Environmental Rating Scale For Sustainable Development In Early Childhood Research Articles

Collective Resources as a Precursor for Educating Children Toward a Sustainable Global World

Purpose: Preserving and caring for nature in a sustainable way has long been part of Swedish preschool practice. However, recently has it been explicitly referenced in the Swedish preschool curriculum with the goal of incorporating sustainability holistically and coherently in all areas of children’s daily preschool experiences through play, care, and education. Research has revealed a potential roadblock to achieving this goal; the difficulty connecting the three inextricably linked dimensions of sustainability: ecological, social–cultural, and economic. The purpose is to generate knowledge about preschool teachers’ professional understanding of education for sustainable development (ESD) in early childhood education (ECE) by implementing and enhancing the operationalization of such work in four Swedish preschools. Design/Approach/Methods: The design of the study rests on the involvement of teachers in work where they created sustainability activities supported by the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC). The data consist of teachers’ narratives and interviews, and a qualitative content analysis is used from which a number of themes emerged. Findings: The initial interviews foregrounded three themes: the value of collective resources, the wonders of nature, and a global world. At the end of the project, the teachers’ expressions of their practice revealed three qualitatively transformed themes: broadened awareness of sustainability, ecology embracing culture, and expanded perspectives, as factors of ESD. Originality/Value: Teachers did increase their awareness of working with children and expressed a strength in using each other as collective resources. By that, their professional understandings of ESD in preschool developed.

Characteristics of Green Schools: Observations of Award-winning Green Preschools in Bali, Berkeley and Hong Kong

Award-winning Green Preschools in Bali, Berkeley and Hong Kong were selected to explore the characteristics of Green Schools using measures developed by educators (Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC)) and architects (simplified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) development). Classrooms for 4- to 5-year-olds were systematically assessed over a 10-month period. A 35 years’ timeline of the Green School movement was produced. The Bronfenbrenner Ecological Theory has been used to frame and analyse this cross-national study. Results indicated striking similarities from both scales that the Green Preschool in Bali received the highest rating followed by Green Preschool in Berkeley and Hong Kong. Three distinct Green School characteristics were found to be: (a) holistic, (b) building and (c) curriculum. The schools’ green characteristics appeared to be influenced by cultures, city regulations and the external institutions that established the green awards.