Early Childhood Education Programs Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Heni’s Dental Flannel Book” on Increasing Dental Health Care Among Early Childhood Education Program.

ABSTRACTOne of the factors causing dental caries is the lack of children's knowledge resulting in a lack of awareness of children in maintaining dental hygiene. To increase children's knowledge can be done by promoting dental health through child oral health education and mouth. The use of media is still less effective in health education that has been running, therefore the need for innovation and development is to use media innovation “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book”The study aimed to develop of “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book” media as a health education book and the effectiveness “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book” for increasing the dental health care of Early Childhood Education Programs.Research and Development (R D), there are ten stages of research namely: information gathering, design models, validation expert, revision, product trial (Pre experiment with one group pre-test post-test, a sample of 15 children), revision, application trial (Quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test nonequivalent control group design, a sample of 20 children in the intervention group and 20 children in the control group, final product revision, production of product. Data were tested using ANOVA, Shapiro Wilk, Wilcoxon test, Mann-Whitney test.The results showed “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book”is effective as an effort to increase dental and oral health care for Early Childhood Education Programs as indicated by a p-value0.001. Children's knowledge is indicated by a p-value0,000, a child's attitude is indicated by a p-value 0,000. There is a difference in the effectiveness of smart dental books and flipchart in increased dental and oral health care for children with a p-value0,000.The conclusion is “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book” effectively improve children's knowledge and attitudes.Keywords : children in Early Childhood Education Programs , “Heni’s Dental Flannel Book”, dental health care.

Creativity in early childhood teacher education: beliefs and practices

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was twofold: (a) To carry out an in-depth investigation of pre-service teachers (PTs) beliefs regarding creativity and the perceived barriers of creative processes within early childhood education, and (b) To examine the extent to which PTs reflect their creativity within their pedagogical practices. The participants (n = 45) were university seniors attending an early childhood education programme. The study results demonstrated a lack of knowledge and experience regarding creativity in education as one of the most stated inadequacies among PTs, and as a result, a need for additional coursework and/or practice-based courses regarding creativity in order to more adequately familiarise PTs with a breadth of approaches that incorporate creativity across the curriculum. The results also revealed that the most common barrier recognised in creative processes of PTs was pressure on teachers due to the parents’ expectations regarding student outcomes. The results of this study provided a more comprehensive look into the nature of creativity from a holistic perspective as well as how to improve early childhood teacher education programmes in terms of effective teaching strategies for creativity.

Parent engagement in an original and culturally adapted evidence-based parenting program, Legacy for Children™.

Legacy for Children™ (Legacy) is an evidence-based program focused on promoting sensitive, responsive parenting for socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Legacy has recently been culturally and linguistically adapted for Spanish-monolingual Latino families and is being piloted in partnership with an early childhood education program. We conducted a mixed methods study to identify barriers and facilitators to engagement, using program monitoring data sources from both participant and group leader perspectives. We conducted qualitative analyses of open-ended data to identify distinct barriers (e.g., employment challenges, health-related challenges and appointments) and facilitators (e.g., other mothers in group, interest in program topics) to engagement that emerged across English and Spanish language curriculum versions; curriculum-specific barriers and facilitators were also documented. We interpret these findings in light of quantitative data on measures of engagement, showing that participants in the Spanish curriculum evidenced comparable levels of parent-group leader relationship quality relative to the English group, and higher levels of parent's group support/connectedness and overall satisfaction. These results offer promising considerations for optimizing families' engagement in parenting programs in the context of early care and education settings.

The Relationship Between Fulfilment of Basic Needs with the Incidence of Stunting In Toddlers

Introduction: The prevalence of toddlers who very short and short at the age of 0-59 months in Indonesia is still high. One cause of stunting is lack of nutrition, mainly in the first 1000 days of life. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the fulfilment of basic needs with the incidence of stunting in toddlers.Methods: A quantitative analytic research methods using cross-sectional approach was applied on this study. The sample was100 toddlers collected by purposive sampling technique. The questionnaires were used to measure the fulfilment of the basic needs of children and included questions about physical, emotion and stimulation. The data were analysed using Chi-Square.Results: There was a relationship between fulfilment of the basic needs in physical and emotion category with stunting (p value of 0.000), while there was no relationship between fulfilment of basic needs in the category of stimulation with stunting (p value of 0.090).Conclusion: The fulfilment of the basic needs of physical and emotion affects the condition of toddlers with stunting. Thus, all of children should get exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding, early childhood education programme, attend an Integrated Healthcare Centre routinely, have adequate access to immunisation services.

