Early Childhood Care And Development Research Articles

SCHOOL READINESS AMONG KINDERGARTEN LEARNERS: BASIS FOR POLICY RECOMMENDATION

The ability, knowledge, and mindset that learners need for both academic performance and future learning and life experiences are known as school readiness. To be prepared for school, learners must have developed their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted to assess the level of school readiness of the 227 randomly chosen kindergarten learners from 30 public schools in Tudela District, Division of Misamis Occidental. A total of 227 samples were obtained using the sample size calculator to collect data from the respondents using the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Checklist Record. Results revealed that the Self-Help Domain had the highest level of preparedness, while the Receptive Language and Expressive Language Domains had the lowest. Assessment results described that kindergarten as having “overall average development” described as ready to start Grade 1. Thus, the study suggests providing additional support for language development; fostering continued independence; monitoring and tracking progress; and using evidence-based interventions.

Enabling environment and support as determinant of quality in ECCD centres in Bhutan: An analysis of the findings of quality monitoring of ECCD centres in Bhutan

Quality in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres is central to the effectiveness of programmes they provide but it is not limited to what early educators do with children on a daily basis emphasize that quality in early childhood education encompasses such facets as how engaging and safe the centre is, if there is a range of strategies and activities employed to make learning experiences meaningful, whether families and communities engage in the educational process, and if there is a systemic support from the larger community for the effective functioning of the centre. Recognizing the centrality of a holistic definition of early childhood education, the design of centres in Bhutan is founded on internationally accepted concepts and approaches that integrate critical aspects of quality learning environment. The Bhutan Quality Framework, with four specific domains and 29 indicators, define quality in terms of not just focusing on learning activities and strategies, but also encompassing child safety and well-being, quality of interaction and communication, and family and community involvement.This paper is essentially a report on the state of ECCD centres across the country, generated on the basis of assessment carried out using the quality monitoring tool for ECCD centres. The paper highlights the status of ECCD centres in terms of quality of learning in general and analyzes the levels of attainment in each of the four domains of quality. The paper further specifies the state of quality in ECCD centres by districts and types of centres to illustrate their strengths and weaknesses in varying situations and environments. The paper analyses the key findings of the survey and provides a number of recommendations that could contribute to heightening quality of ECCD programmes by addressing shortfalls in the different aspects of quality in ECCD centres

Complexities of men’s engagement in early childhood care and development in Africa

ABSTRACT Men as equitable non-violent caregivers in early childhood care and development (ECCD) are important for the well-being of children and women. Africa, with its strong traditional and cultural practices, forms an ideal context to explore men’s engagement in ECCD. This article illuminates the entanglements of men’s engagement through a focus on barriers and attempts to effect change. The framing of caring masculinities is used to identify the fault lines and possibilities for men to rework their identities in more affirming ways for ECCD. The data for the study was produced through a literature review and two online workshops with participants from Anglophone and Francophone Africa. The findings show that barriers to men’s engagement include restrictive cultural practices, gatekeeping, and limited state action. Attempts to effect change are influenced by the overall under-development of ECCD as public service and resistant traditional cultures that naturally gravitate towards care as women’s work. Both these dimensions have implications for policy and practice.

Young children with disabilities, marginalised and voiceless: A case of Eswatini

Significantly, many people with disabilities are victims of classification over generalizations with the assumption that disability is equal to inability. This study focused on challenges faced by children with disabilities in accessing Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) services in Manzini Region of Eswatini. Anchored on the Critical Disability Theory which views disability as a cultural, historical, relative, social, and political phenomenon, the study assessed and analysed the disability issues on the accessibility to ECCD services for young children. Through interviews, data was collected from10 ECCD centres in Manzini which were purposively selected. Ten ECCD teachers, 5 principals, and 5 parents/caregivers participated in the study. The results revealed that failure by these children to access ECCD services in the community impacts negatively on their holistic development. Sadly, young children living with a disability in Eswatini face significant challenges, one of the reasons, just like most of our African countries, being that those who have some form of disability were bewitched or inflicted by some bad spirits. ECCD specialist educators highlighted the need for comprehensive training services that will help them cater to children with special needs. The study recommended for extensive awareness programmes to sensitize communities on the rights of the child, regardless of body, mental or sensory condition.

