Can We Talk About Life Without Taking Death Into Account? Early Childhood Educators’ Self-Perceived Ability to Approach the Topic of Death With Children

The current explorative cross-sectional study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of early childhood educators towards death education and their self-perceived comfort to approach the topic of death in the classroom. All data were collected from June to July 2020. One hundred eight (108) early childhood educators participated in the study. The study was promoted through early childhood educators’ support groups and social networks. Demographic characteristics, an ad hoc questionnaire, and the Greek version of the Death Attitude Profile-R questionnaire were used to assess the educators’ comfort and attitudes. Results showed that participants’ self-perceived ability to approach the topic of death in the classroom was affected by gender and personal attitudes towards death (specifically death avoidance and fear of death). Overall, this study emphasized early childhood educators’ role in extreme situations which their students may face as death.

ASSESSMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS’ COMPETENCE IN FACILITATING SCIENTIFIC PLAY- LEARN ACTIVITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTRES IN DELTA STATE

The study identified the scientific play-learn activities practiced in early childhood education centres in Delta state and investigated the academic qualifications of the early childhood educators. It also assessed the scientific play-learn skills of the early childhood educators and examined the relationship between early childhood educators’ qualifications and scientific play-learn activities facilitation skills in the study area. These were with a view to providing succinct information about early childhood educators’ competence in facilitating scientific play-learn activities in early childhood centres in the State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised all early childhood educators in the State. The sample for the study consisted of 360 early childhood educators drawn from the three senatorial districts in the state using multistage sampling procedure. One self-designed instrument titled ‘‘Early Childhood Educators’ Competence in Science Play-learn Activities Questionnaire’’ (ECECSPAQ) was used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using frequency count, percentage, and regression analysis. The results of the study showed that 29.5% of early childhood educators in all the centres practised gravity, 22.3% practised motion, 16.4% practised electricity, 46.4% practised sound, and 24.2% practised air and wind. The results further showed that 16.1 % of the early childhood educators had senior school certificate, 11.4% had ND certificate, 20.6% had TC11 and NCE, 14.4% had HND, 4.7% had certificate in Nursery and Primary education while 10.5% also had certificate in science areas. The results also showed that early childhood educators possessed very low level of scientific play-learn skills (21.90%). The results finally showed a significant relationship of early childhood educators’ qualifications on scientific play-learn activities facilitation skills (F = 2.547, p < 0.05). The study concluded that early childhood educators possessed low competence in embarking on rich scientific play-learn activities necessary to promote science learning in children.

Sexuality education and early childhood educators in Ontario, Canada: A Foucauldian exploration of constraints and possibilities

Open conversations regarding sexuality education and gender and sexual diversity with young children in early childhood education settings are still highly constrained. Educators report lacking professional training and fearing parental and community pushback when explicitly addressing these topics in their professional practices. As such, gender and sexual diversity and conversations of bodily development are left silenced and, when addressed, filtered through heteronormative and cisnormative frameworks. Through a Foucauldian post-structural lens, this article analyses data from open-ended qualitative questions in a previous research study regarding early childhood educators’ perceptions on discussing the development of sexuality in early learning settings in an Ontario, Canada context. Through this Foucauldian post-structural analysis, the authors discuss forms of surveillance and regulation that early childhood educators experience in early learning settings regarding the open discussion of gender and sexuality. The authors explore how both the lack of explicit curricula addressing gender and sexuality in the early years in Ontario and taken-for-granted notions of developmentally appropriate practice, childhood innocence, and the gender binary – employed in discourses of sexuality education in the early years – regulate early childhood educators’ professional practices. The authors provide recommendations which critique the developmentalist logics – specifically, normative development – that are used to silence non-heterosexual and non-cisgender identities in the early years, while articulating the need for explicit curricula for educators in the early years regarding gender and sexuality in young children.

Evaluate and Intervene in Sensory Processing Disorders by Occupational Therapists in Early Intervention Teams of the North of Portugal

Background: The National Early Childhood Intervention System of Portugal is an organized set of services under the responsibility of the Ministries of Health, Labor, and Social Security and Education aimed to support children between 0 and 6 years old and their families, and its mission is to ensure Early Childhood Intervention. At present, there is no research to support the extent of the use of sensory interventions in early intervention teams of Portugal. Aims: This study aims to analyze and understand the role of occupational therapists who support children with Sensory Processing Dysfunction and their families in local Early Intervention Teams. Methods: A qualitative and descriptive research was developed using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with ten occupational therapists who have worked in Early Intervention Teams in the North of Portugal for at least one year. Results: Modulation and Praxis were the categories of Sensory Processing Dysfunction most identified. Families consider that Sensory Processing Dysfunctions interfere with children's performance in activities of daily living and playing. Early childhood educators report that Sensory Processing Dysfunctions influence the child's participation in food, playing, and in more structured and directed activities. To transfer skills, occupational therapists organize training for professionals, families, and early childhood educators. Conclusion: The importance of collaborative work between professionals and the child's family is evident, and the support they provide in the natural environment and daily routines.

Preparing preservice early childhood educators to use music in Australian settings: An audit of programmes

Music is ever-present in early childhood but does not feature strongly in the national curriculum framework – The Early Years Learning Framework in Australia or in the intentional practice of educators in early childhood education and care settings. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge and confidence or self-efficacy to engage musically with the children. Preservice educator training plays a critical role in the development of effective pedagogical skills, knowledge and understanding. This article explored the music education preparation that preservice educators receive in initial training. A content analysis approach was used to review course content of all approved preservice educator programmes in Australia by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. Interviews with tertiary teachers explored content taught. The findings offer rich insight into the extent of music education provided for preservice early childhood educators and implications for the development for future programmes.

Developing an Integrated Model to Early Childhood Education and Care in Vietnam: Perspectives of Early Childhood Educators

The partnership between school, family and community for the development and care of children has been interested in research by many scientists. This study aims to investigate Vietnamese early childhood educators’ perspectives on an integrated model to early childhood education and care in Vietnam. A self-assessment tool with 5 standards and 15 criteria was administered to 420 teachers working in 30 kindergartens across 6 provinces of Vietnam. The self-assessment tool considered 5 areas of the school, family and community partnerships, including: planning and building childcare education environments; connecting and sharing information between the school, family and the community in child care and education; coordinating in individual child education; making decisions about policies related to child care and education; and evaluating child development. Through average score analysis, the results show that early childhood educators in Vietnam stressed the significance of school, family and community involvement in early childhood education and care.