Early Childhood Education (ECE) plays a crucial role in providing safe, comfortable, and child-friendly educational services for young children. However, as the second environment after the family, the potential for violence against children may still occur in ECE institutions if they are not managed optimally. Therefore, efforts to prevent violence against young children need to be implemented comprehensively through a holistic approach that integrates education, caregiving, and early prevention strategies. This study aims to analyze how ECE institutions, such as kindergartens and daycare centers, can function as the first line of defense in detecting, preventing, and addressing various forms of violence, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, among children aged 0–6 years. The research method employed is a literature review and policy analysis related to child protection and the implementation of Early Childhood Education. The findings indicate that capacity building through teacher training, the implementation of child protection–sensitive curricula, and strengthened collaboration among schools, families, and communities have proven effective in reducing the risk of violence by up to 40%, based on case studies in Indonesia. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of strengthening regulations, ensuring continuous supervision, and investing in human resource development to reinforce the role of ECE as a key agent in violence prevention and in creating a safe, healthy, and supportive environment for optimal early childhood development.

Social–emotional development in early childhood lays the groundwork for school readiness, healthy relationships, and long-term well-being. Parents play a pivotal role in this process, shaping children’s emotional awareness, regulation, and social competence through everyday interactions. This literature review synthesizes evidence from 74 peer-reviewed studies to evaluate nine evidence-based parenting interventions targeting parents of preschool-aged children. The programs were analyzed with respect to their objectives, theoretical foundations, components, and the resulting outcomes for both parents and children. Across interventions, consistent benefits emerged in children, including improved emotion recognition, regulation, empathy, and prosocial behavior, as well as reductions in internalizing problems. Parents also gained in confidence and positive discipline practices. Key elements linked to effectiveness included active parent skill-building (such as modeling, role play, and guided practice), structured parent–child interactions, multi-component designs integrating home and school contexts, and flexible delivery formats that adapt to family needs. These findings underscore the critical role of parenting interventions as an evidence-based method to enhance preschoolers’ social–emotional development.

This study examines the impact of interactive educational platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI)—such as Duolingo Kids, Lingokids, ABCmouse, and other adaptive tools like Smartick Lectura, Read Along, and Amira—on language and literacy development in early childhood. The analysis was conducted through a narrative review of the state of the art, aiming to identify, analyze, and synthesize recent findings regarding the use of AI in this field. The results extracted from the specialized literature highlight the potential of these tools to personalize learning by adapting to each child’s pace and level through technologies such as natural language processing and voice recognition. Furthermore, the integration of gamification and interactivity fosters greater motivation and active engagement among learners. These platforms also show strong inclusive potential by offering adaptive solutions for children with special educational needs and for those in low-resource environments. Overall, this analysis demonstrates that AI-based platforms represent an effective innovation for strengthening language and literacy skills in young children, provided that the identified barriers are responsibly addressed to ensure successful implementation in diverse educational settings

Sensory processing plays a critical role in children’s ability to engage in social interactions and participate in daily activities. This study examines the associations between sensory processing skills, social skills, and participation in kindergarten children. A total of 88 children aged 4–7 years were included. The Sensory Processing Measure (SPM), Social Skills Scale (SSS), and Child and Adolescent Participation Scale (CASP) were completed by parents. The SPM total score was significantly negatively correlated with social cooperation (r = −.45, p < .001), self-regulation (r = −.51, p < .001), and assertion (r = −.42, p < .001). Similarly, significant negative correlations were observed between SPM and CASP in home (r = −.55, p < .001), community (r = −.43, p < .001), and school (r = −.44, p < .001) settings, as well as with home and community living activities (r = −.34, p = .001). Regression analysis showed that both sensory processing (β = −.37, p < .001) and social skills (β = .39, p < .001) were statistically significant predictors of participation, explaining 43.4% of the variance (R2 = 0.434, F = 30.318, p < .001). These findings highlight the importance of early identification and intervention for addressing sensory processing issues, thereby enhancing participation and social development in early childhood.