Are mothers of preschool children aware about early childhood care and development (ECCD)?

The AMJ is a peer-reviewed, triannual health journal published by Anuradhapura Clinical Society (ACS).The Journal strives to be a forum for all health professionals to publish original research and review articles in their area of expertise. The AMJ publishes articles in clinical medicine, public health and health promotion. Our priority is given to manuscripts on health related issues which affects the communities living in rural tropical communities. Established as a journal in 2006 as a publication parallel to ACS annual scientific sessions, the journal was relaunched as a proper journal in 2013. Anuradhapura Medical Journal is a member of COPE and is included on DOAJ.

“Happy Village” Concept Helping Villages to Face COVID-19

“Health Promoting Village” concept named as “Happy Villages” started in 2007 in Badulla District in Uva Province was a community mobilization process through which village communities have been empowered to look after their community health. The areas included were Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) prevention , Alcohol and drug abuse. Gender Based Violence. The programmed used many interactive tools as “Mood Chart” or “Happiness Calendar” which was giving a visualizing effect. Continuous assessments done from 2009 to 2013 showed that the Health promotion strategies used in the Happy Village concept in the Uva Province can effectively and efficiently be utilized for improvement of nutrition and achievement of milestones in children. From 2017 a National program is launched named “Happy Villages”. During the Covid 19 outbreak health promotion approaches were initiated to change in lay communities successfully. Villagers had actively engaged, collectively acted in responsible manner, and identified measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission in their households, neighbourhood and community. The use of village empowerment had become a fruitful source to face the Covid pandemic in Sri Lanka. Almost 300 “Happy Villages” around the country have made facing the Covid epidemic their chief task. Many innovative ideas and practices in facing Covid 19 pandemic at village level including a visualizing calendar to identify the risk behaviours of the family members as well as the Happiness calendar to identify the family stress levels are among them. Health promotion concept is getting rooted around the country with active participation of the villages with a multisectoral support. Continuous monitoring and evaluation and sharing best practices will show the world the effectiveness of Health Promotion and the ability of empowered people in facing pandemic situations.

Assessing the Quality of Physical Environments of Early Childhood Schools within the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana Using a Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design.

(1) Background: The last few decades have seen researchers giving considerable attention to the physical context of early childhood care and development (ECCD) centers because many of the underlying processes that link physical context are quite similar to psychosocial environmental factors regarding child development. However, research on the physical environments, and the employees’ understanding of the importance of physical environments, is often underestimated. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of the physical environments of ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana, and ascertain whether being a private or public center (center auspices) would be associated with the quality of its physical environment. A further inquiry into the educators’ understanding of the importance of physical environment on children’s developmental outcomes was made. (2) Methods: Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, all 160 ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis were assessed using a modified version of the Children’s Physical Environment Rating Scale (CPERS) and a semi-structured interview guide. (3) Results: Descriptive statistics indicated that more than half of the ECCD centers, 56%, rated “fair” on the quality of their physical environment. Although the locations and sites of these centers were of good quality, other physical environmental characteristics (i.e., “Planning of the Centre”, “Building as a Whole” and “Outdoor Space”) of ECCD centers were also rated to be fair. A Chi-square test showed that center auspices (i.e., being private or public) were not significantly associated with the quality of the physical environments of the centers [χ2 (2) = 2.490, p > 0.05], suggesting no significant difference between private and public ECCD centers in terms of the quality of their physical environment. A follow-up qualitative inquiry identified two themes as reasons why play yards in early years’ schools were not good: a ‘‘lack of funding” and “governmental support”. (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the physical environments of ECCD centers are, to some extent, compromised. Stakeholders (e.g., Ghana Education Service, non-governmental/religious organizations, and private entrepreneurs) should help improve the quality of physical environments and also provide financial assistance for the provision of basic equipment (e.g., learning materials) for private and public ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Educators require in-service training to boost their in-depth understanding of the importance of physical environments on children’s developmental outcomes. Future studies could target children’s perceptions of their preschools’ physical environments as useful empirical information to help guide appropriate policy interventions.

