Early Childhood Education And Care Quality Research Articles

Cultivating young minds: Exploring the relationship between child socio-emotional competence, early childhood education and care quality, creativity and self-directed learning

Creativity and self-directed learning (SDL) have been identified as two key skills that children need to develop for success in the 21st century. As such, developing such skills has become a priority. High quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) can play a pivotal role in supporting a myriad of children's developmental outcomes. This study uses multi-level modeling on 484 children between 30 and 75 months of age (Mean age = 48) across 87 ECEC classrooms in Toronto. We tested associations between two skills (creativity and SDL), children's social and emotional competence (hyperactivity, prosocial behaviour, and emotional problems) and ECEC quality (professional development, ratios and emotional support). We found significant relationships between children's social and emotional outcomes and their creativity skills, but not their SDL. In addition, the proportion of professional development opportunities conducted onsite was positively associated with children's creativity. Implications for future research, policy and practice are discussed. Educational relevance statementThis study contributes to the understanding of how to support two skills needed in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution. First, we examine the relationship between children's social and emotional development and their creativity and self-directed learning. We then examine the role played by the quality of their early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings as contexts to learn these important skills when accounting for their children's social and emotional development. Finally, we test the robustness of these associations by controlling for important contextual factors (age, months in the program, family income, and maternal education).

Children's creative participation as a precursor of 21st century skills in Finnish early childhood education and care context

The purpose of this article is to study how children's creative participation as a precursor of 21st century skills is related to their skills and competencies, involvement, and class activities in the Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) context. The study is part of the Finnish ECEC Progressive Feedback research and development project, which was conducted in 21 Finnish cities and companies providing ECEC services between 2017 and 2022. In this study, 5047 children aged between 1 and 7 years participated, using data which included both observation and child evaluations. Children's creative participation was examined using the social orientation theory together with the LI-SYC to focus on their involvement in class activities. The results showed that children's creative participation was related to their skills and competencies, involvement, and play as a class activity. The results emphasize the significance of creative participation as an indicator of quality and learning in ECEC. Educational relevance and implications statementThe results of this study show that creative participation as a precursor of 21st century skills (especially creativity and collaboration) is also an indicator of quality and learning today. Creative participation occurred in play as a class activity, and it was also connected with children evaluated individual skills and skills and competencies, especially creativity in pretend play and less support needs in language development. This is significant because with scaffolding and being conscious of the opportunities for creative participation in the pedagogy of early childhood education and care, it is possible to scaffold children's learning and well-being today and the skills and competencies they will need in the future.

Listening to Hong Kong children's perspectives through pretend play

AbstractQuality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) has become an increasing concern in recent years. The issue has been regularly discussed by different stakeholders. However, the rising concern regarding quality in ECEC has not seriously taken into account children's perspectives. Hong Kong, with its academic‐driven education system, is no exception. Children's perspectives have been neglected under the impact of neoliberalism on education in Chinese society. Engaging with children's perspectives has thus become an important matter in Hong Kong society. In April 2019, a children's pretend‐play project was started in an open playground in Hong Kong. This project aimed to help children regain their subjectivities and share their thoughts through the process of pretend play. Children in this project were invited to create, pretend and imagine themselves in the role of superheroes so that they could express their perspectives. This alternative practice opened a space for children to liberate themselves through pretend‐play activities, while reworking the conventional pedagogies found in the neoliberal education system. The findings offer critical reflections on how to improve quality in ECEC by redeveloping trust and respect among adults and children through listening to children's perspectives.

Exploring the role of educator personality on structural and process quality in early childhood education and care settings

Given the significant time that children aged zero to six spend in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, it is imperative that we understand the drivers of ECEC quality. The role of educator personality in the quality of ECEC settings has received little attention from researchers. Using a sample of 595 educators from 240 infant and toddler classrooms, the present study examined (1) the role that educator personality plays on key quality indicators in Canadian ECEC settings, (2) the factor validity of the Mini Markers, a commonly used measure of personality, and (3) whether there are subgroups of educators based on personality characteristics, using a latent profile analysis (LPA). Results showed an acceptable factor structure of the Mini Markers measure of personality with early childhood educators. Furthermore, personality was positively related to both structural and process quality indicators. Specifically, the structural indicators of income and years in the classroom were positively and significantly related to Agreeableness and Extraversion (small and medium effects, respectively). In terms of process quality, educators’ level of Extraversion had a positive and significant relationship with the quality of responsive interactions they provide to children (small effect). Finally, the LPA revealed diverse educator personality types with no significant variation at the classroom level. This study highlights the need for ongoing research to explore the connection between educators' personalities and quality in ECEC, with implications discussed for practical application.

