Preschool Centers Research Articles

Teachers' Beliefs Regarding Dual Language Learners in Head Start

Knowing Head Start teachers existing beliefs can help to tailor the professional development they receive on topics surrounding DLLs language development and best practices for DLLs in their classrooms. Teachers who have access to accurate information that strengthens their practices and dispels their misconceptions related to DLLs may be better equipped to provide a quality preschool experience to DLLs in their classrooms. Twenty-three female teachers working in Head Start preschool centers serving DLLs were interviewed on their beliefs regarding DLLs, DLLs language development, and appropriate instructional practices for DLLs. Modified consensual qualitative analysis was completed as an inductive, multi-step analysis process to summarize the beliefs of the participating teachers. Six major themes emerged. These themes included: (1) definition of DLL; (2) value of DLLs home culture and language; (3) ease of learning English; (4) primary classroom language; (5) home language use in the classroom; (6) language difference versus language delay or disorder. Implications and recommendations for professional development are discussed.

Randomized Controlled Trial: The effects of Short Message Service on mothers' oral health knowledge and practice.

Mobile health has provided an effective means to educate, empower, and provide access to health services for individuals and groups. This study aimed to compare the effects of gain-frame and loss-frame SMS on the knowledge and practice of mothers with children under the age of six years regarding pediatric oral health. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in kindergartens and preschool centers of Shiraz, Iran in 2016. There were 71 mothers in the gain-frame group, 66 in the loss-frame group and 74 in the control group. The data were collected before and three-four weeks after the intervention. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation test, ANCOVA, and post-hoc LSD test (Least Significant Difference). There was a significant difference between the control (8.83±2.03) and gain-frame (11.8±2.17, p⟨0.001) and loss-frame (12.09±1.94, p⟨0.001) groups for post-test knowledge scores. A difference was also observed between the control group (56.27±11.53) and gain-frame (60.8±7.77, p⟨0.001) and loss-frame (60.25±8.96, p⟨0.001) groups for post-test practice scores. No difference was found between the gain-frame and loss-frame groups for the post-test scores (p=0.69). Gain-frame and loss-frame SMS had similar impacts on the mothers' knowledge and practices about their children's oral health. However, both improved the mothers' knowledge and practice. Therefore, regardless of the style of text message framing, this method may be useful for educating mothers.

Dietary diversity and food intake of urban preschool children in North-Western Sri Lanka.

Childhood malnutrition, associated with poor diet, is a clear public health threat in Sri Lanka, with high rates of under‐nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coupled with the growing risk of overweight/obesity in urban locations. This study explored the dietary diversity and food intake of urban living Sri Lankan preschool children. A cross‐sectional analysis of the baseline data from a cohort study was conducted with parents/caregivers of children aged 2–6 years, from 21 preschool centres in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. Demographic and socio‐economic factors, dietary diversity score (DDS) (n = 597) and food intake (n = 458) (using a food frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Children had a mean DDS of 4.56 ± 0·85 out of 9, with most (91.1%) in the medium DDS category (DDS of 3.1–6.0), consuming rice as most common food. Lentils were consumed more than any meat or alternative food groups at all DDS levels. Child DDS differs with parent/caregiver age and ethnicity. Mean daily intakes of fruit (1.02) and vegetables (0.84) servings align with approximately half of national recommendations, with less than 20% of children meeting daily recommendations. More than one‐third consumed sugary snacks and confectionaries daily and 1 in 10 had them twice a day. Around 40% reported watching television while eating the evening meal. Despite the majority having reasonable DDSs (medium category), findings highlighted inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables, excessive intakes of sugary snacks and unhealthy dietary and social behaviours, suggests the need for population‐based interventions to promote healthier dietary habits.

PRIVATE SECTOR CONTRIBUTIONS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES IN PUBLIC PRE-PRIMARY CENTRES IN KEIYO SOUTH SUB COUNTY, KENYA

Access to early childhood education, equity in access and quality education provision, is constrained by various factors, including an insufficient number of trained teachers, an inadequate number of ECDE centres and limited availability of teaching and learning materials. When the government fails to provide adequate support to pre-primary centres, schools are encouraged to forge partnerships with non-governmental organisation (herein referred to as private sector) to enhance quality education provision in pre-primary institutions. Therefore, the paper focuses on the contribution of private sector on teaching and learning resources in public pre-primary centres in Keiyo South Sub County. This study adapted a descriptive survey research design. The target population for this study was 155 head-teachers, 273 pre-school teachers and 1 ECDE programme officer. One set of questionnaires was used to collect data from pre-school teachers. Structured interview guides were used to collect data from the education programme officer and head teachers. Study results showed that the private sector contribution to the quality of ECDE curriculum provision in public pre-schools in Keiyo Sub County was positive but weak for provision of teaching and learning resources. The study concluded that private sector contributions to education sector through provision of teaching and learning materials on quality education provision in public pre-primary institutions. The study recommends that public pre-school centres need to work together with private sector players through creation of open door policy for them to invest in the sector. Article visualizations:

