This study examined the leadership approach to child health and wellbeing within the early-years sector; it drew upon the evidence from thirty-two practitioners and ten nursery managers. Practitioners evidenced the challenges in recognising the signs and symptoms of low wellbeing and in monitoring progress. A constructivist paradigm enabled…

This study examined the contextual factors that shape how young children come to value and use the visual arts in their learning. The research sought to understand more deeply, the impact of visual arts practices that are informed by sociocultural theories on children's and their family's perceptions and engagement with the visual arts in their…

This study examines preschool children's play tendency and their prosocial behavior. The screening method was used in the study, and it was carried out with a total of 319 four- to six-year-old children who attended state kindergartens. "Children's Playfulness Scale" and "Child Prosocialness Scale" were used as data collection…

This study examined the learning experiences of pre-service teachers completing a project with young children using the Project Approach methodology. The study used a mixed-methods research design to evaluate the teaching efficacy, attitudes, and knowledge of 55 pre-service teachers enrolled in an Early Childhood through Grade 6 certification…

The article addresses children's perspectives of belonging in early childhood education settings in five European countries. Children's belonging is understood to be dynamic processes that are formed through multiple relations. Twenty children aged 4-8 with diverse backgrounds participated in the study: two boys and two girls from each country.…

The government has imposed social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the education sector, including the early childhood school. Distance education offers different methods from the conventional methods, as the students are expected to gain the same skills, including critical thinking skills. Therefore, teachers must provide…

Young children are disproportionately impacted by trauma (Barnett & Hambien, n.d.) and are more vulnerable to the impact of trauma (Bartlett et al., 2017). Trauma in the early years' impacts brain development (Bartlett, et al., 2017; Sciaffara et al., 2018), which has both immediate (Bartlett & Smith, 2017) as well as long-term…

The provision of environments that support and afford play is fundamental for young children's experiences, learning and development. Play environments of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions are therefore of great importance for the opportunities provided children to create and engage in a wide range of play. This study examines…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate gendered play in early childhood settings by examining how preschool educators' perceptions of gender create spaces that support gender exploration and expression. The study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What are pre-k teachers' perceptions of gender? 2. How do pre-k…

The research presented in this article contributes to our understanding of wild pedagogies, put into practice through the exploration of a space where culture/Nature binaries are blurred and contrasted. The observations and findings challenge the way we "see," come to know, and position ourselves as part of or separate from the natural…

This article adopts a process evaluation approach to identify the challenges and opportunities in scaled implementation of early childhood education (ECE) in Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab. It reports findings from mixed methods, including surveys administered to head teachers, ECE teachers, and parents across 386 schools, and focus…

The mental health of students with disabilities has received increasing attention, yet it is difficult for early childhood teachers to identify young children with mental health issues and access support. Research has shown the lack of timely intervention might cause more serious emotional issues later. The interplay of disability, young age, and…

This study examined several early childhood education and care (ECEC) factors and their relation to children's salivary cortisol slope and hair cortisol concentration (HCC). The study is part of the cross-sectional DAGIS study, conducted in 2015-2016, examining 66 preschools and 677 children aged 3-6 years in Finland. Two saliva samples from one…

Circle time is a common part of the day in many early childhood programs. This important routine can encompass instruction on curricular concepts, provide a space to introduce new topics, and build membership and community within inclusive classrooms. Lesson plans or strategies for circle time instruction are also a part of many early childhood…

Contextual approaches to high quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) seek to capture the complexity of children's lives, developing pedagogical approaches that are responsive to children's needs and interests. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a complex layer to the question of what constitutes quality ECEC. A mixed methods…