Composition of staff teams in early childhood education and care centres in nine countries

This study draws on data from TALIS Starting Strong 2018, an international survey of early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff and leaders, to examine the staff roles (leader, teacher, assistant, specialised staff, intern, other) that are included in ECEC centres in nine countries: Chile, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway and Türkiye. The staffing profiles in ECEC centres are compared across countries as well as within countries, according to whether the centre was co-located with a primary school, its size in terms of the number of children enrolled, and the concentration of children with special needs and those from socio-economically disadvantaged homes. In addition, associations between the share of teachers and assistants in ECEC centres and staff reports of their time working on tasks without children, their collaboration with colleagues, their work-related stress and job satisfaction were examined. Results are discussed in terms of the different policy contexts in the participating countries and implications for building an ECEC workforce to address demands for both increased access to and better ECEC quality for children.

Meta-thematic analysis of quality in early childhood education and care

Quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) has drawn the attention of researchers and practitioners due to its correlation with positive individual, societal, and economic results. In ECEC, however, there is no consensus on quality metrics. This meta-thematic study seeks to provide a framework for quality indicators in ECEC and to identify the contextual factors that influence the perception of quality. The study’s data source comprises 14 published papers conducted in 11 countries using qualitative or mixed methods on quality in ECEC. As a consequence of the analysis, 16 early childhood education and care quality indicators were identified. As a result of the second-level studies, the underlying or associated syntheses in the ECEC quality indicators were uncovered. These include child-centeredness, teacher qualifications, culture and atmosphere of the ECEC center, holistic development, and leadership. In addition, it was concluded that cultural values and beliefs, the centralization degree of the education system, and the expectations of stakeholders are contextual elements that influence the quality and perceptions of quality in ECEC.

Governing early childhood education and care quality development among diverse private ECEC providers in Norway

ABSTRACT This article sheds light on governance mechanisms at work when decentralised implementation of national educational and welfare policies encounters a heterogeneous sector of private service provider organisations. It illuminates how isomorphic pressure plays out at the interface between local governance and private providers’ organisational strategies for quality development in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Key informant interviews are employed to investigate the function of local non-mandatory quality and competence-developing networks (QCDNs) as a locus for these interactions. Findings indicate that QCDNs contribute to shaping private ECEC providers’ quality development efforts, and that coercive, normative, and mimetic isomorphic pressures become intertwined in this process. Most private provider organisations choose to participate in these non-mandatory networks. However, ECEC corporations and small private providers assign different meanings to their participation, and the networks thus appear to spur different organisational strategies. While small private providers harmoniously align their ECEC quality development strategies with institutionalised municipal practice, the provider corporations, while in formal compliance, exploit the resulting inter-municipal variation as one argument among many for more stringent national governmental standardisation. We demonstrate how isomorphic pressure may create and enable an impetus for endogenous and gradual institutional change agency.

Can a Brief Professional Development Improve Early Childhood Educators’ Responsivity and Interaction Quality in Child Care Centers? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT High-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) – particularly care defined by highly responsive interactions between educators and children – has the potential to have lasting positive impacts on children’s development. While there is variability in the level of quality among early education and care settings, professional development for early childhood educators has been shown to be an effective means to improve both ECEC quality and child outcomes. As many professional development programs are time and resource intensive, we sought out to test the efficacy of a brief (5 hr) professional development program that included a workshop, individual coaching, video feedback and text messaging. Research Findings: Results of a cluster randomized controlled trial with 93 educators indicated that the program improved educators’ responsivity three-months after intervention (d = 0.60, p = .035), but not classroom-wide levels of emotional support or instructional quality. Trend analysis revealed the greatest improvements occurred after the workshop and first coaching session and leveled off over time. Practice or Policy: Preliminary evidence suggests brief professional development programs may improve interaction quality with effect sizes comparable to those of longer programs. Well-powered studies using multiple arms or sequential randomization will help optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of professional development.

