School-age Care Research Articles

Comparison of Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Teachers Working in Schools with Low and High International SACERS Scale Scores

In recent years, countries have taken many initiatives to determine the quality of their educational environments and to raise them to a certain level of standard. At the center of this effort to assess and improve quality is the School Age Care Environment Rating Scale International [SACERS]. At its core, SACERS assesses critical aspects of school-age care settings. This study aimed to compare the teaching motivation and job satisfaction levels of teachers working in schools with high and low SACERS scores. A total of 242 teachers from five general schools in Kazakhstan with low SACERS scores and five schools with high SACERS scores participated in the study, which used a causal comparison design. Schools were categorized according to SACERS score. 'Teaching Motivation Scale' and Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale' were used to collect the data. The analysis revealed that teachers had high levels of job satisfaction and teaching motivation in schools with high SACERS scores.

Engaging stakeholders to inform policy developments in early childhood education and outside school hours care

The application of engagement strategies to ensure democracy of decisions is increasingly valued and adopted by governments to ensure trust in the process and ownership of the outcome. This paper describes the approach and methods used to engage early childhood education and care (ECEC) and outside school hours care (OSHC) stakeholders in the contemporizing and updating of Australia’s national Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care (MTOP). Theoretical underpinnings of a robust stakeholder engagement strategy ensured a range of methods were developed to communicate with and encourage participation by the diversity of stakeholders who are invested in ECEC and OSHC in Australia – broadly defined as approved providers, teachers, educators, families, children and young people, regulatory authorities and other professionals who provide support and advice. A mixed-method, sequential 3-Stage design was developed to gather the insights, responses, and perspectives of stakeholders who provided, worked in, used, attended, or supported ECEC and/or OSHC settings. Stakeholder feedback included survey ratings and written comments, focus group and panel discussions, educator documentation and video-diaries, and the writings, talking, and drawings of children and young people. Evaluation methods focus on the number, diversity, and depth of stakeholder responses. In conclusion, we reflect on the usefulness, benefits, limitations, and effectiveness of our approach to participatory engagement to inform government policy development and decision making.

ASSESSING EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS USING SACERS INTERNATIONAL SCALES: A BIBLIOMETRICPERSPECTIVE

To establish optimal conditions for school-age learners’ best educational outcomes, research-evidenced documentation is a requirement prior to any significant change. This bibliometric analysis investigated articles published on School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) from 2017 to 2023 (n=10). Data collection involved identification, screening, exclusion, and eligibility stages. The bibliometrics R-package was used for data analysis on the Bibliometric cloud-based platform, focusing on publication patterns, citation networks, and bibliographic insights. Key findings indicate limited research-related publications on SACERS, possibly due to country-specific adaptations and variants in local languages. The scientific production varied annually, with few publications during 2017-2023. Canada, Russia, and the USA led SACERS research, implementing changes based on findings in target educational institutions. It was also found that research publications imply a university’s intellectual and epistemological contribution; this also offers insights for academic institutions to enhance research strategies and academic influence. Based on these findings, we concluded that SACERS is an invaluable tool for globally evaluating educational environments. Its comprehensive assessment empowers educators to foster enriching learning environments for all students. Keywords: SACERS scale, assessment, school-age children, bibliometrics, educational conditions.

Do children have a right to do nothing? Exploring the place of passive leisure in Australian school age care

In 2021, the Australian Government commissioned a review and update of My Time Our Place, its curriculum framework for School-Age Care services for primary-age children. One update trialled was the introduction of passive leisure. Whilst children’s passive use of leisure time is recognised as a right, it is often problematised and associated with negative health outcomes. This article explores a trial of passive leisure provision. It provides hopeful evidence that passive leisure spaces can be interactive, conversational and restful.

