Preschool Managers Research Articles

Norm-critique as revitalizer of gender equality? Local policy actors’ norm-critical understandings of Swedish preschool’s gender-equality mission

ABSTRACT During the last decade, the notion of norm-critique has had an impact on Swedish educational policymaking, including the gender-equality mission of the Swedish preschool. The aim is to better understand and problematize the relationship between gender equality, as formal curricular content, and norm-critique, as informal curricular content, in educational policymaking in the field of Swedish preschool. The paper asks: What understandings are ascribed to the notion of norm-critique in relation to Swedish preschool’s gender-equality mission? Theoretically, the paper draws on the concept of epistemological understandings and the dynamic between epistemologies of gender equality and norm-critique. In terms of materials and methods, three focus group discussions with 13 preschool managers, here conceptualized as local policy actors, were analysed. The main finding is that these local policy actors view the notion of norm-critique as a revitalizer of the gender-equality mission of the Swedish preschool. A first conclusion is that the notion of norm-critique enhances the gender-equality mission because it might help local policy actors to view gender equality from a broader perspective and in relation to other, intersecting causes of inequality. A second, and somewhat contradictory, conclusion is that the notion of norm-critique risks undermining the gender-equality mission by replacing it.

Leading change of practice: a study of challenges and possibilities from the position of preschool management

ABSTRACT This article explores the conditions required for preschool managers to support change through research aimed at developing educational practice. It examines factors that enable and constrain support of change and the arrangements that can be identified in relation to these factors. The results suggest that arrangements that support a more technical and accountable form of practice constrain managers’ capacity to support research aiming to change practice. However, the findings also show thatmanagers do have possibilities to support such research. One key factor is whether the research is in line with their goals and efforts. Another is whether they have trust in the researchers and the educators implementing the change. The results also indicate that one way for leaders to enable change is by creating meaningful spaces for sharing experiences and developing practices. This involves the reframing of leadership practices into a more democratic and collaborative approach, and implies that cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements are needed to support such approach. Hence, for research projects aimed at changing educational practice, it is necessary to identify the specific arrangements connected to that practice. This is especially important in times when practice-based research is promoted as a way to attain educational goals.

Providing contact with nature for young generation - A case study of preschools in the City of Poznań, Poland

Contact with nature is valuable for the health, wellbeing and development of children. Meanwhile, the urban environment and the contemporary urban lifestyle limit the opportunity for contact with nature. Given that children aged three to six years spend a significant amount of time in preschool, we aimed to: 1) investigate children’s opportunities to contact with nature during their time in preschool, including the availability of these schools’ own outdoor spaces and neighbouring green spaces for visiting; 2) recognise preschools’ practices in using available green spaces to enable children to have contact with nature; 3) identify the impact on the outdoor activities provided by preschools of factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and preschool managers’ awareness of the importance of children’s contact with nature. We undertook GIS spatial analyses, an online survey, a telephone interview and a statistical analysis. We found that preschools enjoy various opportunities to use external green spaces due to their location at the background of the urban tissue and green infrastructure. However, regardless of the availability of neighbouring green spaces, as many as 45.6 % of 103 preschools declared visiting external green spaces at least once a week. Furthermore, as many as 97.7 % of 88 preschools declared that their children enjoyed their outdoor spaces at least once a day, spending a daily average of 103 min outdoors. We observed differences between the practices of public and non-public preschools in this regard. The COVID-19 pandemic did not change the frequency of use of most of the institutions’ own outdoor spaces, but it did significantly reduce visits to external green spaces. Our results indicate that there is considerable awareness of the importance of contact with nature for children’s development, providing promising conditions for future improvements towards more nature-oriented solutions. The results provide a baseline for implementing and monitoring improvements regarding human nature relations.

Leadership in evasion: the quiet protest of Israeli preschools managers in reform implementation

ABSTRACT The research aimed to analyze the attitudes of Pre-School Managers (PSMs) towards a reform that was not adapted to the needs of the early childhood education system and its characteristics. Qualitative data were elicited from interviews with pre–school leaders, document analysis and a focus group. Findings indicated that PSMs felt that the reform was inappropriate for their professional requirements and even prevented fulfilment of their responsibility. They claimed that the reform served the interests of other stakeholders and felt neglected. The expectations from the PSMs conflicted with their overall professional obligations towards the children. An independent group of leaders, all PSMs, organized to voice their objections publicly, while other PSMs chose to ignore the reform and did not implement it. They did not declare their resistance formally, but remained dissatisfied. Although PSMs are a relatively weak, isolated and quiet group, they led resistance to the reform, even without their union’s support. The article’s significance lies in identifying the necessity to adapt reforms to particular needs of the early childhood system. It also highlights the contribution of PSMs, manifesting consistent professional responsibility and professional approaches to assist their quiet leadership, without the system’s organizational support.

