Early Childhood Centres Research Articles

Implications of the Creative Curriculum from the Perspectives of Educators in Qatar University Early Childhood Center

To better understand the effectiveness of any implemented early childhood curriculum, it is vital to pay attention to the experiences of early childhood educators who practiced that curriculum. The purpose of this research is to investigate early childhood educators' experiences with the Creative Curriculum that has been implemented at the Early Childhood Center of Qatar University since 2015. In this phenomenological research, the methodology includes: (a) in-depth phenomenologically based interviews, (b) follow-up online interviews, and (c) a focus group meeting with the teachers. Eight early childhood educators with a wide range of experiences presented their own experiences with the Creative Curriculum. The findings revealed that by implementing the Creative Curriculum, teachers were encouraged to integrate all aspects of the Curriculum. Teachers were inspired to pay close attention to their children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development and to respond appropriately. This research provides insights and future implications about this specific curriculum in the early childhood field.

Ko Wai Au – Ko Wai Au: Expressions of Wai

Abstract As part of the international “Wash from the Start” omep (World Organization for Early Childhood Education) project, researchers shared time with children in three early childhood centre communities in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand – Te Wai Pounamu. The research explored young children’s engagement with local conditions of water through fieldwork annotations and photographic visual methods. The video article presented here is a photo essay that spans the researcher teams’ experiences in their encounters with the children and teachers they had the privilege to spend time with over a sunny week in Autumn 2022.

Reimagining Post-Covid Relationships with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families: Reflecting with a Preschool Director

Abstract: Guided by the concept of “Pandemic as Portal” (Souto-Manning, 2021), this work utilizes ethnographic methods of inquiry and analysis to understand home–school relationships between Lisa, an African American preschool leader, and families at an early childhood center in the U.S. Midwest. Analysis of data from before and during the pandemic revealed continued themes of extended relationships between center leadership and families beyond preschool years, themes based in care over time, and political clarity of leadership. This political clarity drew on Lisa’s understanding of systemic racism and the school system that former students and older siblings would be entering. This paper also considers a disparity in the support and resources the center received, as it often had to rely on local problem-solving or established means and methods of communication to continue connecting with and supporting families throughout the pandemic, rather than turning to state or federal programs for support. Ultimately, the paper concludes that transformative and humanizing practices that developed before the pandemic helped guide the center through that time. The story of home-school relationships at this early childhood center provides examples of the potential to reimagine family engagement, avoiding a return to the “normalcy” of pre-pandemic home–school relationships across the U.S., which have historically been based in unequal power relationships that ignore systemic racism.

The ‘it’ factor: expectations of ‘good’ early childhood teachers in Australia

ABSTRACT Preparing early childhood teachers for the workforce is a national priority for Australia due to shortages of qualified early childhood professionals and increases in children attending early childhood centres. A workforce strategy (2022–2031) has been developed to ensure a sustainable, high-quality workforce, but there is little information about what is recognised by the profession as ‘good’ teachers and teaching. Drawing on interpretivist theory, and data from focus groups and interviews, we identify what constitutes a ‘good’ early childhood teacher from the perspectives of experienced early childhood mentor teachers. Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and doxa are used to understand the dynamics of what is interpreted by mentor teachers as ‘good’ teachers in the profession and to consider implications for early childhood and teacher education in general. Findings show that specific skills and dispositions were repeatedly identified as essential to achieve ‘good’ teacher status, highlighting prior experience and natural ability.

An Examination of Communities of Practice in a Disadvantaged Context in South Africa: The Shared Experiences From Early Childhood Practitioners

As early childhood rises on state agendas in low and middle-income countries, the concern for building a quality workforce continues to be a challenge due to many epistemic injustices. South Africa is in the process of professionalising its early years. It is thus timely and critical to examine issues of practitioner knowledge and context-responsiveness. This article thus used the notions of Funds of Knowledge and Community of Practice as an asset-based lens. The conceptual framework was used to understand how practitioners operate as a Community of Practice to inform their work in early childhood centres in a vulnerable context with three- and four-year-olds. A qualitative case study using semi-structured interviews with eight under-qualified practitioners informed the study. The findings suggested that practitioners use informal and personal sources of knowledge while working as Communities of Practice to navigate sustainable outcomes for young children. These illustrative sources function both as enablers and disablers for shaping inclusive and quality practices. Practitioners are able to use their knowledge to be responsive, but they also have unexamined assumptions which are in need of disruption. The article concluded with a call for a more bottom-up model of professionalism that speaks to context-responsiveness, intentionality development and fostering of an ethic of care. Keywords: Funds of Knowledge, Sustainability, Early Childhood Practitioners, South Africa, Disadvantaged Context, Professional Development