A Critical Evaluation of the Ownership and Responsibilities of Early Childhood Care, Development and Education in Sri Lanka

The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) and Education in Sri Lanka have been considered vital for human development (UNICEF, 2007 cited in Gallardo, 2009). Yet, there is less attention paid to the scrutinised formulation of policies related to this aspect in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, child-related studies conducted in Sri Lanka are limited. This paper aims to contribute to this necessity by conducting a critical evaluation regarding the responsibility of the formulation of ECCD and education policies in Sri Lanka. A qualitative research design was used for this study. Thirteen policy documents related to ECCD and education were critically analysed and interviews were conducted with responsible informants of ECCD and education in order to gather data. The findings exhibited that there was no single designated authority that is responsible for the formulation of policies related to ECCD and education in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, it was noted that the responsibility of ECCD and education-related policy formulation constantly shifted from one authority to another. In addition, it was noted that the responsibility regarding the formulation of policies for different aspects of ECCD and education were delegated to different parties. Lack of coordination among these diverse parities had resulted in no clear-cut policies for any of the aspects of ECCD and education. Furthermore, lack of supervision and monitoring had resulted in the non-implementation of the prevalent ECCD and education policies in Sri Lanka. Hence, the requirement for stern and stable ECCD policy formulating and monitoring agents is highlighted in the present study.

Description of prosocial behavior in young children with intellectual disability in East Nusa Tenggara


 
 
 World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund havestated in year 2012 that one of their global agenda is to fulfill the needs of inclusive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) to increase the participation and development of young children with disabilities. One of important things for the agenda are understanding various special needs of young children with various kind of mental disability, such as mental retardation or nowadays known as intellectual disability. This research aims to narratively describe the prosocial behaviors of a young child with intellectual disability in special school of Pembina Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. This research used qualitative approach with child observation and interview to the parents as the main technique to gather data. This research shows that prosocial behaviors in young children with intellectual disability are divided into four aspects, those are: a) the ability to join groups, b) supportive acts, c) empathy and caring, and d) self-adjustment. These behaviors were shown in the child’s dailyactivities, her habits, affected by the culture and daily activities of her parents and siblings, and also by the interaction with her friends and family. This research could give important information about the importance of managing the social interaction in inclusive ECCD by putting emphasis in four aspects described above, and also the role of parents and ECCD tutors in facilitating activities that could help stimulate specific needs of social skills in young children with intellectual disability.
 
 

Inclusive education: a prerequisite for equity and social justice

Whether education fosters equity and social justice, as it is said to do, is a matter of debate. Whatever the outcome of the debate, education has a better chance of succeeding in this process if it is delivered through a national system and through schools which are genuinely inclusive in nature—welcoming difference and diversity; attempting to fulfil the rights for education of good quality; and targeting both out-of-school children and children in school but not learning. But many education systems still have large numbers of children who are not achieving minimum expected levels of learning—usually because of neglect, disinterest, discriminatory policies, and/or a lack of resources and data about who are excluded, where they live, and why they are not in school. The concept of “inclusive education” now has a wider definition encompassing all obstacles to access and learning beyond a focus on children with disabilities and other special needs. It is therefore concerned with increasing enrolment, attendance, and completion; reducing repetition/drop-out/push-out rates; reducing disparities in provision and student; and celebrating diversity and promoting cohesion. This, in turn, requires an analysis of what causes exclusion; “sharing the blame” for failure; and the searching for, and targeted support to, those excluded. Exclusion can be based on many factors: e.g. migration and refugee status, conflict, natural disaster, income, linguistic/cultural status, location (e.g. remoteness), sex, and ability. A range of policies and practices, at both the school and Ministry level, can be put in place to make schools more inclusive: legislative mandates and whole-school reform; targeted responses to excluded groups; pedagogies which strengthen social-emotional learning and celebrate difference and diversity; the promotion of inclusive teaching–learning strategies and practices; and good quality, inclusive early childhood care and development (ECCD) programmes. In the best of worlds (where factors outside of education which sustain inequality are not insurmountable), and assuming that the education provided meets established standards of quality, children leaving an inclusive education system should be able not only to develop themselves to their fullest potential but also to play a useful role in local and national economic, social, and political development leading to a more just, equitable, and cohesive society.