Children’s food intake in relation to preschool-level facilitators and barriers of healthy nutrition

Abstract Background Childcare is an important setting for young children’s food consumption as, in Finland, most children eat three meals a day in childcare. Thus, it is important to recognize determinants of children’s dietary intake in childcare. The aim of this study was to examine food-related factors at preschool and manager-level and their association with children’s fruit, vegetable and fibre intake at preschool. Methods The study was a part of the cross-sectional DAGIS survey conducted in 2015-2016. It aimed to examine 3-6-year-old preschoolers’ energy balance-related behaviors in Finland. Preschool managers from 58 preschools filled in a questionnaire on food and nutrition related factors at preschool such as kitchen type, food policies, food education, the manager’s possibilities to impact fruit and vegetable supply and cooperation challenges with the catering service. Preschool personnel kept food record for the children (n = 585) on two preschool days. Multilevel linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted with age, gender and municipality as confounders, preschool-level factors as independent variables and children’s vegetable (g/day) and fruit (yes vs. no) consumption, and fibre intake (g/MJ) as outcome variables. Results Having many written food policies in the preschool was associated with higher intake of vegetables (p = 0.01) and fibre (p = 0.03) among the children. Having at least 2 out of 3 different cooperation challenges with the catering service was associated with higher intake of fibre (0.03) and lower odds of eating fruits (p = 0.01). Conclusions Written food policies and manager-reported challenges with the catering service were associated with children’s vegetable, fruit and fiber intake at preschool. Factors that are relatively distal from the meal situations may impact children’s food intake at preschool and should be taken into account when promoting healthy food intake at preschool, but more studies are needed. Key messages Written food policies and good cooperation between the preschool and catering services may be of benefit to children’s healthy food intake at preschool. The relation between preschool and manager-level factors and children’s food intake are very little studied, and thus more studies are needed before conclusions can be made.

Navigating ambiguity: Early childhood leaders’ sense-making of their identity in a new mid-level role

Mid-level roles in education have been widely explored, primarily in schools, but little research has been conducted during the systemic reform that involves creating a mid-level role between end units and the system. The present study explores the sense-making of early childhood leaders (ECLs) at the initial stage of their new role as mid-level managers. The new role was established as a result of a national administrative reform that, among others, made the systemic hierarchy more vertical by establishing a new mid-level layer between superintendents and early childhood teachers. This qualitative research included semi-structured interviews with 47 mid-level preschool managers. The study sought to uncover their views of the main challenges associated with assuming a new mid-level managerial role, and their coping styles in this role. The analysis revealed that the new mid-level management role raises three challenges concerning the ambiguity of identity: power base, voice, and interpersonal loyalty. ECLs cope with these challenges by assuming different types of leader identities, those of the representative, the companion, and the mediator. The implications of the findings for the limited knowledge on ECLs and for the introduction of the new mid-level roles are discussed.

At your service 24/7: preschool managers on their tasks and daily work

This article focuses on Swedish preschool managers’ views of their tasks and daily work: activities, conditions, challenges and ideas on leadership. Five preschool managers were asked to write diary notes during a couple of weeks at work. Through the analysis process, we were inspired by Yukl’s hierarchical behaviour taxonomy. The taxonomy divides leadership behaviours into four parts, task-oriented, relations-oriented, change-oriented and external. The taxonomy was used in terms of positions the managers navigate between, rather than considering them as being bearers of certain behaviours. Data indicate that these preschool managers mainly use the task-oriented and the relation-oriented position. We noticed that they also activate positions oriented to change and external contacts and network building, but to a significantly lesser extent. They solve all kind of problems and many of their stories are about how they strive to meet the needs of children, parents and staff.

Leadership for learning in the preschool: Preschool managers’ perspectives on strategies and actions in the systematic quality work

This article presents the results of a qualitative study with the aim of contributing to an understanding of preschool managers’ leadership in systematic quality work in a Swedish context. In line with the Education Act and the preschool curriculum, systematic quality work is compulsory in all Swedish preschools. This consists of several steps, including data collection, documentation and self-evaluation for the purpose of professional development and quality improvement. With the aid of interviews, preschool managers’ perspectives on leadership actions, with an emphasis on a leadership for learning, have been analysed in relation to local conditions and previous research. The results show that preschool managers balance the demands for loyalty to the municipality’s quality system’s requirements with their own preschool’s independence in the systematic quality work. In different ways they emphasise the organisational, content-related and methodological aspects of their long-term strategies, but also use relational and organisational leadership actions and feedback to show how they expect the staff to carry out their work with the children and collaborate with colleagues. The preschool’s conditions, such as the staff’s education levels, affect how the systematic quality work is organised and led. The importance of preschool managers’ professional knowledge – a content-related dimension – is discussed in relation to previous research on the concept of leadership for learning. One of the study’s conclusions is that the preschool’s leadership emphasis on organisational solutions could impede the preschool’s quality development.

