Child Policy Research Articles

Building Professional Relationships and Student Confidence through Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies

This paper reports on how Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies (ECGPCs) impact on professional relationships and develop bidirectional confidence in the practical abilities of Early Childhood Studies (ECS) students in England. The study adopted an interpretive approach, seeking views through questionnaires (n=38) which were administered, through purposeful sampling, to students, mentors and academics from three universities in England offering Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degrees with ECGPCs. Findings suggest that the ECGPCs enabled focused placement students, with stakeholders recognising the potential for confidence and increased professionalism through the direction that the ECGPCs provide. In contexts of rapid change in Early Childhood policy this article argues the importance of the ECGPCs and of placement to support the graduate professional identity of the early childhood workforce. Interlinking and evidencing knowledge from research and practice enable graduates to articulate and have competencies in; ‘what they do’, ‘how they do ‘it’’ and essentially ‘why they do ‘it’’’. This is essential in promoting graduate relational/collegial professionals and advocating for stronger societal recognition and valuing of young children and the professionals working with them. With the ECGPCs being a new initiative within the United Kingdom, this study is unique in that it begins the research conversation around the success and challenges that this new initiative brings to the suite of Early Childhood (EC) qualifications.

Overcoming the streetlight effect: Shining light on the foundations of learning and development in early childhood.

Developmental theory has long emphasized a range of skills that young children need for healthy development across the life course. Nevertheless, most evaluations of early childhood programs and policies have focused on measuring a somewhat limited set of competencies. In this article, we explore this "streetlight effect" in early childhood intervention research and propose an initial set of skills that we argue should be prioritized alongside traditionally measured outcomes as targets of intervention during the preschool period (i.e., between ages 3 and 5 years). These skills, which we call the foundations of learning and development (FOLD) skills, include both well-studied and emerging constructs such as curiosity, creativity, self-regulation and executive function, critical thinking, perspective taking, and internal representations of self. To better understand FOLD skills' potential as more practical, effective, and inclusive targets of early childhood programs and policies, we review research regarding each skill's malleability, measurability, predictive validity, and universality. We end with a set of future directions for the field, including the need to (a) formulate a more inclusive taxonomy of FOLD skills that incorporates currently omitted competencies relevant to marginalized populations, (b) measure these skills in scalable and actionable ways, and (c) enhance or modify intervention strategies to optimize the development of these FOLD skills in the preschool period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Rising authoritarianism and changing education policies of 21st century Turkey

This paper conceptualises rising authoritarianism in Turkey under the conservative ruling party, AKP, and its Sunni-Islamist educational policies. It scrutinises the Islamisation of early childhood and primary-secondary school education during the recent authoritarian turn. The discourse of ‘raising a religious generation’ entails reframing the Turkish secular education system into a Sunni Islam model. The article first situates early childhood, primary, and secondary school policies and discusses five major policy alterations during the contemporary authoritarianism of the AKP: restructured Preacher’s Schools (Imam-Hatip Schools), the 4+4+4 system, cooperation with Islamic sects, implementation of values education, and public Islamic kindergartens.

Deepening awareness of inequities: investigating an advocacy project in early childhood teacher education

ABSTRACT An important goal for early childhood teacher education is to prepare teachers who advocate for policies leading to greater equity for families, young children, and the early childhood profession. This study investigated the extent to which an early childhood policy and advocacy course with an embedded advocacy project increased undergraduate students’ knowledge about inequities in early childhood as well as their attitudes toward adopting an active role in advocating for equitable child and family policies. Qualitative analysis of written reflections revealed that the project increased students’ knowledge about equity issues at a surface level and, for some students, more deeply, especially relating to specific topics of project focus. A few students even described new insights for equity-minded leadership. Several students also became more aware of inequities beyond their own project and articulated a commitment to recognize and address inequities through advocacy. Implications for early childhood teacher preparation are discussed.

An introduction to the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD) study

The fundamental organization of the human brain is established before birth, with rapid growth continuing over the first postnatal years. Children exposed before or after birth to various biological (e.g., substance exposure) or psychosocial hazards (e.g., maltreatment) are at elevated likelihood of deviating from a typical developmental trajectory, which in turn can be associated with psychological, behavioral, and physical health sequelae. In the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, brain, physical, biological, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development is being examined starting in pregnancy and planned through age 10 (data are sampled at varying degrees of granularity depending on age, with more dense sampling earlier in life). HBCD aims to determine the short- and long-term impacts of a variety of both harmful and protective factors, including prenatal substance use, on developmental trajectories through early childhood. Organized as a nationwide consortium across 27 sites, the HBCD Study will collect multimodal data that will be made publicly available on a yearly basis, through a data use application and approval process. Here we provide an overview of the HBCD Study design, sampling, protocol development, and data management. Data collected through HBCD will be fundamental to informing future prenatal and early childhood interventions and policies to promote wellbeing and resilience in all children.

