This study examines the impacts of Chicago's Universal Pre-K (UPK) expansion on the operational dynamics of preschools across setting types from the perspective of administrators. Specifically, we explore how Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principals and and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) directors experienced the implementation of UPK.…

Theoretically framed by public pedagogy, the study explores teachers' use of public sites for undocumented migrant children. The findings demonstrate that teachers utilized various non-school, informal, and public spaces including libraries/museums, open marketplaces, and public parks/squares as powerful platforms to foster children's learning,…

National policies aiming at marketisation and privatisation in welfare sectors such as Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) require governance and organisation to be realised. In Sweden, the municipalities are key but largely under-researched organisers for preschool quasi-market infrastructures. This study explores the different ways in…

This study examines how researchers and practitioners navigate between different discourses in a large-scale research-practice partnership (RPP). While argued to be challenging to conduct, RPPs are also argued to be promising for closing the research-practice gap in education. To contribute to our understanding of RPPs, 45 h of video recorded…

International pre-service teachers (PSTs) can struggle to engage with Professional Experience (PE) communities in an Australian Early Childhood Education context. This qualitative case study examines three first-year Chinese international PSTs' PE in different early childhood settings in Australia. Framed by Bourdieu's analytical concepts, this…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve preschool program maintenance and decision-making processes as understood by teachers, parents, administrators, and community members. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of interviews with two teachers, one current and one former, and three former parents…

This article recounts the changes that occurred when a research study was redesigned to become more participatory, involving children, teachers, families, and the wider symbolic cultural neighbourhood. What emerged was a research study that was "integrated" into the curriculum of a four-year-old classroom. Here, the process is…

Children with disabilities are at an increased risk of being less likely to participate when compared to their typically developing peers. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the frequency of participation in the home, preschool and community setting between typically developing children and children with…

This study investigated the extent to which preschool teachers have been prepared to recognize students with potential learning needs. The ability of these teachers to recognize students with learning needs and provide appropriate support or referrals is critical for the success of the students. Through this research, several insights have emerged…

This paper shares reflections and stories from a collaborative design process between the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab and a global network of community-based educators to develop a creative coding app called OctoStudio, which supports children and families to create and share interactive projects on mobile devices. The app…

Early childhood is an opportune time to begin teaching STEM, and preschool education provides the opportunity. How children experience and respond to STEM in community-based preschools is our focus. Using the CIRCLE classroom observation system, we examined how frequently and in what contexts preschool teachers provided STEM learning…

Background: When New York City's (NYC) Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE) enacted their historic expansion of free programming for four-year-olds under Pre-K for All, they designed a complex system of professional learning (PL) to support teachers and high-quality programming. This study, developed in partnership between NYU and DECE,…

Universal prekindergarten initiatives have increased at the local and state levels. With the goals of supporting children's development and increasing families' access to high-quality, affordable early learning opportunities, prekindergarten programs have gained political support and funding. Approaches to program design and implementation vary…

This study examines the experiences of 17 teacher candidates who participated in a literacy-focused service-learning initiative in the aftermath of destructive tornadoes in their community. In response to the natural disaster, the Literacy Ambassadors, composed of university literacy faculty and teacher candidates, sought to address the critical…

Through a school case study, this research identifies the macro- and micro-elements that influence the continuing professional development of nursery staff in a Spanish educational setting. Organizational theories are employed to highlight the professional learning experienced by nursery staff through types of learning (formal, informal, and…