Conceptualising the education and care workforce from the perspective of children and young people

Children are significant stakeholders within education and care settings. Their views can be invaluable in thinking about what matters to conceptualising, assessing and improving quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) settings. As stakeholders, children’s views are rarely listened to by Australian policy makers to assess what constitutes quality and how the quality can be improved. In the process of updating two nationally approved Australian Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia 2.0 and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia 2.0, children’s responses provided meaningful insights into their perceptions of the practices of the educators. The children’s perspectives were gathered in a combination of research methodologies of talking circles, dialogic drawing, and visual elicitation. Their responses about experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) contexts were analysed to provide a deeper understanding about the characteristics of their experiences in the settings. The research process delivered information about children’s perspectives about pedagogical principles and practices that describe the Australian children’s education and care workforce and environments. The process of gathering the children’s perspectives is not without limitations, however the information is invaluable in considering the assessment and improvement of quality in children’s services.

Supporting Children's Social Connection and Well-Being in School-Age Care: Mixed Methods Evaluation of the Connect, Promote, and Protect Program.

School-age care, such as outside school hours care (OSHC), is the fastest-growing childhood education sector in Australia. OSHC provides a unique opportunity to deliver programs to enhance primary school-age children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being. This study aimed to pilot the co-designed Connect, Promote, and Protect Program (CP3) and conduct formative and process evaluations on how well the CP3 achieved its intended aims, ascertain areas for improvement, and determine how the CP3 model could be better sustained and extended into OSHC settings. A naturalistic formative and process evaluation of the CP3 implementation was undertaken at 1 and then 5 OSHC sites. Qualitative and quantitative feedback from stakeholders (eg, children, OSHC educators, volunteers, and families) was collected and incorporated iteratively for program improvement. The formative and process evaluations demonstrated high program engagement, appropriateness, and acceptability. Co-design with children was viewed as highly acceptable and empowered children to be part of the decision-making in OSHC. Feedback highlighted how the CP3 supported children in the 4 CP3 domains: Build Well-being and Resilience, Broaden Horizons, Inspire and Engage, and Connect Communities. Qualitative reports suggested that children's well-being and resilience were indirectly supported through the Broaden Horizons, Inspire and Engage, and Connect Communities CP3 principles. Matched-sample 2-tailed t tests found that children's prosocial behaviors increased (mean difference=0.64; P=.04; t57=-2.06, 95% CI -1.36 to -0.02) and peer problems decreased (mean difference=-0.69; P=.01; t57=2.57, 95% CI 0.14-1.13) after participating in the CP3. Program feasibility was high but dependent on additional resources and CP3 coordinator support. To our knowledge, the CP3 is the first co-designed well-being program developed and evaluated specifically for OSHC services. This early evidence is promising. The CP3 may provide a unique opportunity to respond to the voices of children in OSHC and those that support them through creative and engaging co-designed activities. Our research suggests that CP3 provides OSHC with a framework and high-quality program planning tool that promotes tailored interventions developed based on the unique needs and preferences of those who will use them.

Transition into school-aged care – how do services support children starting school?

ABSTRACT Despite a focus on successful transitions to school, transition to School Aged Care (SAC) has largely been overlooked. This paper shares insights into transition programs provided for children commencing in SAC, at or close to their transition to school. Educators working in SAC programs in Victoria, Australia, participated in an online survey exploring their practices, beliefs, and understandings regarding children’s transition into SAC in their Foundation year of school. Findings highlighted that whilst transition to SAC should be considered an integral component of a child’s broader transition to school program, very few SAC programs are formally included in the process. Findings also showed that the programs that do offer transition to SAC programs for children commencing their Foundation year of school tend to design and implement these externally to the broader transition-to-school process. Furthermore, SAC educators share a strong consensus that clear integration of transitions into SAC and school should occur.

