Articles

Infant feeding nutrition policies in Australian early childhood education and care services: a content and qualitative analysis

Early infant feeding practices are a critical part of education and care programs within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings. With an increasing number of children attending ECEC services from a...

Authors: Julianne McGuire, Danielle Gallegos and Susan Irvine

Is free pre-primary education associated with increased primary school completion? A global study

While global enrollment in primary education has increased significantly particularly since it became a target of the United Nations “Education for All” initiative and one of the Millennium Development Goals, ...

Authors: Alison Earle, Natalia Milovantseva and Jody Heymann

Effects of contrasting approaches to the response-contingent learning of young children with significant developmental delays on parents’ social-affective behavior

The purpose of the analyses described in this report was to evaluate both the effects of two contrasting approaches to parent-provided child learning opportunities and the direct and indirect effects on both p...

Authors: Carl J. Dunst, Melinda Raab and Deborah W. Hamby

State early intervention administrator perspectives of prenatal supports for families with high probability diagnoses

Early intervention (EI) for families of infants and toddlers with or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities is federally guided to begin at birth or older. With technological advances in prenatal tes...

Authors: Bonnie Keilty and JaneDiane Smith

Chinese preschoolers’ risk-taking behaviors: a tripartite relation

Unintentional injury has been a leading threat to Chinese children. Children’s risk-taking is influenced by their evaluation of risky behavior and related safety knowledge, which also vary considerably by chil...

Authors: Jun Hao and Yeh Hsueh

The relationship between structural factors and interaction quality in Norwegian ECEC for toddlers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between two structural factors of quality: organisation form (stable groups versus flexible groups) and staff–child ratio, in relation to interacti...

Authors: Ingrid Midteide Løkken, Elisabeth Bjørnestad, Martine L. Broekhuizen and Thomas Moser

Integrating field-trip activities with other activities in the preschool curriculum: its effects on the preschoolers’ social–emotional skills

This study used a static-group pretest–posttest design to investigate how the social–emotional skill development of 36 Turkish children aged 48–66 months was affected by the integration of field-trip activitie...

Authors: Emine Kızıltaş and Ramazan Sak

Inclusive education for Internally Displaced Children in Kenya: children perceptions of their learning and development needs in post-conflict schooling

The Kenyan society has been characterised by tribal-political-instigated violence since the declaration of multiparty democracy in 1991. The 2007/8 post-election violence (PEV) particularly saw the scattering ...

Authors: Jenestar Wanjiru

Spotlight on early childhood education. A newspaper coverage analysis of universal preschool debate in Argentina

Throughout the past decade, the Argentinean government has lowered the starting age of compulsory education and early childhood education enrollment has been growing steadily. However, ECE services have evolve...

Authors: Carolina Snaider

Perceived accessibility of childcare in Europe: a cross-country multilevel study

Perceptions of users regarding the accessibility of childcare services have been under-researched. The present study addresses this gap by looking into the effect of systemic level characteristics of the ECEC ...

Authors: Özgün Ünver, Tuba Bircan and Ides Nicaise

Voices of child care providers: an exploratory study on the impact of policy changes

In debates about child care and early education, the voices of providers are often missing. In this article, we report findings from a study exploring child care provider perspectives on how regulation and pol...

Authors: Corey Shdaimah, Elizabeth Palley and Amanda Miller

The key to successful management of child care centres in Jordan

This research explores vital factors in effective management of care centres (CCs) in Jordan, and the role of key workers in establishing a nurturing family environment for optimal wellbeing of orphans. CCs in...

Authors: Loiy Bani Ismail, Hala Hindawi, Worud Awamleh and Mohammad Alawamleh

The role of length of maternity leave in supporting mother–child interactions and attachment security among American mothers and their infants

Maternity leave policies are linked to early childhood education and care policies, and in many countries, the length of leave policies determines the need for early care programs. The length of maternity leav...

Authors: Raquel Plotka and Nancy A. Busch-Rossnagel

The effects of public pre-kindergarten attendance on first grade literacy achievement: a district study

This study investigated the link between public pre-kindergarten attendance and first grade literacy achievement in the United States. Participants (N = 1056; first grade children from one mixed-urban city in Vir...

Authors: Michael Haslip

The importance of emotional competence and self-regulation from birth: a case for the evidence-based emotional cognitive social early learning approach

Neuroscientific advances demonstrate that the age range from zero to 5 years old represents a critical window for both learning and teaching, which must involve the development of emotional competence and the ...

Authors: Donna K. Housman

Information sharing between teachers and early education programs during school entry in Norway: associations with children’s school adjustment and success in the first year

When children first enter school, they face simultaneous changes in their physical settings, social relationships, and learning expectations. The present study adds to the limited literature on children’s tran...

Authors: Kyle DeMeo Cook, Eric Dearing and Henrik Daae Zachrisson

Online child care training in the United States: a preliminary investigation of who participates, what is offered, and on which topics the workforce is focusing

Current US policies call for a child care teacher workforce that can support program quality and enhance infants’, toddlers’, and preschoolers’ learning and development. Given minimal state pre-hire requiremen...