Implementation of a Novel Epidemiological Surveillance System for Children's Mental Health and Well-Being in France: Protocol for the National "Enabee" Cross-Sectional Study.

Children's mental health, including their well-being, is a major public health concern, as the burden of related disorders may last throughout one's life. Although epidemiological mental health surveillance systems for children and adolescents have been implemented in several countries, they are sorely lacking in France. This study aims to describe the first step of the implementation of a novel surveillance system in France called Enabee (Etude nationale sur le bien-être des enfants), which focuses on the issue of mental health in children. The system aims to (1) describe the temporal trends in the population-based prevalence of the main mental health disorders and well-being in children aged 3 to 11 years, (2) explore their major determinants, and (3) assess mental health care use by this population. To do this, Enabee will rely on results from a recurrent national cross-sectional homonymous study. This paper presents the protocol for the first edition of this study (called Enabee 2022), as well as initial results regarding participation. Enabee 2022 is a national cross-sectional study that was implemented in French schools in 2022. It used a probabilistic, multistage, stratified, and balanced sampling plan as follows: first, schools were randomly drawn and stratified according to the type of school. Up to 4 classes per school were then randomly drawn, and finally, all the pupils within each class were selected. The study covered children from preschool and kindergarten (aged 3 to 6 years, US grading system) to fifth grade (aged 6 to 11 years). Children from first to fifth grades provided a self-assessment of their mental health using 2 validated self-administered questionnaires: the Dominic Interactive (DI) and the KINDL. Parents and teachers completed a web-based questionnaire, including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Parents also answered additional questions about their parenting attitudes; their own mental health; known social, economic, and environmental determinants of mental health in children; and their child's life habits. Health, education, and family stakeholders were involved in designing and implementing the study as part of a large consultation group. Data were collected from May 2, 2022, to July 31, 2022, in 399 schools across metropolitan France. Teachers completed questionnaires for 5721 pupils in preschool and kindergarten and for 15,263 pupils from first to fifth grades. Parents completed questionnaires for 3785 children in preschool and kindergarten and for 9227 children from first to fifth grades. Finally, 15,206 children from first to fifth grades completed the self-administered questionnaire. Enabee 2022 constitutes the first milestone in the development of a novel national epidemiological surveillance system, paving the way for improved children's mental health policies in France.

Una Política de Niñez y la Adolescencia desde la perspectiva de los derechos humanos a lo largo del ciclo vital

This article descriptively outlines the development of the Childhood and Adolescence Policy and the significance of its approval within the context of demographic aging. The expected outcome is that all academic units will recognize the importance of integrated action to have a greater impact on improving the rights of children and adolescents.

Practitioner research as a pathway to educational leadership

ABSTRACT ‘Educational Leadership’ is embedded in [country] early childhood policy. What the role is, who should do it and why educators are hesitant about becoming leaders however, remains ambiguous. According to the national curriculum framework and teacher standards, more research about the work of educators is needed. The reported research aimed to investigate whether long-term, enquiry-based professional learning, utilizing practitioner research, could lead to quality improvement. Practitioner Research engaged educators in investigating and improving practice in a continuous process of quality improvement. Research topics were pedagogical in nature, designed to be enabling of ‘educational leadership’ for quality improvement. Action Research was used by practitioner researchers to investigate ways to improve pedagogical quality. University researchers also used meta-research to investigate the action research processes. Focus groups and mentor statements revealed unexpectedly that the Educational Leader role was pivotal in the relationship between professional learning, practitioner research and quality. Strengthened Educational Leader identities emerged as participants gained research skills and evidence for designing and implementing pedagogical change. Knowledge building facilitated strengthened engagement of educator teams. This was transformational, informing the case for change and further exploration of practitioner research as a workforce strategy for quality improvement and staff retention.

Skin deep: A review of early childhood policy affordances for anti-racist practice in England and Scotland

The role of anti-racism in early childhood remains a salient concern for many educators working with young children. Yet to what extent, and through what socio-political paradigms, government guidance supports proactive engagement remains an area to be mapped and explored. In this article, through a critical scoping review we aim to consider the context and policy landscape for anti-racist practice in Scotland and England and examine confluences and divergences between each country.