Posibilidades, limitaciones y demandas de los centros educativos del medio rural en el norte y sur de España contemplados desde la dirección escolar

La complejidad de los numerosos centros educativos situados en el medio rural exige estudios específicos. Dado que todas las investigaciones señalan el papel relevante de las direcciones escolares, en este artículo se pretende conocer la situación de las escuelas rurales españolas, a partir de la realización de entrevistas a directores escolares de dos comunidades autónomas con el objetivo de conocer sus posibilidades, limitaciones y demandas en la actualidad. Los resultados muestran semejanzas y diferencias singulares entre las escuelas unitarias, los colegios rurales agrupados y los centros de educación infantil y primaria. Las conclusiones revelan una escuela rural que tiene posibilidades como la individualización de la enseñanza debido a las ratios bajas; limitaciones como la interinidad del profesorado, contextos aislados o desfavorecidos y bajo nivel cultural o expectativas educativas; y demandas de servicios e infraestructuras, de dotación en tecnologías de la información, y de oferta cultural en las proximidades del centro.

Understanding Parental Engagement in Early Childhood Education in Ethiopia: Perceptions, Practices, and Challenges

Ethiopia has made significant investments in early education programs since 2010. A national goal set by the government of Ethiopia aimed to enroll 80% children below the age of 6 years in kindergarten-level “O-classes.” However, effective partnerships with communities and families are required to achieve this goal. This study explores parental engagement in early education initiatives and how parents engage in early learning activities at home. The study involved in-depth interviews of parents (n = 20) from the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The interviews were conducted in Tigrinya and later translated into English. Interviews were textually analyzed to identify themes and patterns in the data. While parents acknowledged early learning as important, their own playful engagement with children was low. Parents reported limited engagement was largely a result of time and money constraints as well as perceptions of learning as a strictly academic process. Additionally, parents reported limited knowledge of child-appropriate stories, songs, and games to use with their young children. Major barriers for attendance at the center-based early education programs identified by parents included issues of road safety, distance to the preschool center, and the hygiene conditions at the preschool centers.

Factors influencing the food choices of urban Sri Lankan preschool children: Focus groups with parents and caregivers

Poor diet places children at significant risk of over and under-nutrition including micronutrient deficiencies, which is a public health threat to a middle-income country like Sri Lanka. Understanding factors that influence food choices in early childhood is necessary to promote healthy food choices. As parents are the main gatekeepers of children’s food environment, this study aimed to explore parents/caregivers' perspectives on the factors that influence their children's food choices. Thirteen focus groups adopting a partial nominal group technique were conducted with 110 parents/caregivers of children aged 2-6 years living in an urban area, Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. Parents/caregivers were provided with 22 potential factors and asked to rank six most influential and choose six least influential factors on their child’s food decisions. Responses were discussed as a group and audio recorded discussions underwent content analysis. Child food preference was ranked as the core driving factor in food decisions of preschool children. Family income, nutritional knowledge of the family, maternal control of food choices and household food preparation facilities were ranked as the next four most influential. Most frequent choices of least influential factors were: individual characteristics of child including sex and nutritional knowledge; and community (environmental) characteristics including seasonal food availability and community cultural food beliefs. Additional influential factors proposed were having a single child, a supportive family network and healthy menu suggestions by the preschool centres. Findings suggest that modifying the food preference of the child and the family characteristics need to be central for effective eating interventions.

Gender perspective as a dimension of democracy in schools

Otherness, the recognition of the non-hegemonic other, is one of the dimensions to work on in the construction of democracy in schools. In this article, we analyse the relationship between sex and gender, and democracy, based on case analysis of five preschool and primary education centres in Catalonia. In each centre, democracy occupies a prominent place in the educational project. The main finding emphasizes that these centres, where democracy is a cornerstone, seldom consider the dimension of gender perspective. Therefore, gender equality policies, increasingly present in the guidelines and legislation of educational administrations, have little impact. However, in one of the centres analyzed, the democratic project is linked to social transformation, which does include gender relations. This is an example of implementation, from the bottom up, based on the reflection and participation of the entire educational community.