A context-specific exploration of teacher agency in the promotion of movement and physical activities in early childhood education and care settings

ABSTRACT Early childhood teachers utilise a variety of strategies to promote movement and physical activity (MOPA) in ECEC settings. However, less is known about the processes that underpin these strategies. Using the ecological view of teacher agency, we explored how early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers from the Philippines actively contribute to MOPA promotion. Through in-depth interviews, 25 teachers from public and private early childhood centres in the Philippines shared their teaching experiences relating to the MOPA of young children. Through reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews, we found key experiences among ECEC teachers that illuminate their agency in promoting MOPA. The findings suggest that teacher agency involves processes such as fostering a supportive class atmosphere for MOPA, creating novel MOPA ideas, sharing MOPA with others, and finding solutions to apparent MOPA concerns. We propose that teacher agency deepens our current understanding of ECEC teachers’ contributions in promoting MOPA in ECEC settings. The practical implications of these new ideas are also discussed.

La posture de l’« entre-deux » des éducateurs de jeunes enfants pour l’éducation inclusive au sein des lieux d’accueil de la petite enfance

L’article est en lien avec les travaux collaboratifs (observations, entretiens, ateliers d’écriture et d’échange sur l’activité) menés avec des Éducateurs de Jeunes Enfants (EJE). Le texte étudie l’activité d’éducation inclusive de ces professionnels au sein des lieux d’accueil de la petite enfance. Le travail éducatif et de care pose la question de la rencontre avec autrui, dans le contexte des lieux d’accueil de la petite enfance. L’éducation inclusive place les enfants, les familles et ces professionnels dans des situations liminales et d’entre-deux. Au cours de leur activité, les EJE ont à articuler les singularités et les similarités des jeunes enfants et de leurs parents au sein des lieux d’accueil de la petite enfance. Ainsi, des points de rupture et des points de rencontre entre EJE et familles sont identifiables. La présence impliquée des EJE apparaît être une composante de la posture professionnelle favorable à l’éducation inclusive.

The Role of Home Literacy Environment in the Acquisition of Oral Language Skills in the Preschool Years

Parental involvement, home literacy environment, socioeconomic status, and literary resources are some of the factors that positively influence language acquisition. Exposure to materials and activities that support oral language development, such as picture books, alphabet books, stories, songs and shared book reading experiences create a responsive and encouraging home literacy environment. However, there is currently no evidence in Zambia to show how the home literacy environment (HLE) affects the development of oral language in children. Therefore, the overall objective of the study was to examine the extent to which the home literacy environment influenced children’s oral language development. The study further sought to identify the factors within the home environment that supported development of oral language skills. The study used a mixed methods approach because it allowed the researcher to benefit from detailed insights offered by the participants on one hand as well as the generalizable inferential statistics drawn using quantitative data. This was important because it allowed for the triangulation of the data and offered complementary advantage in drawing conclusions. The study used a Familiar Language Test (FLT) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) tests to conduct child assessments while a home structured guide was used to collect socio-economic data and home parent-child practices. The data generated from the study was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data was analysed thematically. The study comprised 100 preschoolers (50 males and 50 girls) drawn from selected early childhood centres in Lusaka district. The study concluded that activities such as shared book reading, singing, and storytelling were crucial in fostering language development at home. Therefore, it was recommended that parents or caregivers should engage children at home in storytelling, book reading and songs to promote the development of oral language skills in the early years.

