This paper makes a case for developing a theory of quality ecologies in early childhood education and care, and presents our initial thoughts around how that might be done, including how it might create a space for further thinking, research and discussion. First, the politicised, positivist nature of dominant contemporary interpretations of…

We explore how a social justice and capabilities perspective serves as a conceptual tool to understand the quality of education (QoE) in Turkey so that policy can be developed to make the education system inclusive of all learners, provide relevant education, and allow stakeholders' democratic participation. We provide a critical discussion about…

Despite steady investment to improve early childhood progammes in recent years, many Jamaican early childhood institutions are ill-prepared or unable to adequately meet the developmental needs of children for a number of reasons. Such schools are often labelled as failing or low quality. While teachers and schools are often blamed for this, an…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is one of the key challenges facing China. This paper reviews the development of ECEC in China and its challenges. Substantial developments and policy reforms related to ECEC since the 1980s have been examined, and the practices in China have been highlighted. The review reveals that the ECEC system has…

In Germany, responsibility for early childhood education and care (ECEC) lies with the 16 federal states, which define the structures, financing and regulations concerning ECEC. Due to a subsidiary system, municipalities are not able to offer ECEC as long as private providers offer enough places. These providers employ a large variety of…

The quality of early childhood experiences is crucial to a child's development and educational success. Yet few early childhood education and care services in the world today offer a consistently high level of educational quality. In particular, educational quality depends on the context's characteristics. The aim of this study was therefore to…

There is considerable literature describing the use of Change Laboratory as a simultaneous research and intervention methodology in workplace settings. However, there is limited literature describing Change Laboratory from the researcher-facilitator perspective. This paper examines the ethical dimensions of Change Laboratory from this perspective…

In March 2022, Child Trends contracted with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct an independent evaluation of Parent Aware, Minnesota's quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for early care and education (ECE) programs. The evaluation, required by the 2021 Minnesota Legislature, includes several research activities…

A subset of extant data (N = 423) from the Family Life Project, a population-based study of Black and White families with low incomes from rural communities, were used to test for associations between teacher depressive symptoms and children's cognitive outcomes at 36 months. A second aim tested whether early care and education (ECE) quality…

Pre-primary education is crucial for children's cognitive, social, and emotional development, setting the foundation for academic success. Parental engagement is a critical factor that positively impacts the quality of service provision in pre-primary schools. This study examined the influence of parental engagement on the provision of quality…

This article sheds light on governance mechanisms at work when decentralised implementation of national educational and welfare policies encounters a heterogeneous sector of private service provider organisations. It illuminates how isomorphic pressure plays out at the interface between local governance and private providers' organisational…

The early care and education (ECE) sector in New Hampshire (NH) is a complex ecosystem that must account for families' needs and resources, the capacity and availability of the workforce, and the costs of providing services. This ecosystem is also bolstered (and constrained) by local, state, and federal policy. This series of primers, titled the…

Background: Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) programs often expand by offering Pre-K in both public schools and in community-based providers (CBOs). This approach gives families more options and allow UPK programs to increase access more quickly. However, little is known about which CBOs select into these systems. This is an important gap in the…

Given the benefits of critical consciousness (CC), it is important to consider what environmental levers may promote it. Higher-quality education experiences have served as key contextual supports for marginalized youth. Notably, investment in the quality of education for preschoolers has one of the highest rates of return for society compared…

Within an early childhood setting strong collaborative partnerships between the service and the family are critical to the success of a child's development and learning. Collaborative interactions with families are considered indicators of quality within early childhood services. Whilst the value and importance of collaborative partnerships are…