Encouraging Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: Implications for Informal Education Cities for Children 2010 Miho Taguma Project manager Education.

Encouraging Quality

in Early Childhood Education and Care:

Implications for Informal Education

Cities for Children 2010

Miho Taguma

Project manager

Education and Training Policy Division

Directorate for Education, OECD

Today’s Presentation

1. Quality matters. But what is quality?

2. What factors can enhance child well-being and learning outcomes?

3. What policies can make a difference in child outcomes, affecting these factors?

4. Next steps

Social outcomesEducational outcomes

Cognitive, literacy, numeracy, phonological

Socio-emotional Health

Child

Intermediaries bet/ policy and child outcomes

Interactions with Environment and Actors

Cognitive, literacy, numeracy, phonological

Socio-emotional Health

ECEC institutions(Staff, peers, etc.)

Home(Parents , siblings, grandparents, nannies, babysitters, etc)

Outside ECEC institutions/Home- parks, museums, zoos, libraries, shopping centres, others’ home, etc.(Communities, peers, other parents, strangers, babysitters, etc)

Family daycare(caregiver, peers)

Child outcomes

Research says…. (Preliminary findings)

At ECEC institutionsIndoor space (room size vs space per child)Outdoor spaceEnvironment that stimulates child’s innate curiosity

Less disruptive behaviour Less stress/ anxiety

Better cognitive development and academic outcomes

Physical Environments

At HomeRichness of the literacy environment – books at home

Better cognitive development and academic outcomes

Child outcomes

cooperative behave better

Better cognitive development and basic skills• Language• Reasoning • Verbal analogies• Letter identification/ awareness of print• Writing

Better math skills in primary schools Academic skills (girls but not boys)

ECEC staffAge (young) and Years of experience (less)Staff/child ratio and group sizeHigher qualifications and training Motivated and committed to professionalism, viewing it as a long-term careerWith sufficient time to plan activitiesAttachment to the childLess stress(Gender/Ethnic background)

Characteristics of Main Actor

ParentsSocio-economic statusMothers qualification levelsMother’s socio-emotional status

Lone parent status Socio-emotional status (depression) Parenting behaviour (discipline, neglect,

consistent/inconsistent routines, etc)

Verbal ability Poverty Hygene and sanity Obesity

Depression/ anxiety Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Aggressive behaviors Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD

Cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes throughout the life course

Child

Independent thinkingBetter cognitive development and academic outcomes

PedagogyConsistent staff behaviourStaff child ratioInteractions Shared thinking, continuous thinking• Asking open-ended Q and asking further Qs based on the child’s response

Less disruptive behaviour Less stress/ anxiety Self-confidence

Curriculum and preparationSufficient play time “learning through playing” (not too much academic)Combination: staff-initiated group work and child-initiated free activities (not too staff-initiatedDuration of the curriculumVariety (different topics, mixed activities)

• Focus on foundations skills (social and cognitive behaviour, memory, early literacy, early numeracy, reading & writing, oral communication

• Dramas, physical movements, etc.• Health-related matters (using signs, pictures, drama, etc.)

With sufficient time allocated for preparation to plan activities

Lower participation in SEN Better word analysis, numeracy, shape recognition in kindergarten (if too much, effects fade out) Better language development Better school readiness Better reading scores (grade 3 & 8) Lower repetition rates Higher HS completion

Less disruptive behaviour Less stress/ anxiety (if too much, risk to illness) Self-confidence self-regulation Independent thinking lower crime rates (age 23)

Increased knowledge about nutrition, hygiene Less obesity in later years

Parental engagement at home and attitudes towards the childInteractions; parents and child to engage in togetherEarly literacy activities at home

• Reading to child, reading aloud signs and labels• Telling stories, • Singing songs, • Playing with letters and numbers, alphabet toys, word games, etc.• Visiting library, • Drawing, etc.