The representation of indigenous children in policies in Indonesia

AbstractAccording to the Indonesian Child Protection Law, Number 35/2014, the group of children that should receive special protection are minorities and isolated children; this includes Indigenous children who mostly live in remote areas. Under this law, Indigenous children gain special protection, including facilities to share their cultural practices, practice their beliefs, and use their language. This article aimed to describe how Indigenous children have been represented in selected policies in Indonesia. The first step of a policy analysis approach known as “What's the problem represented to be” (WPR), introduced by Carol Bacchi in her book “Analysing policy: What's the problem represented to be?” in 2009, was applied to examine how Indigenous children in Indonesia are represented in six significant policies. Findings from the analysis indicate that the government of Indonesia acknowledges Indigenous rights. However, the policies describe Indigenous children as vulnerable and linked to social welfare problems. Social work core values state that respect for the dignity and worth of all human beings, promotion of welfare or well‐being, and social justice should be extended to Indigenous children. To promote well‐being, it is argued that social workers must be given more opportunities to be involved in policymaking and advocacy for implementing Indigenous children's policies in Indonesia.

Music-based language programme teacher training on preschool teachers’ music teaching self-efficacy and delivery performance: A case study

Music substantially impacts early childhood development, especially language development, yet early childhood policies rarely emphasise the role of music in early learning and engagement. Research shows that effective delivery of early childhood music programmes depends on teachers' music knowledge, skills, and music teaching self-efficacy, which may be enhanced through teacher training. However, little is known about the training details and preparation of non-music-specialist preschool teachers who use music to teach. The present study sought to determine whether music-based language programme (MBLP©) teacher training could improve the music teaching self-efficacy of non-music specialist preschool teachers and their MBLP© delivery in an inclusive preschool classroom. The 14 training sessions consist of a briefing, a workshop, a practicum, interactive reflections, and observations. Three non-music-specialist preschool teachers were trained to deliver MBLP© lessons to nine preschoolers aged 33–47 months. The within-subjects design investigated the teachers' self-efficacy in music teaching, while the single-subject design tracked their MBLP© lesson delivery performance. Data was collected using a self-reported music background survey, pre-, mid-, and post-test music teaching self-efficacy, teachers' feedback, and MBLP© lesson observations. The results showed that the training increased music teaching self-efficacy by 10–46% and revealed a positive relationship between practicum with interactive reflections and lesson delivery performance. The findings suggest that providing MBLP© training to non-specialist preschool teachers could help address language developmental issues in inclusive preschool settings.

Influence of Early Childhood Education Programmes on Child Development Metrics: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Abstract Background: Early childhood experiences have a significant influence on children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, making them crucial for their overall development. It has been suggested that early childhood education (ECE) is an essential intervention to improve certain developmental parameters. Although research on the advantages of ECE on social and cognitive domains is already available, more research is needed to determine how ECE affects certain developmental outcomes such as motor function, linguistic ability, emotional reactivity, cognitive function and body mass index (BMI) Z-scores. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the impact of ECE on various child development outcomes. Materials and Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we performed an exhaustive search across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assess the effectiveness of ECE on child development outcomes. Six RCTs were ultimately included in our analysis. Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted meticulously, with the ROB2 tool utilised to ascertain the risk of bias in the studies. Results: Our meta-analysis integrated data from 1595 participants across the included studies. The results revealed a significant improvement in motor function, with a pooled mean difference (MD) of 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29–2.65, P = 0.01), and language ability, with a pooled MD of 1.27 (95% CI: 0.03–2.52, P = 0.04). Emotional reactivity also showed significant enhancement, with a pooled MD of 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06–0.32, P = 0.004). Cognitive function improvements were significant, with a pooled MD of 2.58 (95% CI: 1.0–4.16, P = 0.001). However, changes in BMI Z-scores were not statistically significant, with a pooled MD of − 0.01 (95% CI: −0.19–0.17, P = 0.91). Conclusion: The systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that ECE significantly benefits motor function, language ability, emotional reactivity and cognitive function in children, with no discernible impact on BMI Z-scores. These findings confirm the value of ECE in supporting early developmental milestones, underscoring the need for integrating high-quality ECE programmes into early childhood policy and practice.