Everyday Practices and Activities to Improve Pre-school Self-Regulation: Cluster RCT Evaluation of the PRSIST Program.

The Preschool Situational Self-Regulation Toolkit (PRSIST) Program was developed as a low-cost and embedded approach for educators to foster pre-schoolers’ self-regulation and related abilities (e.g., executive function, school readiness). This study reports on a cluster RCT study with 50 Australian pre-school services to evaluate the effectiveness of the PRSIST Program for improving children’s self-regulation, executive function and school readiness, compared to current routine practice. Pre-school centers were recruited to reflect the breadth of geography, pedagogical quality, and socio-economic catchment areas across the early childhood education and care sector. All children identified as in their final year of pre-school education at these centers were invited to participate, resulting in a sample of 473 3-5-year-old children at baseline. Centers were randomly assigned to groups after baseline data collection, and data collectors were blinded to group assignment throughout the study. It was hypothesized that engagement in the PRSIST Program would improve children’s self-regulation, executive function and school readiness, over and above normal age-related rates of development. Results indicated small but significant improvements in executive functioning for the intervention group, after adjusting for cluster, baseline results and key covariates. All other outcomes were descriptively in favor of the intervention group but failed to reach significance. Levels of use of the program remained high by most educators throughout the intervention period, suggesting its acceptability and sustainability within these contexts. Together, results show promise for this approach to self-regulation development. Opportunities that might further strengthen this approach are discussed. This study was registered with the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617001568303) and study protocols published in advance of commencement. Funding for this study was provided by the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Researcher Award research grant scheme.

Estimated prevalence of disability and developmental delay among preschool children in rural Malawi: Findings from "Tikule Limodzi," a cross-sectional survey.

BackgroundEarly childhood development (ECD) is a critical stage in children's lives, influencing future development and social integration. ECD research among children with disability and developmental delay in low‐ and middle‐income countries is limited but crucial to inform planning and delivery of inclusive services. This study is the first to measure and compare the prevalence of disability and developmental delay among children attending preschool centres in rural Malawi.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 48 preschool centres in Thyolo district, Malawi. Data were collected from parents or guardians of 20 children per centre. Disability was ascertained using the Washington Group/UNICEF Child Functioning Module. Child development was measured using the language and social domains of the Malawi Development Assessment Tool.ResultsA total of 960 children were enrolled; 935 (97.4%) children were assessed for disability and 933 (97.2%) for developmental delay; 100 (10.7%) children were identified as having a disability. The prevalence of disability was higher among children 5+ years (n = 60; 29.3%) than children 2–4 years (n = 40; 5.5%); 109 of 933 (11.7%) children were classified as having developmental delay, 41 (4.4%) in “language” and 77 (8·3%) in “social” domains.ConclusionsThis study found that disability and developmental delays are common among preschool children in Malawi. It is one of the first to measure disability and delay among children in a preschool setting in Africa.

THE IMAGINARY OF FAMILIES OF SCHOOLCHILDREN ON EVERYDAY HEALTH PROMOTION

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the imaginary of families on health promotion, as well as its limits and strengths in the family routine. Method: a qualitative research of the descriptive-exploratory type. It was conducted with 12 families whose children attend a Municipal preschool and elementary educational center. Data collection was conducted between October and November 2018 by means of individual semi-structured interviews. The material was organized by coding the information until reaching the sense nucleus of the text, thus discovering the classes and their connections. Data analysis involved processes of preliminary analysis, ordering, key connections, coding, and categorization. Results; three subcategories emerged: The imaginary of fathers and mothers about health promotion in the family routine; Strengths that can contribute to the promotion of health in the family routine; and Limits of the families to promote health in the family routine. Conclusion: from the perspective of the imaginary, the importance of this research strengthens the possibility of sustaining strategies which favor an improvement in the everyday life of these families, further reinforcing community health to attain a healthy lifestyle.

DETERMINATION OF SENIOR PRESCHOOLERS' LEVEL OF THE COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF PERSONAL PHYSICAL CULTURE