Access and equity policies in early childhood education: the case of Chile

ABSTRACT Early Childhood Education (ECE) has been an area of interest because of its strong impact on the development of skills and benefits for learning at this age. However, participation in ECE programs is not equally distributed across social groups. It has been observed in different international contexts that there are factors such as availability, accessibility and affordability that hinder access for disadvantaged families. Chile has promoted policies to reduce these factors: greater availability of centers, priority selection in admission and free tuition. Through 56 semi-structured interviews from 7 centers, non-participant observations for six months in one of the centers and one year of fieldwork, we sought to understand access to ECE. The results show that, despite priority access policies, there are decisions on availability, implementation of accessibility and funding-oriented affordability practices that hinder access. This work provides new evidence and discusses the implications of the results for equitable access to ECE for disadvantaged families.

Cultural and Practice Perspectives on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Voices From American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Programs

ABSTRACT In this study, we examined American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Head Start directors’ perceptions of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and critically examined those perceptions to provide insight into the cultural appropriateness of the CLASS in the AI/AN Head Start context. Based on qualitative data from 76 AI/AN Head Start administrators, our findings provide evidence that there are advantages and limitations in using the CLASS in AI/AN Head Start programs. While two of the three broad constructs measured by the CLASS fit well with the experiences of AI/AN early childhood education programs, our data provide evidence of cultural misalignment in the CLASS trainings, some of the CLASS behavioral markers, and the Instructional Support domain. Based upon our findings, we suggest further work be conducted to understand how to modify the instrument or create a new instrument to be better aligned with AI/AN Head Start classroom experiences.

Use of Learning Journal in Tutorial of Professional Competencies Improvement (PCI) for the Early Childhood Education Program

The purpose of this study is to see the contribution of using learning journal in a tutorial of the subjects Professional Competencies Improvement (PKP) in the S1 program PGPAUD-UT. This research was conducted in 2015 at Serpong District from Jakarta branch, Indonesia Open University, with respondents nine students at semester 7th of early childhood education program (ECEP), which join PKP guidance in one group. The research method is descriptive qualitative. The results of the research are the use of learning journals is beneficial to know the factors that affect the mastery of PKP by students. These factors are perseverance in studying the PKP guidebook, curiosity, frequency of asking, presentation in the tutorial, and explanation by tutor/supervisor. This research recommends that PKP supervisors can develop various alternative ways to communicate well with students by utilizing the latest technological developments.

Reflections on practice: providing authentic experiences with families in early childhood teacher education

ABSTRACT Teachers’ positive relationships with families contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual development of children in early childhood education programs. Effectively involving, communicating, and partnering with families requires a unique set of professional abilities. Teachers must hold a deep understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic needs and characteristics of families and possess social skills and dispositions that allow them to effectively engage the adults in children’s lives in sensitive and supportive ways. Are preservice teachers of young children well prepared to carry out this important role in their teacher education programs? Although 60% of teacher education programs require a course on families, few include authentic experiences in which candidates interact with families face-to-face. In the present article, the four authors – a teacher educator, a supervising teachers, and two early childhood teacher education candidates – reflect on a project which included seven elaborate experiences with families in lieu of a traditional, required course. We share our diverse perspectives on the impact of each experience, presenting excerpts from candidates’ reflective journal entries and from the field notes of the teacher educator and supervising teacher. Implications of our experiences for teacher education are presented.

Do Curriculum-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs in Early Childhood Education and Care Strengthen Teacher Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review.

There is growing awareness of the benefits of curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in Early Childhood Education and Care settings for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. While many SEL programs aim to strengthen teachers’ capacity and capability to foster children’s social and emotional skills, research effort has focused on understanding the impact on child outcomes, with less emphasis on improvement in teaching quality. This systematic literature review examined the effectiveness of universal curriculum-based SEL programs on teacher outcomes. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, capturing ten distinct SEL interventions. The findings suggest SEL programs may strengthen teaching quality, particularly the provision of responsive and nurturing teacher-child interactions and effective classroom management. Data were insufficient to ascertain whether participation improved teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, or social-emotional wellbeing. The potential pathways between SEL intervention, teaching quality and children’s developmental outcomes are discussed.