Authors: Debra J. Ackerman

Early childhood educator’ perspectives on how infants and toddlers learn: Australia and China

This paper is an exploratory study to identify similarities and differences between two groups of early childhood educator’ perceptions of how infants and toddlers learn in the contexts of Australia and China....

Authors: M. Li, B. Nyland, K. Margetts and Y. Guan

Challenges in identifying and serving students with special needs in Dodoma, Tanzania

The purpose of this study was to assess if there is a functioning school-based system of assessment for identification and intervention programmes for children with special educational needs in pre-primary sch...

Authors: Phidea H. Mapunda, Abich D. Omollo and Theodora A. L. Bali

Policy-based instructional reform in early education: how US Head Start teachers perceive instructional mandates

The goal of this study was to investigate how early childhood teachers reported responding to the instructional mandates they received. To answer our research questions, we completed semi-structured interviews...

Authors: Jennifer Wallace Jacoby and Nonie K. Lesaux

The practice architectures of middle leading in early childhood education

The development of Early Childhood Education in Sweden is a central concern for national and local government, and for school districts and preschools. While principals have the responsibility for, and a parti...

Authors: Karin Rönnerman, Peter Grootenboer and Christine Edwards-Groves

Enhancing the quality of kindergarten education in Singapore: policies and strategies in the 21st century

Almost all children in Singapore complete 1 year of preschool before entering primary school. However, preschool education (PSE) is not compulsory and is provided primarily by the private sector. Taking the na...

Authors: Ching Ting Tan

Classifying Korean children’s behavioral problems and their influencing factors: a latent profile analysis

The purpose of this study is to find patterns in the latent profiles of behavioral problems of children aged 4, 5, and 6, in the child and caregiver variables that affected the composition of the latent profi...

Authors: Jeong Rim Lee, Gilsook Kim, YeJin Yi, Shinyeong Song and Jinmi Kim

Enhancing social-emotional well-being in young children through improving teachers’ social-emotional competence and curriculum design in Hong Kong

This study aimed to evaluate an intervention programme for the enhancement of social-emotional well-being of young children through improving the social-emotional competence of kindergarten teachers and a spec...

Authors: Lawrence T. Lam and Emmy M. Y. Wong

The impact of expected child-rearing expenses on childbirth based on the matching of two Korean panel data

In Korea, recent upward trends in age of marriage and downward trends in fertility rates have motivated the Korean government to provide childbirth grants and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) subsidie...

Authors: Eunseol Kim, Seong Hyeok Moon, Jeong Rim Lee, Yoon Kyung Choi, Namhee Do and Dongha Lee

Who uses early childhood education and care services? Comparing socioeconomic selection across five western policy contexts

Growing evidence suggests that children’s participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC), especially center-based services, is associated with positive outcomes, particularly for children over one ...

Authors: Amélie Petitclerc, Sylvana Côté, Orla Doyle, Margaret Burchinal, Catherine Herba, Henrik Daae Zachrisson, Michel Boivin, Richard E. Tremblay, Henning Tiemeier, Vincent Jaddoe and Hein Raat

Longitudinal studies in ECEC: challenges of translating research into policy action

Authors: Bernhard Kalicki, Namhee Woo and W. Steven Barnett

Key factors and challenges of research-informed policy making in ECEC: examples from longitudinal studies

In this commentary, we draw on examples from the thematic issue ‘Longitudinal studies in ECEC—challenges of translating research results into policy actions’ to discuss how research from longitudinal studies i...

Authors: Janina Eberhart, Sophie Hahn and Carolyn Seybel

Methodological challenges of evaluating the effects of an early language education programme in Germany

Many early language support programmes have been implemented in ECEC settings over the last years in Germany. Most of them are targeted programmes which have not shown to have longer term beneficial effects. T...

Authors: Yvonne Anders, Hans-Günther Rossbach and Wolfgang Tietze

Learning areas for holistic education: kindergarten teachers’ curriculum priorities, professional development needs, and beliefs

Contemporary kindergarten curriculum frameworks emphasize the importance of promoting children’s holistic development, thereby focusing on both academic and non-academic learning areas. This exploratory study ...

Authors: Alfredo Bautista, Siew-Chin Ng, David Múñez and Rebecca Bull

Analyzing early child development, influential conditions, and future impacts: prospects of a German newborn cohort study

The paper provides an overview of a German cohort study of newborns which includes a representative sample of about 3500 infants and their mothers. The aims, challenges, and solutions concerning the large-scal...

Authors: Sabine Weinert, Anja Linberg, Manja Attig, Jan-David Freund and Tobias Linberg

Policy translation for early childhood education and care: the Growing Up in New Zealand approach

Longitudinal cohort studies have significant potential to inform policy across a range of child and family areas, including early childhood education and care. Here we describe the relationship between policy-...

Authors: Amy L. Bird, Polly E. Atatoa Carr, Elaine Reese and Susan M. B. Morton

Use of early childhood longitudinal studies by policy makers

Modern ECCE research began with the birth of the U.S. Head Start program in the 1960s; however, policy makers and the public paid little attention to it until several studies that had random assignment or wide...