Afety and Protection Practices in the Early Childhood Education Centres

A safe and secure environment is an essential part of the early childhood development of any child. This study aims to investigate the safety and protection practices of early childhood centers in the Anambra state, Nigeria, and to determine if any improvements can be made to them. This study analyzed data collected from 60 Early Childhood Care Centers (ECCE Centers) and 60 Pre-Primary Schools (Preprimary School) in Anambra State using the Evaluation of ECCE Implementation Kit (KEIEP), direct observation, and unstructured interviews, all of which were conducted using the evaluation tool. Using descriptive statistics, chi-squares, and student t-statistics, the data were analyzed. According to the results of this study, 28.0% of the private ECCE centers were in compliance with the requirements for enough space for children to play, fenced facilities, a standard first aid box, a splint bandage and an antiseptic. It is important to note that the majority of public early childhood education centers (62.0%) comply with the requirements for fencing, a first aid box, splint bandages, cotton wool, antiseptic, scissors, methylated spirit, liniment, analgesics, and thermometers, whereas 31% of those centers do not have the remaining seven practices. A conclusion of the study was that both private and public ECCE centers in Anambra State comply with the safety and protection provisions and practices in place. Keywords: Caregiver, Early Childhood Education, Protection, Safety Practices

Early childhood Centers: possible civic units of inclusion and democracy for children and families

Il decreto legislativo 65/2017 ha rappresentato una conquista fondamentale per l’Italia, poiché ha stabilito la ricomposizione di intenti e progettualità caratterizzanti il curricolo “zerosei”, con l’intenzione di concorrere a ridurre gli svantaggi culturali, sociali e relazionali e di favorire l’inclusione di ciascun bambino. Nel sistema “zerosei”, la normativa riconosce un ruolo strategico ai Poli per l’infanzia: laboratori permanenti di ricerca, innovazione, partecipazione e apertura al territorio. Essi tracciano scenari innovativi per la progettazione di spazi in cui promuovere una cultura complessa e plurale di infanzie e famiglie, nell’ottica della continuità orizzontale. I Poli per l’infanzia, pertanto, possono diventare presidi civici di promozione dei diritti dei bambini e delle famiglie, in una prospettiva realmente inclusiva e democratica.

Measuring Quality in Two Early Childhood Education Contexts: Centre-Based Childcare and Four-Year-Old Preschool

The quality of early childhood experiences is crucial to a child’s development and educational success. Yet few early childhood education and care services in the world today offer a consistently high level of educational quality. In particular, educational quality depends on the context’s characteristics. The aim of this study was therefore to measure and compare the educational quality experienced in two distinct educational contexts, located in Quebec: early childhood centres and 4-year-old preschools. Results of the study indicate that there are very few significant differences between these two educational contexts in terms of interaction quality and pedagogical orientations quality, while variables related to structural quality vary greatly. Correlational and regression analyses carried out separately on each educational context show that few variables are predictive of interaction quality levels, suggesting that other variables, notably related to pedagogical orientations quality, would better explain variations in adult-child interactions predictive of child development. These results have implications for initial training curriculum aimed towards adults working in early childcare and for future directions in research on educational quality, including rethinking the importance of pedagogical orientations and structures in the ecosystemic model of quality.

An infant-toddler outdoor risky play practices in an early childhood centre in Australia

An infant-toddler outdoor risky play practices in an early childhood centre in Australia

Teachers’ Perceptions and Strategies on the Integrated Early Childhood Education Curriculum in Serenje District of Zambia

The aim of this study was to establish perceptions of early childhood teachers on integrated curriculum and strategies they can use to improve integrated planning in early childhood centers in primary schools of Serenje District. The study used a phenomenological design on a sample of twelve participants. The study collected data using interviews, classroom observations and document analysis that was analysed thematically. The study found that ministry of education curriculum policy for early childhood education did not support teacher perceptions on integrated curriculum, early childhood teachers positively perceived integrated curriculum, curriculum integration and teachers used integrated curriculum as an alternative to facilitate holistic learner development. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and its stakeholders work together to revise provisions of the early childhood pedagogical policy guidelines so that it reflects integrated approaches in order to efficiently facilitate the holistic learning through play process of early childhood learners.

Practitioner's Experiences in Using Play as a Learning Pedagogy: A Case of Early Childhood Centres in Qwaqwa

Practitioner's Experiences in Using Play as a Learning Pedagogy: A Case of Early Childhood Centres in Qwaqwa

Factors associated with proportionality of representation of children of color in early childhood special education in Illinois

Globally, early childhood education is seen as a right for children and yet, while several nations have instituted universal early childhood education policies to ensure that all children have access to it, the United States faces several challenges. In addition to lacking a universal federal mandate for early childhood education, the United States’ implementation of its current educational policy surrounding early childhood (IDEA) may be inappropriate. Research indicates that children of color are often over-represented or under-represented in special education, including in early childhood settings. Research has yet to focus more specifically on exploring how far removed children of color are from proportionate representation in special education in their schools and which factors are associated with more proportionate representation of children of color in special education. The current study investigated early childhood centers in Illinois and found that the diversity of a school’s student body, the diversity of the district’s teaching staff, the educational attainment of the district’s teaching staff, and the geographical location are all associated with the proportionality of representation of children of color in special education in early childhood. Implications for administrators and future research directions are discussed.