Teachers’ perspectives on communication and parent engagement in early childhood education programs for migrant farmworker children

As early childhood education programs in the United States increasingly serve a growing number of children from linguistically and culturally diverse families, understanding teacher practices to better serve these families continues to be an important focus for the profession. In programs that serve migrant farmworker families, little is known about teachers’ communication practices and ways in which teachers promote parent engagement with migrant farmworker families. This article explores the practices of teachers relevant to family communication and engagement in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, a branch of Head Start program for farmworker families, mostly of Mexican origin. This study used qualitative methods of in-depth interviews and a focus group to bring forth the perspectives and lived experience of Spanish-speaking and English-speaking teachers working with farmworker families in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Key findings illustrate the role of shared language and culture, mediated language barriers, the reliability of interpreters and written communication, and authentic ways of creating home–school connections with the migrant farmworker community.

Indigenous Knowledge in Early Childhood Education: Building a Nest for Reconciliation

This article is based on my dissertation study exploring how Indigenous knowledges were experienced by non-Indigenous students in an ECE diploma program at a Canadian college. Analysis of participants’ stories through the lens of critical pedagogy helped identify experiences with Indigenous knowledges and Reconciliation. Critical reflection on these experiences identified key findings: 1) the promise of transformative learning, 2) an acceptance of the truths and realities of Canadian history, and 3) the necessity of experiencing Indigenous knowledges. Through the metaphor of building a nest, I see transformative learning, truth telling, and inclusion of Indigenous knowledges as a path toward Reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples within early childhood education programs.

Culturally Inclusive and Contextually Appropriate Instructional Practices: Rethinking Pedagogical Perspectives, Practices, Policies, and Experiences in Early Childhood Education Programs

Many of the popular theories, perspectives, and practices regarding human development that currently guide early childhood education and care programs worldwide are inadequate because they situate ...

Analyzing Children’s Literature for Hidden Bias Helps Preservice Teachers Gain Pedagogical Practices in Critical Multicultural Education

ABSTRACTThis study explored the benefits of using critical multicultural education (Critical multicultural education examines all forms of marginalization in order to develop new possibilities and opportunities for all groups) in the current context of globalization. Preservice teachers (N = 17) experienced a variety of instructional activities, including intentional analysis of hidden bias (Hidden bias in this study denotes partiality based on all human differences both natural and socially constructed.) in children’s books. To collect data, participants responded in writing to prompts at the beginning, middle, and end of semester. Using a phenomenological analysis approach, qualitative data showed that although preservice teachers entered the course with limited knowledge and experience in analyzing children’s books for hidden bias, they gained essential pertinent knowledge and were, therefore, ready to use critical multicultural education in their future classrooms. As a result, among other recommendations, this study calls for institutional policies that support explicit teaching of critical multicultural education in early childhood education programs.

Early Childhood Education and Child Care in Arizona : Is Availability Alone Sufficient?

With many states increasingly adopting Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) to rate their early childhood education (ECE) and child care programs, researchers question the use of these systems. Specifically, they are trying to understand the value of information provided by QRIS ratings and the implications QRIS ratings have on the quality of and access to ECE and child care programs for families. In this study, we attempt to understand the value of QRIS ratings when they are provided for families at the household level. To do so we take a close look at the relationship between availability of programs rated by the Quality Improvement and Rating System (QIRS) in Arizona and demographics of the communities they serve, and compare the utilization of the programs in communities with varying demographic compositions. While we find that more high-quality ECE and child care programs are available for children that are Hispanic, Black, and eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, we also find that families underutilized those programs. We argue that this underutilization might be due to a variety of barriers that the families are experiencing and believe that efforts should be directed to work with families and assist them in understanding their enrollment options.

Mother’s Height and Calcium Intake Against Stunting among Children Aged 3-5 Years and The Impact on Child Development -

The purpose of this study was to identify the impacts of the mother's height and calcium intake on the incidence of stunting and the implications for child development. It was a cross-sectional study and involved about 78 children aged 3-5 years old from three early childhood education programs in Darul Imarah Sub-district, Aceh Besar District, Indonesia. Chi-square was performed to determine the correlation of the mother's height and calcium intake against the incidence of stunting, and impact of stunting on child development. The results showed that the height of mother (OR=4.0; 95% CI: 1.05 – 15.12) and calcium intake (OR=4.6; 95% CI: 1.37 – 15.69) had a significant correlation to the incidence of stunting, while to the child's development (OR=2.5; 95% CI: 0.82 – 8.11) had no significant impacts. This study could be one of the fundamental basic about the importance of nutritional intake in each life cycle so that the mother's height could be maximized.