Programming for older children in School Age Care: Adult and child engagement with developmental pedagogies

How to work with older children has been ongoing question in Australian School Age Care (SAC) for over 30 years. Children aged 10–12 years are often spoken of as a problematic Other whose pose a risk to the younger children who attend SAC in higher proportions. This article aims to address the gap in research about what practices might work with this age group. It draws on a qualitative study conducted with SAC practitioners and older children who attend SAC. In semi-structured interviews, practitioners were asked about what strategies they employed with older children. These strategies are then viewed in relation to the perspectives of older children who were consulted via participatory methods and ethnography about what good SAC might look like. The research explores two approaches that draw on developmental knowledges, the use of separate spaces and resources, and a role called apprentice educator. Whilst older children appear to value strategies like age-segregated spaces and resources, they are less likely to take up adult-like, apprentice educator roles curated for them by practitioners. Older children’s responses to these strategies can be understood as powerful acts around developmental discourses that construct and reconstruct the category of older child in SAC.

Exploring Playful Participatory Research with Children in School Age Care

Participatory research methods that focus on children’s right to form and express views about research topics have grown in popularity in recent decades. It is less common for play to have a central role in participatory research. This article provides an account of a small, participatory research project conducted in a School Age Care setting in Melbourne, Australia where play had a more central role in the method. The decision to embed the research in a play-based setting contributed to a fluid, playful research environment where play and work became entangled in complex ways. This article draws on poststructural theories to make sense of what happened during the research. It contemplates whether there is a place for playful research in extended education settings and if there are any benefits.

Оцінювання якості шкільного освітнього середовища: моделі та інструменти

The analysis of models and tools used in international and domestic practice to create an educational environment (SACERS (School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale), «CLASS» (Classroom Assessment Scoring System), Quality School Model, «Safe and child-friendly school», etc.) has been conducted. It was revealed the content of the concept of «educational environment» through the educational function and the development of students' skills, universal skills (independence, initiative, responsibility, etc.). It was determined the dynamic factors of influence, separate criteria and indicators that have an influence on the quality of the school educational environment. It was identified areas for improving the quality of the school educational environment, including personalization of the environment, interaction with the elements of the environment, visual content.

Психологические основы формирования экологического воспитания детей младшего школьного возраста

The psychological foundations of the formation of ecological education in young schoolchildren are analyzed in the article. The importance of teaching young schoolchildren to be sensitive and respectful to nature is emphasized. It is shown that young schoolchildren first feel and perceive nature and natural phenomena, and then filter them with their imagination and thinking. They come to a specific conclusion after filtering natural phenomena through imagination and thinking. After all, they express their discoveries through speech. Their findings are reflected in a sensitive and careful attitude towards nature. The article also emphasizes the importance of motivating the cognitive activity of children of primary school age, as well as teaching them sensitivity and care for nature and natural phenomena. The article also shows how to determine the psychological basis for teaching students of primary school age sensitivity and care for nature. In this case, the article scientifically substantiates and makes references to the psychological foundations of the manifestation of a sensitive and caring attitude to nature and natural phenomena, which are determined not only in the lesson of Environmental Studies, but also in the lessons of the Azerbaijani language and Fine Arts. It is also noted that the formation of the personality of schoolchildren also ensures the development of their self-awareness. In this case, the self-awareness of children of small school age is ultimately determined by their relationship. Thus, a psychologically correct approach to the formation of environmental education in children of small school age is manifested in self-esteem, self-respect and the level of psychological claims of the student. That is, such psychological relationships that arise between young schoolchildren ensure their sensitive attitude to nature, natural phenomena, including flowers, plants, trees, clean water and their protection from environmental disasters

Health-care resource utilization associated with peanut allergy management under allergen avoidance among commercially insured individuals.