Implications of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Issues and Challenges

Implications of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Issues and Challenges

Impact of Early Childhood Care and Development Programme in Learning Mathematics

The main focus of the study was to determine overall expected outcomes and learning achievements including assess the effectiveness of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) models conducted in the support of Save the Children (SC) Nepal. The expected outcomes were related to children’s school preparedness, learning progresses, promotion, repetition and dropout status. The study was further focused on comparing achievement scores of the students (with and without ECCD exposure) in mathematics and other major subjects. The study also explored important areas for their corrective measures. The study adopted mixed methods research design which employed both quantitative and qualitative primary and secondary data. For the collection of required data, it administered different research tools including classroom observation, school survey forms and semi-structured interview schedules for teachers, parents, management committee members, community based organization (CBO) members and SC local staffs of three districts. The research tools were piloted in four schools located in Kavre district. The sample districts were selected purposively to involve each eco-zone of Nepal such as Siraha, Baglung and Achham from plain, hilly and mountainous region respectively. The study showed that the SC supported ECCD Centers were found above than average standard subjected to set out criteria. Similarly, the learning outcomes and achievements made by the students in major subjects including mathematics with ECCD experience showed significantly higher than those students having no ECCD experience.

Evolution of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Sri Lanka: Analysis of the state responsibility

Evolution of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Sri Lanka: Analysis of the state responsibility

Improving early childhood care and development, HIV-testing, treatment and support, and nutrition in Mokhotlong, Lesotho: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundSince 1990, the lives of 48 million children under the age of 5 years have been saved because of increased investments in reducing child mortality. However, despite these unprecedented gains, 250 million children younger than 5 years in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) cannot meet their developmental potential due to poverty, poor health and nutrition, and lack of necessary stimulation and care. Lesotho has high levels of poverty, HIV, and malnutrition, all of which affect child development outcomes. There is a unique opportunity to address these complex issues through the widespread network of informal preschools in rural villages in the country, which provide a setting for inclusive, integrated Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) and HIV and nutrition interventions.MethodsWe are conducting a cluster randomised controlled trial in Mokhotlong district, Lesotho, to evaluate a newly developed community-based intervention program to integrate HIV-testing and treatment services, ECCD, and nutrition education for caregivers with children aged 1–5 years living in rural villages. Caregivers and their children are randomly assigned by village to intervention or control condition. We select, train, and supervise community health workers recruited to implement the intervention, which consists of nine group-based sessions with caregivers and children over 12 weeks (eight weekly sessions, and a ninth top-up session 1 month later), followed by a locally hosted community health outreach day event. Group-based sessions focus on using early dialogic book-sharing to promote cognitive development and caregiver-child interaction, health-related messages, including motivation for HIV-testing and treatment uptake for young children, and locally appropriate nutrition education. All children aged 1–5 years and their primary caregivers living in study villages are eligible for participation. Caregivers and their children will be interviewed and assessed at baseline, after completion of the intervention, and 12 months post intervention.DiscussionThis study provides a unique opportunity to assess the potential of an integrated early childhood development intervention to prevent or mitigate developmental delays in children living in a context of extreme poverty and high HIV rates in rural Lesotho. This paper presents the intervention content and research protocol for the study.Trial registrationThe Mphatlalatsane: Early Morning Star trial is registered on the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number database, registration number ISRCTN16654287; the trial was registered on 3 July 2015.