Low-cost teacher-implemented intervention improves toddlers’ language and math skills

The first years of life are foundational for children's cognitive and social–emotional development and to subsequent development in a variety of domains. In many countries, an increasing number of toddlers is enrolled in early childhood education (ECE) programs, which can facilitate early development. However, the quality of these programs is often mediocre. The present study represents a large-scale randomized control trial (87 childcare centers and 1116 toddlers) designed to elevate the quality of instruction in ECE programs serving toddlers. We show that a low-cost 20-week intervention providing teachers with sequence and scope and supportive tools to be more explicit and intentional in their interactions with children resulted in positive, mainly medium- to large-sized effects on targeted language and math skills.

Игровые миры и нарративы как средства развивающего образования в дошкольном возрасте

We shortly introduce some main ideas of a project of scientific research collective “School” (Shkola) led by academic V.V. Davydov. The collective elaborated a new project — “Concept of preschool education” [9] that would better meet the developmental and educational needs of young children and create the basis for learning activity at school. The project has inspired development of playworld pedagogy in Sweden and Finland. Now 30 years later, attempts to design systems of developmental early childhood education try to concretize central concepts of Davydov’s project. This article presents interpretation and elaboration of the main ideas of the project in playworld pedagogy developed in Scandinavian early childhood education. We propose a systematic transition from joint adult — children play, to independent children initiated play. Children’s personality development presupposes esthetic reaction and contradictory unity of affect and intellect in narrative role play. We have concluded that present attempts to design new developmental early childhood education programs cannot forget the ideas of the collective from the 1990’s.

신체움직임을 활용한 순환학습기반 유아과학교육 프로그램이 유아의 과학적 탐구능력, 과학적 태도, 물체조작능력 및 공간능력에 미치는 효과

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of a learning cycle model-based early childhood education program using physical motion on young children’s scientific inquiry ability, scientific attitude, object manipulation ability and spatial ability. Methods: The subjects of this study were 60 five-year-old children who were attending K-G City Childcare Center. The SPSS Window 21.0 program and content analysis method were used, and post-validation Tukey was conducted to examine the differences between the one-way ANOVA and the group. Results: Activities using body movement were practiced systematically based on the circle learning. Children could revise their pre-concept and concept of error by interacting with other children, teachers and the environment. Furthermore ,children were attaining new knowledge while they were doing body movement activities, assessing and applying them to actual activities. Conclusion/Implications: This study is investigated a cyclic learning-based early childhood science education program using physical motion, which has significance in systematic and practical early childhood centered education for young children.

Special Education Studies for Early Childhood in Several Countries

This article discusses the comparison of early childhood special education in several countries such as South Korea, England, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. This article describes early childhood education programs especially for children with special needs. The article aims to explain the similarities and differences that exist in several countries regarding early childhood education. Each country has the same facilities and programs for children with special needs early by providing a learning conditional play program for children under 6 years.

Comparing Predictors of Teachers’ Education for Sustainable Development Practices among Eco and Non-Eco Preschools

Theory and practice of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in early childhood education (ECE) is still an emerging issue in all over the world. ESD practices should be integrated into existing ECE programs considering the role of eco-school program and preschool teachers at all levels of education both in nationwide and worldwide. Eco-schools program is one of the best practices representing ESD in formal education system. In addition, early childhood teachers either working at eco-preschools or not, is the main vehicle in inclusion of ESD teaching practices into existing curriculum. In the current study, early childhood educators’ knowledge about Sustainable Development (SD), attitudes towards SD, childhood location and household type, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) membership, and previous experiences on implementing ESD related activities were investigated as the possible predictors of ESD teaching practices in eco and non-eco preschools. The results of the Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analyses revealed that NGO membership of preschool teachers along with their attitudes are the predictors of ESD teaching practices in eco preschools. On the other hand, previous experiences on implementing ESD related activities and attitudes towards SD are associated with teachers’ ESD practices in non-eco preschools. In conclusion, the current study captures the existing situation of ESD integration into ECE curriculum on the behalf of preschool teachers. It may be reminded that teachers are the most important human resource for promoting ESD.