Authors: Lawrence J. Schweinhart

Supporting family child care and quality improvement: findings from an exploratory survey of Illinois child care resource and referral agency staff

Improved quality in home-based child care (family child care and family, friend, and neighbor care) is increasingly recognized as a vital component of early care and education service systems in the U.S. and a...

Authors: Juliet Bromer and Corinne Weaver

Longitudinal research and early years policy development in the UK

Interest in early years issues such as early childhood education and care (ECEC) and early intervention has increased in recent decades internationally. Partly this reflects interest in facilitating the social...

Authors: Edward Melhuish

From ‘Cinderella’ to ‘Beloved Princess’: The Evolution of Early Childhood Education Policy in China

Early childhood education (ECE) in China has been relegated to the role of ‘Cinderella’ by its educational authorities since 1980s, due to the policy of ‘marketizing and privatizing non-compulsory pre-school e...

Authors: Hui Li, Weipeng Yang and Jennifer J. Chen

Conflictual and cooperative childcare politics in Canada

In 2005, after many years of inaction, the Canadian government seemed poised to make real changes to national childcare policy—a marker of social movement success for the grassroots Childcare Advocacy Associat...

Authors: Rachel Langford, Susan Prentice, Brooke Richardson and Patrizia Albanese

Moving forward with early childhood care and education (ECCE) post-2015 in the Asia Pacific Region: an analysis of global and national policy goals

This paper presents a thematic analysis of documents produced during a recent ‘Regional Policy Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)’, attended by over 200 participants including representatives f...

Authors: Emma C. Pearson

Infants and toddlers: how visible are they in the Early Years Learning Framework?

Australia’s first national early childhood curriculum, the Early Years Learning Framework (Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009), aims’to extend and enrich children’s learning ...

Authors: Belinda Davis, Jane Torr and Sheila Degotardi

Uses and perceived benefits of children’s recreational activities: the perspectives of parents and school professionals

This paper examines recreational activities in children’s free time, as a component of their wellbeing in a socio-ecological framework. Data comprise semi-structured interviews, conducted with 50 parents and 3...

Authors: Gaëlle Amerijckx and Perrine Humblet

The ‘turn to parenting’: paradigm shift or work in progress?

In the field of child and youth support, preventive and parent-oriented support programs are currently emphasized. This is understood as a new paradigm of parenting support, which is sometimes referred to as “...

Authors: Marit Hopman and Trudie Knijn

Too late and not enough for some children: early childhood education and care (ECEC) program usage patterns in the years before school in Australia

This paper uses data from a major Australian longitudinal study to test the extent to which children recruited on the basis of attending an early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting when they were 3–4 ...

Authors: Timothy Gilley, Collette Tayler, Frank Niklas and Daniel Cloney

The Council of Australian Government Reforms [2007–2013]: a critical juncture in Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy?

Between 2007 and 2013, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) introduced major national policy reforms to improve quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) (Brennan and Adamson, 2014). By analysi...

Authors: Helen Logan, Jennifer Sumsion and Frances Press

Leaping the language gap: strategies for preschool and head start teachers

Strategies that promote the development of language skills are recognized as important in early childhood education. For early childhood centers and care providers, there are also additional concerns that inte...

Authors: Carolyn Davidson Abel, Jannah Walters Nerren and Hope Elizabeth Wilson

Is it possible to promote executive functions in preschoolers? A case study in Brazil

Executive functions (EF) provide top-down control of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Such abilities are related to learning, emotional control, and adjustment. A promising line of research on EF examines ea...

Authors: Natália Martins Dias and Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra

The way to early childhood education equity - policies to tackle the urban-rural disparities in China

Protecting children’s development rights and promoting social equity are the priority and core tasks of the Chinese government and international community. Currently, the inequity of early childhood education ...

Authors: Xiumin Hong, Peng Liu, Qun Ma and Xin Luo

The paradox of early intervention: families’ participation driven by professionals throughout service process

Early intervention conceived as a program for young infants and toddlers with developmental needs and their families, how early intervention practice establishes family participation in the service process - f...

Authors: Yoon H Lee

The evolution of early childhood education policy in Hong Kong

Almost all 3- to 6-year-olds attend preschool programmes in Hong Kong; however, early childhood education (ECE) had been relatively neglected by the Hong Kong government until 2000 when the reform of school ed...

Authors: Jessie M S Wong and Nirmala Rao

Rethinking early childhood workforce sustainability in the context of Australia's early childhood education and care reforms

Early childhood workforce sustainability is an important issue, with implications for children, families and national productivity, as well as for educators themselves. Yet, in many national contexts, workforc...

Authors: Tamara Cumming, Jennifer Sumsion and Sandie Wong

Do increased availability and reduced cost of early childhood care and education narrow social inequality gaps in utilization? Evidence from Norway

Prior theoretical models and empirical research suggest that specific parent, child, and family factors are related to the utilization of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The political context of Nor...

Authors: Erin Sibley, Eric Dearing, Claudio O Toppelberg, Arnstein Mykletun and Henrik Daae Zachrisson