Despite well-studied benefits of preventive parenting programs for early child development, various real-world barriers may impede families from engaging in those programs. The current study aims to provide new insights into family engagement by examining enrollment, retention, and involvement and their predictors in an evidence-based universal pediatric primary care parenting program for families with young children. Data (n = 204) were from an ongoing longitudinal randomized controlled trial of PlayReadVIP in Flint, MI. Families (66% Black, 35% White, low socioeconomic status) had high enrollment and retention in the program. As exploratory analyses, random forest models, a machine learning method, identified a multitude of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and contextual predictors of retention and involvement in PlayReadVIP across the first 9months. As confirmatory analyses, multiple regressions showed that COVID-19 significantly hindered retention (odds ratio = .04; b = - .30) and involvement (b = - .31) and that higher parenting self-efficacy was associated with lower retention (odds ratio = .76). Furthermore, the association between COVID-19 and family engagement was moderated by household income, suggesting that families with the highest economic risks were less likely to attend and be actively involved in sessions during the pandemic. This study addresses important research gaps by focusing on multiple aspects of family engagement in a pediatric program during infancy, assessing whether experiencing contextual adversity hinders or motivates engagement, and employing a machine learning method. These findings have crucial implications for designing and implementing early childhood prevention parenting programs to more effectively engage families with higher needs.

This study examines the effect of caregiver parenting styles on the fine motor development of early childhood in daycare environments through a quantitative approach with a correlational design. The analysis focuses on key dimensions of caregiving, namely responsiveness, consistency, and the provision of stimulating support, and their relationship with children’s fine motor abilities, including threading, cutting, pasting, and visual–motor coordination. The results reveal a strong positive association between the quality of caregiver parenting and the level of fine motor development in children. Regression analysis further confirms that caregiver parenting quality serves as a significant predictor of improvements in fine motor skills. In addition, several supporting factors, such as a conducive physical environment, an appropriate caregiver-to-child ratio, and well-designed stimulation programs, were found to strengthen the impact of caregiving practices in daycare settings. These findings emphasize the importance of enhancing caregiver competencies and developing effective caregiving systems to support optimal and sustainable fine motor development in early childhood.

BackgroundDigital parenting programs offer a promising way to disseminate evidence-based parenting knowledge and support early childhood development. They help reduce costs while improving scalability and fidelity. However, their successful implementation is context-dependent, and existing research offers limited guidance on how the implementation of digital parenting interventions unfolds across diverse settings.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify the shared and unique facilitators and barriers affecting each dimension of implementation, as well as differentiated mechanisms that support the effective implementation and institutionalization of such interventions across diverse settings.MethodsUsing a multiple-case study design, this research compared the implementation of a digital (chatbot-led) parenting program across 2 distinct settings in China: urban educational and rural health care contexts. The intervention content remained consistent, while the contexts and formats of local human-led support differed. Guided by the RE-AIM framework, this study examines the program’s reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance in both settings. Data sources included program documents, field observations, semistructured interviews, and focus group discussions with 83 stakeholders. Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti until thematic saturation was reached.ResultsData were collected from 83 stakeholders, and findings are based on an analysis of 18 interviews and 4 focus groups with caregivers, village doctors, and health officials from the rural health care setting, and 29 interviews and 4 focus groups with caregivers, teachers, social workers, and managers from the urban educational setting. Regarding reach, strong relationships between parents and implementers and the credibility of program developers were shared facilitators in both settings. Parenting conservatism and limited understanding of the program were shared barriers. In rural health care settings, parents’ perception of village doctors as lacking parenting expertise posed an additional challenge. For adoption, trust between managers and program developers, program alignment with organizational functions, and organizational empowerment supported implementation are shared facilitators in both settings. At the individual level, task-driven motivation helped, while time constraints hindered adoption in the health care setting. Teachers adopted the program due to its relevance to their roles in the educational setting, unlike village doctors, who did not see it as part of their core duties. For implementation, supportive management and clear guidelines were shared facilitators in both settings, while a lack of purpose and psychological pressure acted as barriers. Rural implementation was aided by scheduling during off-seasons and standardized workflows, whereas flexible workflows were essential in the educational setting. Regarding maintenance, alignment with organizational functions and internal resources facilitated sustainability in both settings, while overreliance on government authorization posed challenges. Educational settings required contextual adaptation, while health care settings needed more content adaptation.ConclusionsImplementing digital parenting programs is a complex process, influenced by multilevel facilitators and barriers that vary across regions (rural vs urban) and settings (educational vs health care). This study highlights the importance of context-specific implementation strategies and proposes differentiated delivery models tailored to local structures and needs.

This study aims to examine the biblical foundation in the learning of Bible-based preschool children with a contextual learning approach. The research method used is topical research, which focuses on developing education and learning that is relevant to daily life so that children more easily absorb material according to learning goals. The learning process starts from simple things to more complex things, according to the stage of early childhood development. The results of the study show that Bible-based preschool learning includes various activities, including: educating children with a biblical foundation, introducing the Bible through number ordering, arranging the biblical alphabet, combining letters into words, arranging words into biblical phrases, reading Bible texts, memorizing short golden verses, and learning activities such as coloring and listening to Bible stories. These findings confirm that Bible-based learning with a contextual approach can be an effective strategy in shaping the spiritual, cognitive, and character foundations of preschoolers, while instilling faith values from an early age.