The exceptions to child exceptionalism: Racialised migrant ‘deservingness’ and the UK's free school meal debates

Free School Meals (FSM) have been the site of renewed contestation and extensive campaigning in the last half-decade. Until recently, children in families with ‘no recourse to public funds’ because of their immigration status were excluded from accessing FSMs, despite being some of the most destitute in Britain. Through an analysis of campaign materials and interviews with advocates, we consider this dynamic policy terrain in light of the UK's ‘hostile environment’ and consider lessons for campaigners. By exploring imaginaries of childhood, poverty, and nation shaping FSM policies, we offer a warning that campaigns can end up justifying exclusions at the same time as aiming for more expansive support. How campaigns represent their causes has implications, which, in this case, is often through the exceptionalism and hyper-deservingness of childhood. We argue these representations reduce discussion to technical questions about who is ‘deserving’, thereby risking shoring up an exclusionary and hostile state.

Talking to young children about race: Using research evidence to move the needle in early childhood educational practice and policy

AbstractThis essay tells the story of a unique collaboration among practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to create and disseminate Early Risers, a podcast devoted to supporting racial equity in early childhood. Early Risers leverages research evidence to debunk common myths about how children learn about race. It showcases evidence‐informed practices for teaching young children about race and racism and for supporting positive racial identity. I share lessons learned about how research can educate caregivers, early childhood educators, administrators, and policymakers on the importance of creating pathways toward conversations about race and racism. Our hope is that Early Risers can serve as a model for researcher–practitioner–policymaker collaboration to innovate and “wake up” the early childhood field.

Feasible Peer-Mediated Intervention for Autistic Children Using Minimal Speech: A Qualitative Intervention Development Process.

Qualitative engagement with stakeholders in the development of interventions can provide insight into strategies to maximize feasibility in real-life settings. We engaged stakeholders (autistic adults, early childhood educators, early childhood sector leaders and policy influencers, parents of autistic children, and speech-language pathologists) to inform the development of an educator-led peer-mediated intervention (PMI) for autistic preschoolers who use minimal speech that is feasible to implement in inclusive early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. A qualitative iterative intervention design process was utilized. Stakeholders (N = 15) attended an online workshop and completed a document review exploring the acceptability and feasibility of the proposed embedded PMI. A two-step analysis procedure using the Theoretical Domains Framework and template analysis was conducted to identify the barriers, enablers, and supports to the implementation of embedded PMI in early childhood settings. While embedded PMI was unanimously acceptable to stakeholders, several participants expressed concerns regarding feasibility. Barriers to the successful integration and implementation of PMI in inclusive preschool contexts included access to skills, knowledge, and resources. Participants identified strategies to overcome modifiable barriers and to enhance the existing enablers. These strategies are reflected in the following themes: build on the familiar, build capacity in augmentative and alternative communication, adopt a whole center approach, adapt to meet the needs of the ECEC setting, and engage in proactive implementation. To address barriers to the implementation of embedded PMI, action is needed at various levels: macro (national/policy), meso (organization/setting), and micro (individual). https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25155770.

Time for slow care: Bringing slow pedagogy into conversation with ethics of care in the infant/toddler classroom

This research presents the findings of an 8-month ethnographic case study of one infant/toddler classroom in the southeastern United States. Participants included the classroom’s two (white, female) teachers and a racially diverse group of 12 children between one to 2 years of age. Grounded within an ethics of care theoretical framework, this research was guided by the following research questions: (1) What are teachers’ lived experiences of care in this early childhood classroom community? and (2) How do those teachers understand their lived experiences of care? During data revisiting with teachers (Tobin and Hsueh, 2014), the concept of time—and particularly, slowness—emerged as a central connecting theme. The emergence of this central theme led to an overarching theoretically guided analysis of the data, implementing a feminist interpretation of Clark’s (2022) articulation of Slow Pedagogy in ECE to understand how slowness—a feminized quality antithetical to the furious pace of neoliberal education—is central to care in this context. In addition, a thematic analysis (Saldaña, 2021) of ethnographic data, including field notes, video, and photos gathered during participant observations, and four semi-structured teacher interviews, produced two foundational themes in teachers’ understandings and practices of care: Care as Emotional Presence, and Care as Acknowledgment. Findings introduce the concept of Slow Care, a noveltheorizing of care practices that emphasizes the importance of slow, relationally-guided temporalities, serving to contest and counter the growing neoliberal pressures of efficiency and productivity in early childhood policy and practice.