Physical education is the main objective of physical education in preschool educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus. This is an integral part of the successful improvement of a diversified personality, both in the field of physical culture and in the connection with other areas of life. In this regard, the issue of increasing the level of formation of physical education knowledge, an integral part of the cognitive component of personal physical education, is currently very relevant in the education system at all its levels. The modern system of preschool and general secondary education in the field of physical education is aimed at creating knowledge and ideas about physical culture among pupils as a part of the general human culture, revealing and developing child’s physical abilities and, in general, increasing pupils’ interest in sports. Currently, new views and theoretical and methodological approaches to the problem of physical education of preschoolers are emerging. Many experts in this field believe that it is possible to form an interest in physical culture in special conditions of kindergarten or out-of-school visits to sports sections. Other researchers see a solution to this problem in increasing the number of physical education classes or in educating the physical culture of the individual in a home environment. However, there is no generally accepted position in this regard. Purpose: to determine the physical needs, motives and values for physical culture of elementary schoolchildren attending day-care centers. Materials and methods: the organization of the study is represented by conducting a diagnostic questionnaire through test tasks developed by the authors, compiled taking into account the age characteristics of older preschool children on the basis of the Preschool Center for the Development of a Child in Chechersk. Results: the results of the study revealed the general level of formation of the cognitive component of personal physical education of older preschool children, as well as the most learned types of five basic physical education knowledge in boys and girls of preschool age: about physical exercise, health, personal hygiene, physical opportunities, the Olympic movement. Girls were found to have a higher overall level of physical education than boys in testing physical capabilities and the Olympic knowledge. Conclusion: without a balanced system of physical education knowledge a child cannot be an active and interested participant in physical education. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, it is very important for a teacher to understand not only the structure and content of this most important component of personal physical culture, to know the mechanisms for its formation, but also to possess the method of its diagnosis. Keywords: cognitive component; senior preschoolers; physical education knowledge; personal physical education; physical culture of the individual; physical education environment; physical education thinking.

Using behavioral insights to increase attendance at subsidized preschool programs: The Show Up to Grow Up intervention

We implemented a field experiment called Show Up to Grow Up designed to increase attendance and diminish chronic absences at subsidized preschool programs in Chicago. We sent personalized text messages to parents targeting malleable factors that potentially drive absences from preschool. Using administrative records from preschools, we find that the intervention increased attended days by 2.5 (0.15 standard deviations) and decreased chronic absenteeism by 9.3 percentage points (20%) over an 18-week period. Our results suggest that the treatment impact is stronger among those in the bottom quantiles of the attendance distribution. Survey data collected at baseline suggest that our intervention made the importance of preschool more salient to parents who initially reported lower expectations for attendance and weaker beliefs about the importance of attendance to their children’s development. Preschool centers may save resources by implementing low-cost light-touch interventions to meet attendance requirements.

The effect of child-parent relationship therapy on social skills of Preschool Children: a semi-experimental study.

Playing games for children is an instinct needed for ensuring happiness, it is a language for communication and self-expression, and a way to learn new things. Therefore, the present study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT) on the social skills of preschool children. An experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted on 60 preschool children in Kordkuy City, Golestan Province, Iran in 2017 by using a simple random sampling method in both the experimental and control groups. Routine preschool education was performed in the control group and in the experimentalgroup it was done based on play therapy protocol in 10 sessions for 45-60 min. The social skills questionnaire authored by Gresham and Elliott was used as a data gathering tool. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed a significant difference between the scores of the experimental and control groups, which suggests that the CPRT model, a short-term plan of parental play therapy, can improve social skills in preschool children (p = 0/001). Regarding the effectiveness of the CPRT, it is recommended that this method be used is an interactive-educational way in preschool centers of Iran.

“A study on Technology Infrastructure and various other important factors influencing parents to choose a preschool or daycare”

The purpose of this study is to determine the criteria the parents consider while choosing or preferring a preschool or a daycare. As the world has been changing very rapidly and women are coming out and working as equal to men. Working women are so competitive that they don’t compromise their career. They want to be successful and that’s how preschool and daycare centers have come into the picture. Preschool and daycare centers offer parents to keep them in the center for some fixed hours and make them learn some basic skills. They also groom the kids. This made the preschool and daycare centers the growing business. The preschool has been mostly using technological infrastructure which goes with today’s world. The teaching method the preschool is adopting is mostly based on visual and audio. The visual audio learning makes the child remember for long run. This also helps the kids to be prepared for the primary educational school. Now a day the parents have become more competent and want their children to be at par than others. Even the parent’s mindset has changed and wants their children to be very efficient and skilled at every level and every place, field. The educated and well-settled people are ready to keep their child in preschool or daycare. As they find this would be the apt place for them to grow and conquer all the fine motor skills and gross motor skills. The corporate world has made a rule to the employees stating that it is very important to be partnered with a preschool and daycare so that it is easy for the employees to leave their child and work tension free. The questionnaire consists of 31 variables and primary data has been collected using questionnaire from 155 respondents. The exploratory factor analysis has been used to analyze the data on SPSS 20.0 software. There were 9 factors that were extracted. Such as Technology Infrastructure, comfort, academic policy, gross motor skills, teaching methods, brand value, point of parity, convenience, school activities are the factor that parents give least importance.