ABSTRACTSleep, settle, and crying behaviors represent basic regulatory functions in early infancy, yet little is known about the factors that influence these behaviors and their relationship to later development in the general population. In this study, we assessed a sample of 362 infants, measuring parent‐rated number of wakeups per night, time to settle, and crying duration at 2 months of corrected age (range 27–99 days), along with various background variables. We also measured several aspects of the infants’ later development at 14 and 24 months. Age (corrected) at the first assessment showed a significant association with number of wakeups per night (β = –0.212, p < 0.001) and crying duration (β = –0.154, p = 0.012). Family income was a significant predictor of crying duration (β = –0.128, p = 0.018) and time to settle (β = –0.147, p = 0.011). Sleep, settle, and crying behaviors at 2 months were not significantly associated with parent‐rated language comprehension or socio‐communicative abilities at 14 months, nor with vocabulary, autistic traits, or hyperactivity at 24 months. While some sleep and settle behaviors in the first few months can be challenging for caregivers, our findings suggest that they are not indicators of atypical development in early childhood in the general population.SummaryIn a sample of more than 350 infants, we found that higher family income was associated with shorter time until settled and shorter crying duration at 2 months of age.Sleep, settle, and crying behaviors at 2 months did not show statistically significant associations with language development, hyperactivity, or autistic traits in toddlerhood.

Accelerating birth timing to access cash transfers? Evidence from households in extreme poverty.

To date, research on physical literacy (PL) has primarily focused on fostering development in early childhood. While this early stage is crucial for lifelong engagement, other significant transitions, such as the shift from adolescence to adulthood, have been less thoroughly investigated. This study delved into the experiences and perceived PL journeys of young adults within their transition from adolescence to adulthood, specifically those with intellectual disabilities. Utilizing the COM-B model of behavior change (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation—Behavior) as a conceptual framework and an interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology, semistructured interviews were conducted with five young adults age 20–26 years. The analysis identified three themes: shaping perspectives and action, a team-based approach, and exploring opportunities everywhere. Despite encountering barriers during this vulnerable period, participants exhibited resiliency and a proactive attitude toward their PL journeys. Findings underscored the necessity of support and interventions to facilitate continued growth in PL as individuals with intellectual disabilities transition into adulthood.

Assessing metal mixture effects on neuropsychological development: A trade-off between complexity and interpretability.

Happy mothers, healthy minds: Maternal welfare and children's early development in the global south.

Is participation in the target poverty alleviation program associated with early childhood development? Evidence from Southwest China

Early childhood development is important for future developmental behavior, physical fitness, and motor skills. The content of the physical education curriculum in kindergarten is crucial for the growth of preschool children. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of 4 different PE curriculum interventions on developmental behavior and balance ability, and the correlation between these two factors in preschool children, aiming to provide practical evidence for optimizing children's developmental behavior. Method: 94 preschool children aged 4-6 years were stratified and randomly assigned to the tennis group (TG), football group (FG), sensory integration group (SIG), and control group (CG). They received a 12-week intervention program consisting of three 30-minute sessions per week. The content of the PE curriculum varied only in the main part. The developmental behaviors of preschool children were assessed using the "Developmental Scale for Children aged 0-6 years", which evaluates five indicators: gross motor, fine motor, language, adaptability, and social behavior. Additionally, balance ability was measured using the "Balance Ability Test and Evaluation for Children Aged 3 to 6 Years" developed by Zhuang Bi and colleagues. One-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, paired-sample t-test, and non-parametric paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to assess the developmental behavior and balance of preschool children before and after the intervention. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the correlations between developmental behavior scores and balance ability scores. All four different PE curriculum interventions resulted in greater improvements in all developmental behavior indicators and balance ability after intervention compared to baseline. The SIG showed greater improvements in total development quotient (DQ), gross motor DQ, fine motor DQ, and balance ability than the other three groups after intervention. No significant difference in balance ability between FG and SIG was found. There was a positive and significant correlation between adaptability DQ, social behavior DQ, and balance ability after SIG intervention. Physical education curriculum led by tennis, football, and sensory integration sports could significantly improve preschool children's developmental behavior and balance ability. The SIG training could correlate children's balance ability with their social behavior and adaptability. The sensory integration curriculum might be the optimal curriculum to promote the efficient improvement of preschool children's developmental behavior and motor ability. Therefore, it is suggested that sensory integration exercises should be given priority in the future routine physical education curriculum design, to promote the effective improvement of preschool children's developmental behavior.