Knowledge Graph Analysis of Science and Technology and Children's Education

In this study, 1700 articles related to children and science and technology education published on CNKI) were taken as the research objects, and the visualization software CiteSpace was used to draw the keyword knowledge map, so as to explore the hot research issues of children and science and technology education in China. The results show that the research of children and science and technology education in China basically focuses on the core issues of child education, and the main topics include the relationship between child education and science education, science museum and science and technology, early childhood education and child education. This study will focus on the following aspects, The relationship between science and technology and children's education policies: to explore the government's policy measures in promoting the integration of science and technology and children's education, and the impact of these policies on educational practice. Development and application of science and technology education products: analyze the design concept and functional characteristics of science and technology education products, as well as their application effect in educational practice. Development and innovation of science and technology education enterprises: to study the business model, market competition strategy of science and technology education enterprises, and their exploration in technology innovation and education practice. The knowledge graph analysis of this study will provide a visual tool for understanding the relationship between technology and child education, and will help to provide a useful reference for educational researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

Peer effects and health impacts of different body cognitive biases in children: micro evidence from China.

In China, children commonly display body cognitive biases, which constitute a significant yet hidden public health issue. These biases potentially jeopardize children's well-being, hinder the cultivation of human capital, and impede societal progress. However, limited research employs theoretical analysis and econometric testing to investigate the formation of different body cognitive biases among Chinese children and their health impacts. Based on a local average network model for theoretical analysis, this study utilizes a sample of 4,289 children from four phases of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) conducted from 2004 to 2011. Utilizing Logit and IV Probit models, systematically evaluate the peer effect, heterogeneity of effects, and health impacts of children's different body cognitive biases. (1) The peer effect contributes to the development of light- and heavy-body cognitive biases in Chinese children. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the peer effect of body cognitive biases is more significant in rural and female children. (3) The influence of heavy-body cognitive bias is more pronounced in adolescent children. (4) The "eating-activity balance" is disrupted by the two body cognitive biases in children, leading to deviations from normal body type. (5) Specifically, the light-body cognitive bias leads children to intake more and burn fewer calories, increasing their risk of obesity. (6) Conversely, the heavy-body cognitive bias prompts children to intake less and expend more calories, resulting in a higher prevalence of thinness. This study innovates by exploring peer effects on body cognitive biases in Chinese children, elucidating their direction and health implications. While overweight and obesity are recognized as overt health issues, the spread and impact of implicit issues like body cognitive biases should not be overlooked. Nevertheless, the issue is largely neglected in developing countries, such as China, where existing children's health policies are inadequate in addressing it. Promoting accurate body image perception and understanding of health prevention strategies among children requires adequate attention to peer effects.

Analysing the inconsistent recognition of Indigenous rights in early childhood policy documents from the Australian Government’s "Closing the Gap" strategy between 2008-2018

We analysed Australian government strategic policy documents related to the "Closing the Gap" (CTG) strategy in early childhood circa 2008-2018 to explore the extent to which Indigenous rights are named and recognised in written policy. Our analysis of the policies was informed by Bacchi’s What’s the Problem approach and showed inconsistency in the recognition of Indigenous rights. These rights are sometimes undermined and ignored, sometimes implied and sometimes named and recognised. Silences within the CTG strategy are discussed and reveal the ongoing nature of colonisation and deficit framing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. Findings from this research are relevant for the current era of the "Closing the Gap" strategy.

The Paradox of Child's Diversion Policy in Conflict with the Law in the Indonesian Child Criminal Justice System

This research aims to examine the paradox of implementing the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law in student brawl cases in DKI Jakarta. The research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method. Case analysis uses forecasting analysis framework by William Dunn (2003) and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis by Chermack and Kasshanna (2007). There are three conclusions from this research. First, the problems of the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law are generally not caused by primordial factors but are caused by law enforcement investigators who often do not follow the mandate of the Law on The Child Criminal Justice System to determine child diversion. This is because the police apply criminal offenses based on the perpetrator's actions and can consider the recommendations of the Community Counselor of the Correctional Center. Second, there is a paradox in the implementation of the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law, starting from the high use of the Emergency Law in the Indonesian Legal System, the low competence of law enforcement officers in implementing the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law, terminating investigations without involving Community Counselor of the Correctional Center, to carrying out detention in correctional centers that are not child-friendly. Third, based on forecasting and SWOT analysis, it is necessary to transform juvenile justice legal policies in the future, especially increasing competency of the law enforcement officers, ensuring the availability of child-friendly infrastructure, supporting the child in conflict with the law advocacy and extensifying community-based policing.