scholarly journals The Perceived Value of a Universal Early Learning Program: A Parent Perspective

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie-Lee D. McIsaac ◽  
Marla E. Smith ◽  
Joan Turner ◽  
Christine McLean ◽  
Mary Jane Harkins
Keyword(s):  
Universal Access ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Parent Perspective ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Ease Of Access ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPan-Canadian efforts to support universal access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for families are underway. Focusing on a universally available ECEC program in Nova Scotia, this study explored the impact of the perceived value of this publicly funded ECEC program on parental decisions for enrollment. A thematic analysis of data from focus groups and interviews (n = 42 families represented) from two separate, but related studies, revealed themes (Ease of access, Communication, Supporting familiarity with school and Early learning) which provide insight on the value that parents place on a universal ECEC program and may help to inform other jurisdictions.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Eating Environments and Activity in Early Childhood Education and Care in Alberta, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4247
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Z. Lafave ◽  
Alexis D. Webster ◽  
Ceilidh McConnell ◽  
Nadine Van Wyk ◽  
Mark R. Lafave
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
The Impact

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments influence children’s early development and habits that track across a lifespan. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 government-mandated guidelines on physical activity (PA) and eating environments in ECEC settings. This cross-sectional study involved the recruitment of 19 ECEC centers pre-COVID (2019) and 15 ECEC centers during COVID (2020) in Alberta, Canada (n = 34 ECEC centers; n = 83 educators; n = 361 preschoolers). Educators completed the CHEERS (Creating Healthy Eating and activity Environments Survey) and MEQ (Mindful Eating Questionnaire) self-audit tools while GT3X+ ActiGraph accelerometers measured preschooler PA. The CHEERS healthy eating environment subscale was greater during COVID-19 (5.97 ± 0.52; 5.80 ± 0.62; p = 0.02) and the overall score positively correlated with the MEQ score (r = 0.20; p = 0.002). Preschoolers exhibited greater hourly step counts (800 ± 189; 649 ± 185), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (9.3 ± 3.0 min/h; 7.9 ± 3.2 min/h) and lower sedentary times (42.4 ± 3.9 min/h; 44.1 ± 4.9 min/h) during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID, respectively (p < 0.05). These findings suggest the eating environment and indices of child physical activity were better in 2020, which could possibly be attributed to a change in government-mandated COVID-19 guideline policy.

scholarly journals Constructing deficit data doppelgängers: The impact of datafication on children with English as an additional language

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Pierlejewski
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
British Culture

In this article, an evaluation of the English early childhood education context reveals children constructed as data. The complex, chaotic and unpredictable nature of the child is reconstituted in numerical form – a form which can be measured, compared and manipulated. Children are reconceptualised as data doppelgängers, ghostly apparitions which emulate the actual embodied child. The focus of early childhood education and care thus moves from child-centred to data-centred education. The author specifically focuses on the impact of this aspect of the performative regime on children who have English as an additional language – an under-researched area in the field. Foucault’s work on governmentality is used as a theoretical lens through which to understand the process of datafication. The author uses a composite child, generated from a number of children from her experience as a teacher, as a starting point for discussion. This reveals children as disadvantaged, as their home languages are no longer used to assess communication skills. Their data doppelgängers are not useful to the teacher as they are unable to demonstrate a Good Level of Development – a key measure of school readiness in English policy. The author argues that in post-Brexit-vote Britain, subtle changes to early childhood education increase disadvantage, promoting white, British culture and thus marginalising those from other cultures.

scholarly journals The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning Study: What happened next

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Moss ◽  
Mathias Urban
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
New Venture ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Learning Study ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
International Testing

In this article, the authors provide an update on what has happened over recent months with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s proposal for an International Early Learning Study, and review responses to the proposed International Early Learning Study, including the concerns that have been raised about this new venture in international testing. The authors call on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and its member-state governments to enter into open discussion with the wider early childhood community about the future direction of comparative work on early childhood education and care.

scholarly journals “Who Would Bother Getting a Degree When You Would Be on the Exact Same Pay and Conditions . . .?” Professionalism and the Problem With Qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care: An Irish Perspective

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110318
Author(s):  
Ayooluwa Oke ◽  
Judith E. Butler ◽  
Cian O’Neill
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Social Welfare Services ◽  
Childhood Care ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

Although the literature is replete with research that indicates the importance of qualified and highly skilled practitioners in the provision of quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), challenges to the retention of highly skilled graduates and the establishment of a professional ECEC workforce persist. This study investigates the barriers that hinder practitioners from obtaining higher level ECEC qualifications. It presents findings from the perspectives of practitioners ( n = 18) participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme using semi-structured interviews. This article is part of a doctoral study with practitioners and parents on quality in ECEC and the impact of technology on quality practice. Importantly, this article presents findings from the practitioner interviews as they relate to the barriers faced by practitioners in obtaining higher level qualifications. Findings indicate that practitioners value the role of qualifications in the provision of quality practice. Despite this, findings suggest that the likelihood of obtaining an ECEC degree is largely dependent on the practitioner’s financial situation. For example, in the absence of appropriate pay scales and occupational profiles, practitioners are forced to avail of social welfare services.

Early childhood education and care in the app generation: Digital documentation, assessment for learning and parent communication

2020 ◽  
pp. 183693912097906
Author(s):  
Tina Stratigos ◽  
Marianne Fenech
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Parent Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Parent Communication ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Digital Documentation ◽  
The Impact

While early childhood educators’ use of digital applications (apps) to document children’s experiences and support parent communication is increasing, there is limited empirical research about the impact of these applications on children’s experiences and educators’ practices. This article provides a critical analysis of the findings from this body of research with a focus on affordances and challenges. While the research supports potential benefits for parent engagement and pedagogy, a range of challenges relating to content, access, equity, workload and ethics are highlighted. Features of the neoliberal contextual that may enable the increasing use of apps and shape the way they are used are considered, and opportunities for future research to further critique, enhance understandings and inform practice proposed.

scholarly journals Kindergarten in Ontario – An Exceptional Case of a Publicly Funded Early Childhood Education Since 1883

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danuta Wloka
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Exceptional Case ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care ◽  
History Of ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Fernand Braudel

Ontario has the distinction of having the longest and the richest history of public kindergarten in Canada. Ontario’s kindergarten is an exception in the field of publicly funded early childhood care and education in Canada, where the care and education of preschool-aged children has not been recognized as the government’s responsibility. This article traces the development of Ontario’s public kindergarten from its inception in 1883 to the current Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program. It identifies the evolving characteristics of kindergarten, trends, and paradigmatic changes in the analyzed period by using a longue durée approach as per Fernand Braudel. It explores the context of each historical phase of Ontario’s kindergarten development, the intersection of political agendas, ideologies, and economic and pragmatic considerations that were impacting kindergarten policies.

Parenting Support in an Early Childhood Learning Context

2017 ◽  
pp. 242-251
Author(s):  
Karen M. T. Turner ◽  
Cassandra K. Dittman ◽  
Julie C. Rusby ◽  
Shawna Lee
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Triple P ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Early Childhood Learning

Early childhood education and child care settings have the potential to support parents and promote children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, with likely long-term positive impacts well beyond school readiness. This chapter describes the development and pilot testing of a parallel program to Triple P, the Positive Early Childhood Education Program, a professional development and learning program designed for early childhood educators and carers. Key considerations in applying such programs in the early education setting are discussed, including awareness of local regulations, fit with early learning philosophies, and developing an environment that promotes partnerships between educators and parents. Parameters for professional development in the sector are also explored, such as online learning and opportunities for practice and coaching in the context of a busy early learning setting.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document