유아의 상상적 내러티브에 나타난 의도(Intention)의 탐색

Inclusion is about everyone. Inclusive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) therefore requires valuing and respecting the unique needs of every child, and to include all children regardless of their characteristics and backgrounds. While Education For All (EFA) Goal 1 calls for action on expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have had a positive impact on every young childs rights to survive and thrive, progress in achieving equity and reaching the most disadvantaged children and their families is rather slow globally. The policy imperative has been accepted, but subsequent action-operationalisation-has been difficult to achieve. This paper attempts to discuss regional perspectives on inclusive ECCD by introducing some noteworthy initiatives that address children in disadvantaged circumstances and points to inclusive elements of ECCD. It further suggests the need to generate more evidence specific to the country and to the region on what works in order to influence policy action and practice improvement.

Effects of Teachers Level of Education and Experience on Teacher-Child Interactions in Early Childhood Institutions

Early childhood care and development (ECCD) in Ghana have received attention in the lat decade. To ensure quality of instruction and build capacity of early childhood teachers and caregivers, the National Nursery Teachers’ Training Centre was set up by the government to offer specialized training in nursery education for teachers and nursery attendants. Universities and the Colleges of Education have been mandated to train teachers for early childhood education. This study therefore sought to find out the effects of level of education and years of experience of teachers on their interactions with children (3 - 5) in early-childhood institutions in Ghana using the Caregiver Child Interaction Scale (r = 0.77). The sample (N = 103; Female 99%): made up of teachers from thirty-one preschools in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana were observed during their normal classroom routine. There appeared not to be any statistically significant difference between the teachers’ level of education and years of experience on the interaction scores.

The Need for Statutory Rights for Very Young Children

This working paper seeks to crystallize the tenets of principles and practices relevant to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) into binding legal rights. The aim is to protect ‘very young children’ everywhere by defining the rights to life, survival and development. The proposed set of human rights is relevant to every child who is conceived and continue until the child is six years old. Therefore, it exists whether the infant is a biological entity of the pregnant mother or is a separate physical person. The author calls for a uniform child rights law to be enacted. The statute shall spell out the rights of very young children clearly. It should secure full defense of its subjects regardless of if it is implemented on a domestic or multilateral level. This working paper addresses the social and legal environment of India, but is transnational in the overall analysis.

Legal Frameworks for Early Childhood Governance in the Philippines

Abstract The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act of 2000 is the national ECCD policy framework of the Philippines. A basic element of this framework is shared governance. This model exemplifies governance mechanisms at national, provincial, city/municipal and barangay levels to support delivery of integrated ECCD services. A decade of implementing this policy framework provides an excellent starting point and a rich context for looking at the current state of governance of ECCD in the country. The salient features of the ECCD Act and other related policies serve as a backdrop for the discussion of the progress and challenges of ECCD governance. This article concludes with three interrelated policy agenda that would strengthen the country’s governance of early childhood.

Early Childhood Interventions as Instruments of Neoliberal Reform

This paper seeks to argue against the universality of childhoods and also against the neoliberal notion that early childhood intervention is the way forward in our attempt to combat poverty. In the first paragraph of this paper I will bring out the ideas held on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in the North especially USA. The second part of this paper will deal with the reasons why early childhood interventions are deemed to be important and as purported by the World Bank and other neoliberals why early childhood interventions offer the best key to combat poverty in the South. The third part will seek to refute the ideas held on early childhood behaviour in the North by bringing out how Early Childhood Care and Development is viewed in the South. In the final part of this paper I will argue against the popular neoliberal view that early childhood interventions offer the best way to poverty eradication in the South.

Development of Early Years Policy and Practice in Ghana: Can Outcomes Be Improved for Marginalised Children?

Even though several attempts have been made by the government of Ghana towards its goal of eradicating child labour, poverty, and marginalisation in educational outcomes for all children, the condition of disadvantaged children remain terribly devastating compared with those of more advantaged children. This article discusses the extent to which two new major Ghanaian education policy initiatives impact on this situation — namely, the introduction of early childhood care and development (ECCD) and the capitation grant (CG) policies. The article raises concerns regarding corruption, mismanagement and lack of proper monitoring of the policy implementation process and argues that the current trend seems unlikely to deliver the type of outcomes necessary to end marginalisation and suffering of children in Ghana. It proposes inclusion of parents and community participation in all aspects of the policy production and implementation processes.