. An observational study at ECE centers and classrooms within those centers was conducted. Outdoor and TV viewing times were collected for 2 d using trained research assistants. Height and weight of children were objectively measured. Movement was measured for the entire school day using accelerometry. Dependent variables included BMI percentile, minutes of SB, light physical activity (LPA), MVPA, and steps. Hierarchical models adjusted for confounders and clustering of children in classrooms. In 34 classrooms (202 children), outdoor time was associated with BMI percentile (P &lt; 0.03), SB (P &lt; 0.01), LPA (P &lt; 0.01), MVPA (P &lt; 0.01), and steps (P &lt; 0.01). On the classroom level, more outdoor time was associated with lower BMI percentile and higher MVPA, but outdoor time had different directions of association for SB and LPA on the classroom level. TV viewing time was associated with MVPA (P &lt; 0.01). In TV viewing time, there were differing directions of association at the classroom level. Differing directions indicate that there was no consistent direction of association between classrooms. In conclusion, individual classrooms within centers had different relationships to outdoor time and TV viewing time to movement. Investigating the differences between classrooms may improve movement.

Hard to reach families—A methodological approach to early recognition, recruitment, and randomization in an intervention study

Evaluation of early childcare and education (ECCE) programs faces the problem that families who would have a high need for prevention do often not participate in such programs. Moreover, in intervention studies, regular assessments for research purposes and the lack of intervention in the control group reduce participation.Against this background we present a concept for the recruitment of families in psychosocial at-risk situations in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using the example of the ZEPPELIN 0-3 project.Results show that the projected number of 252 recruited families was reached and that randomization was successful regarding crucial characteristics.

Effect of Early Child Care and Education Attendance Hours on Parent–Child Interaction in Central Asia: Evaluation of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys

Parent–child interaction is important for early childhood development and best practice in early child care and education (ECCE) promotes effective parent–child interaction. However, research about ECCE impact on parent–child interaction is inconclusive. This study analyzed data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to examine the effect of ECCE attendance on parent–child interactions in Central Asia, using a 2SLS regression analysis to explicitly model selection bias and isolate the causal effect of ECCE on the quality of parent–child interactions.The study found that increased hours of ECCE led to increased parent–child interaction in every country under investigation. This demonstrates that even underfunded ECCE programs in Central Asia can have significant positive effect, and has broader implications for all ECCE programs.

A New Look on Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) as Joint Responsibility

A New Look on Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) as Joint Responsibility