Privatization and Coercive Isomorphic Pressure in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (1987-2020)

This article analyses the privatization of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) provision in Norway between 1987 and 2020. My analytical framework combines theories of structured organizational fields and gradual institutional change to investigate how the scope and field position of private ECEC providers have evolved during this period. Based on an analysis of official policy documents, I illuminate how ECEC quality enhancement has gradually been institutionalized as the common, legitimizing endeavour of the ECEC provision field by means of coercive isomorphic pressure. Along with increasing regulation of working conditions, this has altered the meaning of private ECEC provision. Both the scope and field position of private provider organizations have evolved accordingly. Currently, small providers and larger provider corporations face different sets of legitimacy challenges, resulting in a conflict of interests. Tensions between these groups are likely to fuel ongoing field dynamics that are capable of yielding institutional stability as well as change. My analysis contributes towards building a more comprehensive theoretical framework for organizational fields by illuminating the interplay between coercive isomorphic pressure and organizational characteristics within a structured field.

Danish Early Childhood Education and Care

Abstract This special issue presents a selection of current research on Danish early childhood education and care (ECEC) aimed at an international audience. The Nordic tradition of child-centred, local and holistic pedagogy is dominant within the Danish educational culture, but the Danish pedagogical approach is the focus of an ongoing dialogue involving political preoccupations with ECEC quality and what is best for the children’s development and learning. Since 2004, Danish ECEC settings have been obliged to work on children’s learning based on a pedagogical curriculum organised around six previously established themes prepared at each local ECEC centre according to specific guidelines. In 2018, a more detailed description of the content of the curriculum and a common pedagogical foundation was introduced in a strengthened curriculum – partly because the previous curriculum led institutions too far away from the existing pedagogical culture. The strengthened curriculum points to key elements such as play, child-centredness, communities of children and a broad concept of learning – to constitute the understanding and approach to work on children’s well-being, learning, development and formation in ECEC. New research from Danish professionals is presented, revolving around key areas in the strengthened curriculum in order to invite further dialogue with international colleagues about children’s play, fun and well-being, quality cultures, children’s communities, transitions, aesthetics and vulnerability.

Teamwork as a cornerstone of a child’s educational support in early childhood education and care in Finland

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

Early childhood education and care quality and associations with child outcomes: A meta-analysis.

The effectiveness of early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs for children's development in various domains is well documented. Adding to existing meta-analyses on associations between the quality of ECEC services and children's developmental outcomes, the present meta-analysis synthesizes the global literature on structural characteristics and indicators of process quality to test direct and moderated effects of ECEC quality on children's outcomes across a range of domains. A systematic review of the literature published over a 10-year period, between January 2010 and June 2020 was conducted, using the databases PsychInfo, Eric, EbscoHost, and Pubmed. In addition, a call for unpublished research or research published in the grey literature was sent out through the authors' professional network. The search yielded 8,932 articles. After removing duplicates, 4,880 unique articles were identified. To select articles for inclusion, it was determined whether studies met eligibility criteria: (1) study assessed indicators of quality in center-based ECEC programs catering to children ages 0-6 years; and (2) study assessed child outcomes. Inclusion criteria were: (1) a copy of the full article was available in English; (2) article reported effect size measure of at least one quality indicator-child outcome association; and (3) measures of ECEC quality and child outcomes were collected within the same school year. A total of 1,044 effect sizes reported from 185 articles were included. The averaged effects, pooled within each of the child outcomes suggest that higher levels of ECEC quality were significantly related to higher levels of academic outcomes (literacy, n = 99: 0.08, 95% C.I. 0.02, 0.13; math, n = 56: 0.07, 95% C.I. 0.03, 0.10), behavioral skills (n = 64: 0.12, 95% C.I. 0.07, 0.17), social competence (n = 58: 0.13, 95% C.I. 0.07, 0.19), and motor skills (n = 2: 0.09, 95% C.I. 0.04, 0.13), and lower levels of behavioral (n = 60: -0.12, 95% C.I. -0.19, -0.05) and social-emotional problems (n = 26: -0.09, 95% C.I. -0.15, -0.03). When a global assessment of child outcomes was reported, the association with ECEC quality was not significant (n = 13: 0.02, 95% C.I. -0.07, 0.11). Overall, effect sizes were small. When structural and process quality indicators were tested separately, structural characteristics alone did not significantly relate to child outcomes whereas associations between process quality indicators and most child outcomes were significant, albeit small. A comparison of the indicators, however, did not yield significant differences in effect sizes for most child outcomes. Results did not provide evidence for moderated associations. We also did not find evidence that ECEC quality-child outcome associations differed by ethnic minority or socioeconomic family background. Despite the attempt to provide a synthesis of the global literature on ECEC quality-child outcome associations, the majority of studies included samples from the U.S. In addition, studies with large samples were also predominately from the U.S. Together, the results might have been biased towards patterns prevalent in the U.S. that might not apply to other, non-U.S. ECEC contexts. The findings align with previous meta-analyses, suggesting that ECEC quality plays an important role for children's development during the early childhood years. Implications for research and ECEC policy are discussed.