Better cognitive development Better readers Better grades in grade 4

Pro-social and positive behaviour Self-esteem Perseverance and motivation More participation in learning Positive engagement with peers and adults

Engagement between Child and Main Actor

ECEC policy – Improving working conditions and provide relevant training

Policies to Change the Environment and Actors: 1) ECEC Institutions/ Staff

Pedagogy and attitudes towards the childConsistent staff behaviour, warm attitudesInteractions ScaffoldingShared thinking, continuous thinking• Asking open-ended Q and asking further Qs based on the child’s response

ECEC staffAge (young) and Years of experience (less)Staff/child ratio and group sizeHigher qualifications and training Motivated and committed to professionalism, viewing it as a long-term careerWith sufficient time to plan activitiesAttachment to the child(Gender/Ethnic background)

Raise status of ECEC professionals Arrange for wage-setting and other terms and conditions Modernise qualifications and diversify career paths Offer adequate and needs-based staff support Monitor workforce supply and assess working conditions ….etc.

Revise teacher education to raise the level of qualifications Develop continuous, specialised training (vs experience) with support from employers

• Age-appropriate language and literacy interventions• Numeracy, experimental sciences• Blending embedded and explicit instructional strategies• Focus on child development (how children learn, see the world, etc.)• Assessment of well-being and learning• Communication with parents

Provide financial support to employed staff for upskilling Integrate training and qualifications among staff across different levels Ensure allocating public funding to improve the quality of staff Provide grants to partnerships providing high quality professional development to staff

working with children from low-income families in high need districts Use recognition of non-formal and informal learning to validate existing competences ….etc.

Strategies to implement…ECEC policy – Improving working conditions

ECEC policy – Providing relevant training

Policies to Change the Environment and Actors: 3) Home/Parents

ECEC policy - Encourage parental and community engagement

Anti-poverty measure

Adult education and training policy

Social welfare policy

Equity measures

ParentsSocio-economic statusMothers qualification levelsMother’s socio-emotional status

Lone parent status Socio-emotional status (depression) Parenting behaviour (discipline, neglect,

consistent/inconsistent routines, etc)

Parental engagement at home and attitudes towards the childInteractions; parents and child to engage in togetherEarly literacy activities at home

• Reading to child, reading aloud signs and labels• Telling stories, • Singing songs, • Playing with letters and numbers, alphabet toys, word games, etc.• Visiting library, • Drawing, etc.

Home environmentRichness of the literacy environment – books at home

Frequent contacts between ECEC staff and parents Home visits Extended class visits Parents help with a class activity, or do activities at home, which are

consistent / continuity with those in the classroom Open site – families can visit at any time during the regular hours of

operation Families are included in the governing/ advisory groups Provide families with information about programmes and services of

other families/programmes to help them ensure good health and provide education opportunities for their children

…etc.

Strategies to implement…

ECEC policy - Encourage parental and community engagement

ECEC policy – Broad guidelines and curricular standards with the stakeholders for all ECEC services

Policies to Change the Environment and Actors: 3) Curriculum

CurriculumSufficient play time “learning through playing”Combination: staff-initiated group work and child-initiated free activitiesDurationVariety (different topics, mixed activities)• Focus on foundations skills (social and cognitive behaviour, memory, early

literacy, early numeracy, reading & writing, oral communication • Dramas, physical movements, etc.• Health-related matters (using signs, pictures, drama, etc.)

ECEC policy – broad guidelines and curricular standards with the stakeholders for all ECEC services

Strategies to implement…

Clarify the broad (not detailed) goals for ECEC with all the key stakeholders and set out educational plans Formulate national guidelines – flexible and relevant - after a wide process of consultation – democratic and respectful of parental wishes and educatorsProvide training to teachers to implement the curriculum (also to be creative with flexibility given) Monitor the implementation of the curricular standards Develop research-based curricular and assessmentIntegrate ECEC to develop comprehensive early childhood guidelines/ curricular standards Ensure curriculum foster smooth transition from ECEC to preschoolAllocate funding to implement quality curriculumIntegrate quality assurance mechanisms for ECECGive autonomy to ECEC services ensure giving training concerning pedagogy, curriculum development, etc (see “provide training”)…etc.

Next StepsRemaining Qs:• What are the success factors/ obstacles for implementation?• What kind of tools, checklists, materials, data can help implement?

Project Phase:• Answer the above questions• Assist countries with the implementation phase

• From ‘what’ to ‘how’• Policy Forum organised at a national, regional, municipality/city level

For more information: [email protected]