Inclusive Education and Communication Impairment in Early Childhood: A Perspective from Japan

In this article I argue that notions from special education research in the West, such as individualized education and early intervention, are increasingly globally pervasive but may not be taken up in expected ways. I share a close read of an interview I conducted with a preschool director in Japan, exploring her perspectives on intervention for children with mild communication impairments. In an analysis of our conversation, I explore themes of purposeful restraint from intervention, implementation of direct interventions, and individualizing education through whole-class activities. I will use our conversation as a starting point for proposing how we–early childhood educators, teacher educators, and researchers across the globemight draw from diverse philosophies and practices in education and special education to challenge increasingly standardized notions of intervention and (dis)ability in early childhood education and care. I suggest that the perspectives on intervention discussed by this preschool center director in Japan are useful in provoking questions about novel ways intervention might be conceptualized.

Understanding the Work of Australian Early Childhood Educators Using Time-Use Diary Methodology

ABSTRACTStudies of early childhood educators’ perceptions of work intensity and complexity have shown that ensuring a good balance between workload and the time needed to complete the work is critical for work quality, work satisfaction, and staff retention. This article explores the possibilities of time-use data for making visible the diversity and complex patterns of early childhood work. Pen-and-paper time-use diaries were completed for one full day by 21 educators working in preschool and child care centers, generating a total of 168 hours of data. Diary entries were coded using the Taxonomy of Early Childhood Work to identify the types of activities performed, the time spent in each activity, and changes in work activities across the day. On average, educators worked an 8-hour day, of which 60% was spent in direct contact with children in intentional teaching, routine care and transition, “being with” children during play, and providing emotional support. Other activities included organizing the indoor/outdoor play areas, administration, planning/evaluation, professional learning, and staff breaks. The findings demonstrate the benefits of time-use methodology as a means of objectively identifying and quantifying the diversity, complexity, and intensity of early childhood educators’ work.

Examining the Quality of Pre-school Education in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia

The purpose of this research was to assess the quality of early childhood care and education (ECCE) environment in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. In the study, health, nutrition, personal care routine, protective care and safety, organization and management philosophy of preschool centres, and children’s experience and learning opportunities in preschool centres were examined. For the study, 37 pre-school centres were selected from five Zones of the Somali Regional State from which 44 pre-school teachers, 10 school principals and five Zonal level ECCE focal persons participated in the study. Questionnaire, interview, and an observation guide were used to collect data. The collected data was analyzed through one-sample t-test. The findings of the study indicated statistically significant differences between expected means and observed means of health, nutrition, personal care routine, protective care and safety practice, organization and management philosophy of preschool centres, and children’s experience and learning opportunities in preschool centres. Finally, based on the findings, conclusions and recommendations were drawn. Keywords: Quality; Pre-school environment; kindergarten; Somali Regional State DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-22-03 Publication date : August 31 st 2019

Family involvement in early childhood education and care and its effects on the social-emotional and language skills of 3-year-old children

ABSTRACTCooperation between preschools and parents is one key dimension of pedagogical quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC). We examined the structural characteristics of ECEC that predict preschool cooperation activities and how they are associated with children’s language and social-emotional skills at the age of 3. The results are based on data of an evaluation study with a sample size of 146 families and 46 preschool centres. The head teachers of the preschools gathered information about cooperation activities via a questionnaire. Children’s language and social-emotional skills were assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results showed associations between further training, job experience, and parent involvement activities. Furthermore, teachers reported that a positive association was found between cooperation activities and problematic behaviour and between receptive language and prosocial skills of the children. Attention should be paid to the professionalization of parent-preschool cooperation.

Teachers' role in identifying young children at risk for developmental delay and disabilities: Usefulness of the Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status tool.

Identifying children with developmental delays and disabilities more effectively will require the participation of others such as preschool teachers who often have extended contact with the child in their first few years. We wished to determine how preschool teachers' reports of concerns compared with norming data from the Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS). A total of 1,357 English responses from teachers of nine preschool centres were analyzed and matched with expected rates of concerns from the U.S. norming sample. The preschool teachers' reporting of rates of concerns fell within the range of scores reported in norming studies from parent reports in the United States. Teachers were most concerned about children's language and behaviours. The preschool teacher reports of concerns are similar to expected parents PEDS ratings in the United States. Preschool teachers can screen children's development. There may be a role for the PEDS to be used as a developmental screener by preschool teachers for monitoring of developmental status. Further studies on the PEDS are recommended in the Singapore context.