Verringert die Qualität von frühkindlichen Bildungs- und Betreuungseinrichtungen das Risiko von Externalisierungsproblemen? Eine genetisch-sensitive Studie über Vorschulkinder in Deutschland

AbstractThis paper examines the extent to which quality characteristics of early childhood education and care (ECEC) experienced at ages 4–6 influence externalizing problems at ages 6–8. Based on a random sample of 713 same-sex twins (55% female, 41% with a migration background) in 364 ECEC centers in Germany, the paper not only distinguishes between detailed ECEC quality characteristics but additionally investigates whether these characteristics affect the relevance of genetic and environmental influences on externalizing problem behavior. Results demonstrate that with educators’ further training and the child–staff ratio only a few specific ECEC quality indicators moderate the relevance of genetic and environmental influences. In particular, further training of educators reduces genetic contributions to externalizing problems in children. Although there was also evidence for gene–environment correlation owing to selection into ECEC centers with an unfavorable child–staff ratio, the findings suggest that improving educators’ training is the most promising way of counteracting externalizing problems.

Children's mental health: The role of multiple risks and child care quality

The benefit of universal access to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for children's development can depend on the ECEC quality and children's early childhood risks. This study utilised data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa; N = 7355, 50.2% boys) to investigate the relative contribution of children's early childhood risk accumulated up to three years of age and five separate dimensions of ECEC quality on children's mental health (externalising and internalising problems) at five years of age rated by mothers and teachers. Results from the hierarchical regression models indicated that lower ECEC quality added to, and higher ECEC quality counteracted, the risk of mental health problems. Relationship quality was the strongest contributor. Total ECEC quality and relationship quality interacted significantly with early childhood risk, indicating that higher ECEC quality protected against, while lower ECEC quality exacerbated, the detrimental effects of early childhood risk on mental health problems.

Assessing the quality of early childhood education and care in Australia: Challenges and opportunities

While access to quality education in early childhood is an international priority, the characteristics of quality continue to be debated. In the Australian context, differing views on the characteristics of quality may be a result of differing stakeholder priorities. Divergent notions of quality may lead to initiatives that emphasize educator practice and frame a dominant discourse that situates responsibility for enactment of quality at Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) service room level. Challenges arising from initiatives driving increased access to ECEC coinciding with workforce shortages are addressed. National longitudinal research is needed to determine the impact of participation in ECEC on child outcomes, as is ECEC quality assessment across regions and jurisdictions over time. Prior to this, stakeholder conversations are needed to achieve consensus on the characteristics of quality. This could lead to the development of an instrument for assessing quality that is systemically relevant and could inform evidence-based decision making by ECEC teachers and educators, primary caregivers, regulators, researchers and policy makers to distribute accountability for quality across the ECEC system.

Quality of early childhood education and care in Japanese accredited nursery centers: A study using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition (ECERS-3).

This study presents the first quantitative evaluation of the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Japan to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge accumulated on ECEC in countries where research has been limited. We observed 30 classes comprising 3-year-olds, 28 classes comprising 5-year-olds, and 30 classes comprising mixed-ages from publicly provided nursery centers under the jurisdiction of the Kanto metropolitan area, Japan. An internationally-recognized quality rating scale for ECEC called the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 3rd edition, which consists of six subscales, was used for this study. In contrast to previous studies conducted in the US, the results of this study showed that the Japanese ECEC is characterized as showing higher scores in the two subscales, "Personal Care Routines" and "Interaction," and showing lower score in the subscale, "Learning Activities." In addition, this study showed that the quality of ECEC varied across nursery centers. Furthermore, with regard to the two subscales, "Interaction" and "Language and Literacy," the degree of variation within centers differed across nursery centers. This study analyzed how these characteristics of Japanese ECEC can be partly produced by the existence of national guideline for nursery centers authorized by the Japanese government. In addition, mechanisms producing differences in the quality of ECEC among and within centers were also discussed.

Improving quality of teaching and child development: A randomised controlled trial of the leadership for learning intervention in preschools.