Background: Until recently, the standard approach to care for individuals with peanut allergy (PA) was limited to allergen avoidance and treatment of reactions with emergency medicines. Objectives: To assess health-care resource utilization (HRU) and costs associated with PA management under allergen avoidance and to identify risk factors associated with peanut reactions that resulted in inpatient (IP) and/or emergency department (ED) visits. Methods: Privately insured individuals with PA diagnosis codes were identified from a large U.S. administrative claims data base (January 1, 1999, to March 31, 2017). PA-related HRU, indicated by a PA diagnosis and/or diagnostic procedure codes and by epinephrine autoinjectors (EAI) prescription fills in medical and pharmacy claims, respectively, and all-cause costs were described per patient-year (PPY). Risk factors associated with peanut reactions in an IP and/or ED setting were identified by using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 86,483 patient-years from 14,136 individuals with PA were included. At the patient-year level, 28.1% were ages 0-3 years, 43.6% were ages 4-11 years, 13.7% were ages 12-17 years, and 14.5% were ages ≥ 18 years; 35.6% had PA-related outpatient visits; 50.6% had EAI fills; and 2.4% had PA-related IP and/or ED visits PPY. Younger individuals had more PA-related outpatient visits and EAI fills, with peak intensive use at ages 4-11 years. The proportion of individuals with PA-related IP and/or ED visits was highest among those aged ≥ 18 years. Mean all-cause costs were $3084 PPY; individuals with PA-related IP and/or ED visits incurred $8902 PPY ($17,451 for those with one or more IP visits). Risk factors associated with peanut reactions that resulted in IP and/or ED visits included young adults (odds ratio [OR] 3.19 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.66-3.83]), previous peanut reaction(s) (OR 1.66 [95% CI, 1.23-2.24]), asthma (OR 1.33 [95% CI, 1.18-1.51]), and male sex (OR 1.14 [95% CI, 1.01-1.28]). Conclusion: Individuals with PA and under allergen avoidance had significant HRU that varied across all age groups, with more PA-related outpatient visits during preschool and/or school age and PA-related urgent care among adults. Individuals with previous peanut reaction(s), asthma, and males had a higher risk of peanut reactions that resulted in IP and/or ED visits.

Towards a ‘third space’ community practice school-aged-care: A learning community and ‘the new neighbourhood’

This article explores how an organisation – Jabiru – integrates a learning ‘community’ philosophy into its work with children, particularly within what is understood within Australia as School-aged Care (SAC). Distinguished from other organisations, Jabiru understands community is an intentional practice that provides what we find to be a unique third space, one with links to what is sometimes understood as the new neighbourhood. Research observations and interviews in two SAC sites, guided by the conceptual framework of loving, having and being, led to key findings about the intentional approach to community that supports learning, and the significance of educator wisdom.

Academic Psychiatry Department Names: Reflections on Research, Practice, and Education.

Medical schools' departments reflect changes in health care and medical school organization. The authors reviewed psychiatry department name categories associated with school age, research, and primary care focus. Department names were identified and categorized for US allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. A multinomial regression model analyzed the relationship between department name category and established year, adjusted for school type. Fisher's exact tests analyzed the relationships between name category and research/primary care foci. Among 147 allopathic schools, 52% had departments with names limited to psychiatry, 42% had names with psychiatry plus other terminology, and 5% had no identified psychiatry department. In 34 osteopathic schools, 12% had psychiatry departments, 12% had departments named psychiatry plus other terminology, and 75% had no identified psychiatry department. Age of school was related to departmental name: for a 1-year increase in the school's established year, the odds of having a department name other than psychiatry were 1.02 times the odds (p < 0.001) of having the name psychiatry. Newer schools were less likely to have departments with "psychiatry" in their name. Associations were found between department name and research and primary care rankings. Variability in the names of psychiatry departments in medical schools may suggest changing views within and about academic psychiatry. The limited presence of formal psychiatry departments in newer schools raises questions about psychiatry's impact on educational pathways, the future workforce, and participation in schools' research mission and clinical enterprise.

