Access to early child education services has been proven to be an efficient tool in fighting educational inequalities. However, while wealthier families are likely to use childcare services, disadvantaged children tend to be left out. Research has explained this effect, known as Mathew Effect, and has studied both the constraints in the…

The article addresses religious and racioreligious othering in preschools in South Tyrol, an autonomous province in Northern Italy with a predominantly catholic population in which migration is still discussed as a rather "new" phenomenon. Theoretically, the article draws on education policy research and on migration pedagogy as a way to…

Education for sustainable development is one of the key components of the 2030 Agenda. Previous research emphasizes the importance of access to education as early as possible in accordance with the goals and contents of sustainable development. It is assumed that educational policies have incorporated education for sustainable development (ESD)…

The divided nature of the ECEC workforce is widely acknowledged. While scholarship has focused primarily on the consequences of the education-care divide, few studies have examined the workforce's fragmentation from a subnational perspective, particularly in the Global South. This article explores multiple fragmentations in the workforce, drawing…

The study draws on a relational and intersectional approach to young children's belonging in Finnish educational settings. Belonging is conceptualized as a multilevel, dynamic, and relationally constructed phenomenon. The aim of the study is to explore how children's belonging is shaped in the intersections between macro-, meso-, and micro-levels…

The rapid spread of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) has been responsible for massive global impacts on the lives of children, families and communities. It is important to document these effects for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector. This report focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and ECEC sector, given limited regional studies…

Global environmental changes and substantial social justice issues are impacting all, raising significant concerns for the Earth's future. There is a need for equitable education as an avenue towards addressing these sustainability challenges. This qualitative content analysis study examined a representation of the concerns and interests of…

The purpose of this article is to report on a study exploring the sustainability work (i.e., practices and pedagogies related to sustainability education) of Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) teaching practice settings. Recently, the early years and ECEC have gained increasing attention in sustainability education matters.…

The Brundtland (1987) report challenged the perception that the environment was somehow separate from humans and the more recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UNESCO, 2015) have emphasised the pressing need for sustainable development to meet the needs of current and future generations. As progress towards meeting the SDGs by 2030 was not…

This research provides a comparative analysis of survey data from practitioners in Japan, Australia, and Korea on their practices for early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). These data were previously reported for each specific country. In these analyses, educators' conceptual understandings and pedagogical practices relating to…

Daytime sleep is a significant part of the daily routine for children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Australia and many other countries. The practice of sleep-time can account for a substantial portion of the day in ECEC and often involves a mandated sleep/rest period for all children, including older…

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policies and practices are local, historically and socially context-specific constructions. In addition to local ideals and policies, discursive practices concerning ECEC are influenced by universal ideals that are described and assigned by the member states of the United Nations Convention on the Rights…

National policies on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECEC) are usually evaluated by commentators in terms of their own history and context. However, the recent OECD family database offers comparative tables on a range of ECEC policies, and charts their impact on different socio-economic groups within countries. From a comparative point of view…

In this paper we consider how particular discourses have come to dominate early childhood education (ECE) policy in Indonesia. We briefly explain the governance of Indonesian ECE and then our approach to policy analysis using critical discourse analysis. Three prevalent discourses are identified and discussed: "developmentalism",…

Over the past 20 years, more than 6,000 community-based childcare centers (CBCCs) have been created in mostly rural areas of Malawi. Although the original purpose of these CBCCs was to meet the care needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the services have since expanded their mandate to provide early…