Substantial research indicates that high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) confers a wide range of benefits for children, yet quality in ECEC remains inconsistent. Given the variability in training and qualifications, one strategy for improving ECEC quality is in-service professional development (PD). The current study evaluated an evidence-based in-service PD programme, Leadership for Learning, via a cluster randomised controlled trial involving 83 ECEC services and 1,346 children in their final year of pre-school. Results indicated significant improvements in teaching quality across treatment centres and child development outcomes in language, numeracy and social-emotional development. This study provides strong support for making evidence-informed PD routinely available for ECEC practitioners.

Still a poster child for social investment? Changing regulatory dynamics of early childhood education and care in Denmark and Sweden

AbstractThis paper investigates the regulation of publicly organized early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Denmark and Sweden, through the regulatory welfare state (RWS) framework. The analysis focuses on how alterations in funding and quality of care are shaped by governmental and nongovernmental actors at national and local levels of government. Through focused structured analysis, we examine how various actors have shaped the funding and quality of childcare in Denmark and Sweden, from the early 2000s to 2020, with special attention to the period during and after the 2008 financial crisis. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, concerns about quality in care were raised on the political agenda by various actors in both countries, leading to decisions to improve the quality of care. Yet, the regulatory dynamics differ: In Denmark, the debate led to a decision in 2019, to implement a minimum statutory requirement of regulatory quality standards. From an RWS perspective, this outcome can be qualified as “double expansion,” because regulatory quality standards, and public funding for childcare increased. In Sweden, the debates about quality of ECEC led, in 2016, to political guidelines about quality standard, but with no additional national funds, and no mandatory regulatory quality requirements. Analytically, this can be qualified as “regulatory‐led expansion,” that is requirements for quality standards, although the lack of additional national funds suggests that it will be difficult to improve ECEC quality substantially. The RWS perspective, which focuses on national and municipal levels of governance, also gives insights into hidden inequalities between municipalities regarding funding and quality of ECEC, which are more pronounced in Sweden than in Denmark.

Long-Term Promotive and Protective Effects of Early Childcare Quality on the Social-Emotional Development in Children.

The present study aimed to examine the longitudinal promotive and protective role of process quality in regular early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers in the context of early cumulative family risks on children’s social–emotional development from early to middle childhood. The sample consisted of 293 (T1; Mage = 2.81), 239 (T2; Mage = 3.76), and 189 (T3; Mage = 9.69) children from 25 childcare centers in Switzerland. Fourteen familial risk factors were subsumed to a family risk score at T1. Parents and teachers reported on children’s conduct problems (CP), emotional problems (EP), and prosocial behavior (PB) at T2 and T3. Childcare process quality was assessed at T2 using external observations of teaching and interaction, provisions for learning, and key professional tasks. Results showed that early family risks were positively associated with CP and EP and negatively associated with PB in the long term. High-quality teaching and interaction as well as caregivers’ professional behavior in terms of systematic observation, documentation, and planning of children’s individual learning processes and needs protected children from the undesirable long-term effects of early family risks on conduct problems, emotional problems, and prosocial behavior from early to middle childhood. The results indicate that a high process quality in ECEC might serve as an essential contextual protective factor in the development of resilience in children at risk.

Do the numbers add up? Questioning measurement that places Australian ECEC teaching as ‘low quality’

Internationally, standard observational measures of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) are used to assess the quality of provision. They are applied as research tools but, significantly, also guide policy decisions, distribution of resources and public opinion. Considerable faith is placed in such measures, yet their validity, reliability and functioning within context should all be considered in interpreting the findings they generate. We examine the case of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) in the Australian study, Effective Early Education for Children (E4Kids). Using this measure Australian educators were identified as “low quality” in provision of instruction (average 2.1 on a scale of 1–7). When these results became public, they attracted negative press coverage and the potential for harm. We interrogate these findings asking three questions relating to sampling, contextual and empirical evidence that define quality and measurement strategies. We conclude that measurement problems, most notably a floor effect, is the most likely explanation for uniformly low CLASS-Instructional scores among Australian ECEC educators, and indeed across international studies. Using a theoretically and empirically informed rescaling strategy we show that there is a diversity of instructional quality across Australian ECEC, and that rescaling might more effectively guide improvement strategies to target those of lowest quality. Beyond, our findings call for a more critical approach in interpretation of standard measures of ECEC quality and their applications in policy and practice, internationally.