This study determined the level of implementation of ECCD and the challenges faced by CDWs in Daet, Camarines Norte. Specifically, it addressed: 1) the profile in terms of age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, honoraria, number of years teaching and attended relevant trainings; 2) the level of implementation of ECCD in Daet in terms of health and safety; physical environment and safety; interactions and relationships between staff and children; staff qualifications and continuing education; curriculum and assessment; family and community involvement; and leadership and support; 3) the significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and the level of implementation of ECCD Program; (4) the challenges faced by the Child Development Workers in the implementation of the program along with the aforementioned variables; 5) the significant relationship between the level of implementation of ECCD Program and the challenges faced; and 6) a proposed intervention to enhance the implementation of the ECCD program. The study involved 41 CDWs and 25 barangay education committee chairpersons in Daet. It used a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design and a survey questionnaire based on ECCD Council guidelines. The respondents were mostly 46 and above, female-dominated, mostly married, mainly college graduates in any field, earns above ₱6,500, with 0 to 10 years of teaching experience, and attended trainings. The ECCD is generally well-implemented and meets most standards, but some issues still need attention. Specific profiles are in significant relationship to the level of ECCD implementation, while others showed no significant effect, meaning not all influence implementation. Despite strong implementation, the program is still moderately challenging because of limited resources, training gaps, inconsistent family involvement, and management constraints. The challenges faced by CDWs are not directly linked to implementation levels, indicating despite full implementation, challenges still occur. To raise awareness on the challenges faced by CDWs, a brochure is developed and proposed

A scoping review of responsive caregiving in diverse populations and its association with child development.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of structured role-playing games in enhancing vocabulary development among preschool children, while also examining the impact of participation frequency and thematic context on learning outcomes. A quasi-experimental design was implemented with 60 participants from three Early Childhood Development Centers in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Children were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which participated in structured, thematic role-playing sessions, or a control group that received traditional vocabulary instruction over an eight-week period. Vocabulary acquisition was assessed through the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and educator-completed observational checklists. The results showed that the experimental group improved their vocabulary significantly more than the control group, which supported the hypothesis that teaching through play is more effective than teaching with conventional methods. While a positive trend emerged between the frequency of participation and vocabulary growth, this relationship was not statistically significant. Moreover, vocabulary effects were tested condition-specifically, as some themes were above the mean while others were below. Our findings underscore the importance of using play-based learning, particularly structured role-playing, in early childhood education.

Early childhood development is fundamental to the development of cognitive, social, and emotional abilities. However, in reality, various problems arise daily in kindergarten. This study examines two major issues faced by children at Mekarsari Kindergarten: difficulty concentrating while studying and a tendency to use inappropriate language in everyday life. The study used a qualitative-descriptive method, focusing on instructor observations and scientific literature on early childhood development. The findings indicate that focus challenges are related to cognitive development, the learning environment, learning styles, and the use of digital devices. On the other hand, abusive behavior is influenced by parenting approaches, social media use, and socio-emotional immaturity. This page includes a comprehensive explanation of the causes, developmental impacts, and therapeutic techniques that teachers and parents can use.

Background: Preschool children in Indonesia continue to experience developmental challenges. National data indicate that fewer than half of children aged 1–59 months receive standardized developmental monitoring. At the same time, increased access to digital devices has made screen time a routine part of early childhood, potentially reducing opportunities for physical play that are essential for fine motor skill development. Objective: To examine the association between screen-time duration and fine motor development among children aged 2–5 years in the service areas of the Sikumana and Tarus Community Health Centers. Methods: This study employed an analytic correlational design with a cross-sectional approach. A total of 55 children aged 24–60 months were recruited using consecutive sampling. Screen-time duration was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from the SMALL-Q, while fine motor development was evaluated using age-specific fine motor items from the Developmental Pre-Screening Questionnaire (Kuesioner Pra Skrining Perkembangan/KPSP). Data were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation test. Results: The results showed that 54.5% of children were exposed to excessive screen time (&gt;60 minutes/day), and 63.6% demonstrated fine motor development that was not appropriate for their age. A significant moderate negative correlation was observed between screen-time duration and fine motor development (r = −0.449; p = 0.001). Children with excessive screen time had a substantially lower proportion of age-appropriate fine motor development (16.7%) compared with children who adhered to recommended screen-time limits (60%). Conclusion: There is a significant and moderately strong association between screen-time duration and fine motor development among children aged 2–5 years. Parental education on limiting screen time and ensuring active supervision is crucial to support optimal fine motor development in early childhood.