USING CLOUD SERVICES BY UKRAINIAN PRE-SCHOOL MANAGERS IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

The article presents the results of the survey of Ukrainian pre-school managers on their knowledge and practical experience of using cloud services in their professional activities. The survey involved 227 pre-school managers from the eight regions of Ukraine. Among others the following issues were revealed: the degree of technological provision and Internet access; frequency and general purpose of web technologies use; pre-school managers’ awareness on the concept of "cloud services", as well as their use in professional activity, etc. It was clarified that all respondents were eager to deepen their knowledge and develop skills to work with cloud services. A promising area of future researches was identified: expediency of developing methods of forming ICT-competence of pre-school managers in terms of using cloud services.

Organising and leading systematic quality work in the preschool – preschool managers’ perspectives

ABSTRACTPreschool managers’ responsibility for and leadership of systematic quality work has come to the fore in connection with changes made to the Swedish preschool curriculum. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of preschool managers’ leadership and management of the systematic quality work in Swedish preschools with reference to three specific domains: (i) governance, leadership/management and organisation, (ii) content and methods and (iii) development work and collegiate learning. Using qualitative methods, 18 preschool managers’ perspectives of leading systematic quality work have been analysed in relation to previous research. The results show a tension between linear and interactive forms of governance in the systematic quality work, but also that knowledge gaps among the staff can lead to uncertainties that the preschool manager has to address. At the same time, the results show the diversity of and variation in how children’s development and increased proficiency are documented, while the documentation of the quality of the work focuses on learning environments rather than on teaching and teacher competence. In the study, there are traces of what can be characterised as leadership for learning. This needs to be investigated more closely using other methods in future research.

Managing access to full-time public daycare and preschool services in Romania: Planfulness, cream-skimming and ‘interventions’

This article engages with differently qualified parents’ experiences of and success in accessing public full-time early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in a Romanian urban context to illustrate the ways in which post-socialist welfare states are transformed not only from above, through formal rules, but also from below, through informal practices. Through the exploration of the narratives of both parents and managers, the article finds that parental planfulness, qualification-based differences in demand for full-time places and formal rules of access are insufficient to explain clear-cut qualification- and income-based differences in access. The article describes the crucial importance of hidden, informal cream-skimming strategies that daycare and preschool managers employ in the pre-enrolment phase and of the informal tactics of relying on ‘interventions’ with which unsuccessful parents respond to managers’ refusals to enrol. In the context of full-time place shortages, managerial autonomy in enrolment and insufficient institutional budgets, public ECEC institutions engage in hidden processes of redistribution through selective access, favouring well-educated, high-income parents and their children.

An Overview of Private Preschool in Malaysia: Marketing Strategies and Challenges

Marketing of a preschool exists because of high competition among the preschool managers in the public and private institutions. The objective of marketing strategy is important for them to deliver value to parents as well as strengthen their services while facing the challenges. The strategies will ensure each preschool to sustain providing the best services in the early childhood education program. Thus, the transforming of preschool business profit services had turn to the popular branded private preschool. However, although making profits by franchising and providing licensing to the other new preschool managers, sometimes managers neglect continually referring the marketing strategies. The marketing strategies help the managers to become the leader and expertise in the early education field. In order to achieve parents’ choices towards their preschool, applying the 7 Ps in services marketing are very important. The research of this study is based on the literature findings. This research also results the Integrated Framework of Marketing Strategies 7 Ps and Management Stage. During the stage of management, it is recommended to implement with 7 Ps Marketing Strategies for managers continually delivering value services. It is hope that the research from this study may contribute the urgency of knowing the marketing strategies and challenges among preschool managers.

Pre-school manager training: a cost-effective tool to promote nutrition- and health-related practice improvements in the Irish full-day-care pre-school setting.