HEALTH AND SAFETY SITUATION AT NON-PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in societies and promoting their health and safety in school should be one of the goals of education systems. Evaluating the current status of schools is the first step toward the prevention of crises in schools and coping with them. The present study investigates the health and safety status of non-public primary schools in Tehran. The present cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on a statistical population of non-public primary schools in Tehran, including 65 schools that were selected through multistage cluster sampling. The study tool was the School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS), which was completed by the researcher upon observing the current status of schools, and a statistical analysis was then carried out in SPSS-23 using deductive analysis with the single-sample t-test and the cumulative percentage analysis. The results obtained showed that the schools met the required standards in indicators including health policies, safety policies, emergency conditions and personal hygiene; however, they lacked these standards in indicators including health measures, safety measures, attendance, departure and meals/snacks. In general, there was a significant difference between the mean health and safety indices in the schools and the required standards (t=-8.19, P&lt;0.001), and the schools did not meet the required health and safety standards in view of the size of the mean difference. Regarding the role of supervisory authorities and attitudes of staff and parents related to educational environment, it seems that schools need to improve and resolve their deficiencies in various dimensions of health and safety in order to be ready to deal with emergencies. Assessments can be carried out in schools in the form of periodical self-evaluations to improve their performance. In this process, the school environment provides a safer and more enjoyable way for children to learn and create a sense of belonging to the school.

School Age Care Services in Australia

Bibliography: Cartmel, Jennifer: School Age Care Services in Australia, IJREE – International Journal for Research on Extended Education, Vol. 7, Issue 1-2019, pp. 114-120. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v7i1.09

Play and leisure in Australian School Age Care: Reconceptualizing children’s waiting as a site of play and labour

Australian School Age Care programmes are little researched childhood settings that are commonly understood as sites of leisure and play in between school and home. This article draws on recent research to consider the status of a seemingly non-playful activity, that of children’s waiting in School Age Care. The poststructural framing in this article conceptualizes waiting as an activity that incorporates acts of emotional labour, play and identity construction. It prompts consideration of whether waiting is a site of play and should therefore be incorporated in programming practices in School Age Care and other play-based settings.

Re-theorising the pre-adolescent child in School Age Care

School Age Care is a setting that is little researched and the research that has been conducted has not often sought the perspectives of older children. This article describes a participatory and ethnographic research project that sought a deeper insight into older children’s experiences of an Australian School Age Care setting, seeking their views about how to successfully program for other children their age. Older children in School Age Care are commonly spoken of as rebellious, bored, disruptive and unsuited to School Age Care. The Foucauldian theories underpinning the research challenged the normative developmental discourses that circulate School Age Care. The research shows that older children have access to these developmental and maturational discourses. The participants actively engaged with language, architecture and resources in the School Age Care setting to actively construct themselves as a more mature, distinct category of child. The findings suggest that School Age Care practitioners should be aware of how developmental discourses are both enacted by children and reinforced through programming design and consider the impacts of segregating routines and practices on children’s play and leisure. While this research does not ‘solve’ the question of older children in School Age Care, it unsettles dominant understandings, therefore inviting practitioners to imagine new programming approaches that might improve School Age Care for older children.

The quality of care for 5–9-year old children in the school environment in Poland measured with the use of the SACERS scale

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study is to present the quality of care provided to children in Polish school common rooms. Diagnostic research was conducted using the tool ‘School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale’ (SACERS), and 56 school common rooms intended for children aged from 5 to 9 years were studied, both in rural and urban settings. The obtained results indicate that the level of quality of care offered to children is minimal. The presence of qualified teachers as well as the developed care and education work programmes and plans seemed to have a positive influence on quality. However, detailed analyses demonstrated that Polish school common rooms do not meet SACERS requirements in terms of health and safety, educational activities, or space and furnishings. Although it is generally believed that school common rooms in Poland meet the basic needs of the youngest students, the obtained research results suggest there is an urgent need to improve the quality of care for children enrolled at common room programmes. The added value of the project is demonstrating the potential of the SACERS scale, proving that it can be used in Poland, and that it provides an opportunity to conduct comparative studies on an international scale.

Creating a Vocabulary About School-Age Childcare Using Photography

Engaging children in school-age childcare (SAC) in the research process through the use of photography gives them a voice that is not necessarily heard otherwise. This article discusses a research project undertaken in an Australian SAC service using photography as a means for the children to describe their play experiences. It examines the literature about researching with children using photography and discusses some of the challenges and how these can be overcome in order to provide staff and policy makers in school-age care with understandings about school-age care from the perspectives of the children. SAC plays a significant role in the lives of children and families; however, the research about this service is minimal.