Interactions between preschool teachers and children, taking place in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions, have an enormous impact on child development. The quality and quantity of these interactions are crucial. This study aims at observing the actual behaviour of preschool teachers during their interactions with children in…

Early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop through the second year of life, making a stable ASD diagnosis possible around 24 months of age. However, in general, children with ASD are diagnosed later. In this study we explored the use of a short observation list to detect symptoms associated with ASD in children 12-24 months of age…

As New Zealand society has become more diverse, there are increasing numbers of children at early childhood centres and at school for whom English is the language of instruction but for whom it is not a first language. This book is written as a resource for teachers and students who are learning how to respond to the language needs of learners…

In recent years, there has been considerable investment at the European Union level in expanding early childhood education and care (ECEC) facilities. In line with this quantitative substantial initiative, research and social policies are increasingly focusing on the quality of such facilities. High quality depends, among other things, on…

Research on children's risky play and young children's risk taking is a relatively new research area that has drawn the attention of many researchers in the last decades. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no earlier studies have measured the prevalence of risky play when children can freely choose what to play, with whom, and where. Most research on…

Child care prices are expected to reflect the quality of provision. However, in contexts where there are high information asymmetries between the users of the services and providers, we may expect this link between quality and prices to be weaker. Turkey is selected for the study as it has a highly regulated child care sector where the costs of…

Adequate infrastructure plays a critical role in early childhood development (ECD) facilities providing high-quality early learning services. An ECD facility is a partial care facility that provides an early childhood programme that encompasses early learning and the development of children before they start formal schooling. Hence early learning…

This Data Point uses data from the 2019 Early Childhood Program Participation (ECPP) survey. The ECPP survey asks about young children's participation in weekly child care. The survey includes three types of care: (1) care from a family member other than a parent (relative care); (2) care from someone who is not a relative (nonrelative care); and…

The current study assessed (1) the importance of six caregiver interactions skills (sensitive responsiveness, respect for autonomy, structuring and limit setting, verbal communication, developmental stimulation, and fostering positive peer interactions) as rated by several stakeholders, (2) the quality of caregiver interactive skills, and (3) the…

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global health issue that affects significant proportions of women and girls. Despite research showing that children understand and perform stereotypical gender norms from as young as 3 years, addressing gender with young children is controversial. Programs that aim to teach gender fairness and respectful…

Most young children attend daycare regularly, making these institutions valuable in health and nutrition education. This study aimed to explore the Portuguese early childhood educators' perspectives on their role in promoting young children's healthy diets through semi-structured interviews with ten educators. We used a thematic analysis approach,…

The paper brings Froebel's philosophy into conversation with that of Deleuze. We focus on "the fold" and "on self-activity" as key concepts that hold a special place in the monist philosophies of both thinkers. One point at which their (very different) ontologies coincide is their conceptualization of a cosmos in which…

This study aims to examine pedagogical meanings of the "Mimamoru" approach frequently used by Japanese early childhood educators in children's physical fights. "Mimamoru" is a strategy in which educators intentionally withhold an intervention, while carefully observing children, to foster children's voluntary participation in…

Despite widespread availability, accessibility and affordability of early years settings in the Maltese context, the quality of services within childcare and kindergarten has never been explored. This study presents the perspectives of 436 practitioners from 50 childcare or kindergarten settings who were invited to reflect upon their understanding…

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the daily life and social relationships of pre-school children globally. While many studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on children, few have compared the home environment and children's social skills before and after the pandemic. To address this research gap, we used data from the Japan Child Care…