To evaluate the impact on nutrition- and health-related practice of two methods of delivery of a nutrition and health intervention in Irish full-day-care pre-schools: training of pre-school managers only or training of managers and their staff. A simple randomised study with pre-schools divided into two training groups: 'manager trained' and 'manager and staff trained'. Direct observational data--food and fluid provision, physical activity, outdoor time, staff practices and availability of nutrition and health resources--were recorded during one full day spent in each pre-school both pre- and post-intervention, using a specifically developed and validated Pre-school Health Promotion Activity Scored Evaluation Form. Post-intervention, self-assessment data were also collected using the same evaluation tool. Pre-schools, Midlands of Ireland. A convenience sample of forty-two pre-schools registered with the Irish Health Service Executive. From pre- to post-intervention, significant improvement (P < 0.05) in nutrition- and health-related practice was observed within both intervention delivery groups in all areas evaluated: environment, food service, meals and snacks. No additional effect attributable to staff training was observed. Scores assigned by direct independent observation were lower than pre-school self-assessment scores. The implementation of a training intervention in pre-schools significantly improved practice with no significant benefit of additional staff training. Direct independent observation is required to quantify practice accurately.

Nutritional practices in full-day-care pre-schools

Full-day-care pre-schools contribute significantly to the nutritional intake and acquisition of dietary habits of the pre-school child. The present study investigated nutritional practices in full-day-care pre-schools in Dublin, Ireland, aiming to determine the nutritional support that pre-school managers deem necessary, thereby facilitating the amelioration of existing pre-school nutritional training and practices. A telephone questionnaire completed by pre-school managers (n=54) examined pre-school dietary practices, food provision and the association between these and pre-school size, nutritional training attendance, possession of the Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Pre-school Services and having a healthy eating policy. Nutritional training needs were also investigated. Twenty-five pre-schools provided all food for attending children; parents were sole providers in six. Thirty-four pre-schools had a written healthy eating policy. Attendance at nutritional training was reported by 40. Possession of the Guidelines (n=40) did not consistently result in their use. Poor parental and staff involvement in policy and menu development was cited. Although the delayed introduction of iron-containing foods and a feeding beaker in infants was clearly evident, inappropriate beverages and snacks were served to children aged 1-5 years in 43 and 37 pre-schools, respectively. Training priorities cited by managers included parental education and the provision of information regarding menu planning and healthy food choices. Nutritional training should advocate whole staff familiarity with and use of current guidelines, in addition to encouraging nutritional policy development and enforcement. Parental education is warranted. Dietary education should focus specifically on appropriate weaning practices, healthy beverage and snack provision and menu planning.

Nutritional training needs as perceived by preschool managers of full-day-care preschools in Dublin North West

Nutritional training needs as perceived by preschool managers of full-day-care preschools in Dublin North West

Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education Programme in Preparing Pre-School Children in Their Social-Emotional Competencies at the Entry to Primary One.

The foundation of an individual’s optimum or less than optimum development is laid down during the early years of life, particularly during the age between birth and six years. This age covers pre-school education. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of Early Childhood Education programme in preparing Pre-school children in their social-emotional competencies at primary one entry. Simple random sampling was used to pick on three provinces: Rift Valley, Central and Eastern and then three districts, Nakuru, Nyeri and Embu. Proportionate sampling was used to select sample schools which were then picked using random numbers. The total number of subjects for the study was 378 (240 pre-school teachers, 120 Pre-school Managers 18 Pre-school Trainers). Questionnaires, focus group discussion and document analysis were used for data collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive analysis showed that majority of teachers felt that the Pre-school children were not as prepared in social –emotional skills as they were in academic skills. Analysis of variance results indicate significant variations in the perceptions of the pre-school staff on social-emotional importance (F=5.078 p<0.05),Social-emotional preparedness (F=6.175 p<0.05) and academic preparedness (F=7.250 p<0.05). The pre-school staff unanimously agreed that academic skills were important for pre-school children at primary one entry. It was recommended that readiness instruments for primary one entry should include both academic and social–emotional competencies. Key words: Social-emotional skills, Academic, Skills, Competencies, Preparedness, Pre-school, Education and Early Childhood.

Mellan styrning och pedagogisering. En analys av hur förskolans ledningspersoner förstår förskolans jämställdhetsuppdrag

Between governance and pedagogisation: An analysis of preschool managers’ understanding of their gender equality duty in the Swedish preschool. This article explores how local preschool managers – that is principals, heads of childcare and education departments, and chairs of childcare and education political committees – understand their gender equality mission. It is based on three focus groups with thirteen participants in three Swedish municipalities. Theoretically, the article conceptualises gender equality as simultaneously an ‘empty signifier’ and organisational process. The analysis shows that preschool managers understand gender equality on three levels: state/politically; municipal/organisationally; and practically/pedagogically. Based on the results of the empirical analyses, we suggest that further gender equality work in preschools needs to: find a balance between politicisation and administration; be organised horizontally and allow for knowledge transformation; and be actively led by preschool principals in order to not make pre-school teachers responsible for implementing the gender equality duty.