A cultural-historical perspective of young children gaining autonomy in the playground

ABSTRACT This paper draws on a three-year ethnographic study during which we investigated young children's cultural development in a Brazilian early childhood centre. A cultural-historical approach was used to understand the concept of autonomy. We focus on Danilo, a very young child who overcame his fear of using a play slide (a cultural artefact). We believe that this process led to his achievement. Our findings suggest that young children's conquests consist of intentional actions that become part of their individual and social identities.

Healthy eating perceptions of mothers and caregivers of children in South Africa.

The perceptions of mothers and caregivers of children attending early childhood development (ECD) centres play a very critical role in promoting healthy eating habits in children and impact long-term health consequences. Food preferences that are developed during childhood continue into adolescence and adulthood and are difficult to change. The aim of the study was to assess the perception of mothers and caregivers of children attending ECD centres regarding healthy eating practices. The study was conducted in ECD centres in Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. A quantitative descriptive design was used to collect data among 290 respondents using a structured, researcher-administered questionnaire. The findings indicated that the majority (77%) of respondents did not believe that choosing a healthy diet is a matter of knowing foods that are good and bad for health. The majority (59%) of respondents believed that the food they eat and drinks are healthy and see no need to make changes. The study findings showed that the majority of respondents lack awareness about choosing healthy diets. Furthermore, the current dietary patterns of respondents and their children will remain the same as long as the mothers and caregivers feel that the food they eat is healthy. The findings of the study contribute to the appropriate measures of educating mothers and caregivers in offering healthy diets to children at home and in early childhood centres.

The factor structures of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K and mature play observation tool in multi-ethnic Norwegian early childhood centers

The use of standardized assessment tools for the evaluation of quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is on the rise, yet a greater understanding of the applicability of these tools across contexts is still needed. This study investigates the factor structure of two assessment tools, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K (CLASS) and Mature Play Observation Tool (MPOT) in a free-play focused context serving high numbers of children with diverse language backgrounds in Norway. The study also evaluates the extent to which these tools complement each other to create a more comprehensive understanding of children’s experiences in ECEC in this context. Using confirmatory factor analyses, our results from a sample of 125 multi-ethnic ECEC groups in Norway show a good fit for the two-factor (i.e., adult- and child-focused) model proposed by the authors of MPOT. In line with previous research, the three-factor (i.e., emotional support, classroom organization, and support for learning) model of CLASS required post hoc modifications, resulting in a marginally acceptable model fit. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the original factor structures of these tools can be modeled in urban ECEC centers in Norway, and using these tools provides different insights into children’s ECEC experiences.

Kia Tīmata Pai (Best Start): a study protocol for a cluster randomised trial with early childhood teachers to support children’s oral language and self-regulation development

IntroductionOral language skills are associated with children’s later self-regulation and academic skills; in turn, self-regulation in early childhood predicts successful functioning later in life. The primary objective of this study...

The Process of Becoming a Nursery Caregiver. The Interactive Perspective

ABSTRACT The main aim of this paper is to reconstruct the process of becoming a caregiver working in early childhood and care (ECEC) daycare centres for children up to three years of age in Poland. The theoretical framework is the concept of becoming, through which the formation of professional identity, within the social world of the nursery, is reconstructed. The process of becoming a nursery caregiver takes place within a specific historical, political, social, institutional and interactional context. Reflexively created self-identification requires confirmation by interaction partners. New empirical data were collected through the thematic narrative interview technique (n = 55) focused on the professional experiences of women caregivers. Data coding and analysis were conducted according to the grounded theory method. Based on an in-depth analysis of the narrative interviews, the process of becoming a caregiver in a nursery was reconstructed, which includes preparing for the role, building professional practices in the context of the nursery’s concept of work and creating a professional identity. Due to the institutional framework of the process of becoming a caregiver, the results of the study are discussed in reference to the Polish ECEC context.