Research study

Resisting Neoliberalism: Professionalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care focuses on the professionalization of early childhood in Australia, Chile, England, Germany, Ireland and the United States.

This paper questions how the sector manages the constraints imposed by a neoliberal political and social world and calls upon manages the constraints imposed on it in a neoliberal political and social world. It calls on professionals to take a stand in terms of what is considered best practice. The paper further argues that continued debate is needed around the boundaries of what is called the early childhood profession, considering the ways in which the education, health and welfare sectors contribute to a holistic approach balanced against the requirement for a profession to have an identified and discrete body of knowledge.

Mary Moloney, Margaret Sims, Antje Rothe, Cynthia Buettner

International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education

2019

The early years workforce in England from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) compares conditions and characteristics of childcare workers with those in occupations that are often regarded as career alternatives.

The report highlights several key findings:

• A large proportion of childcare workers are struggling financially
• Sector recruitment problems: immediate and long-term
• The workforce has low qualifications, which could affect the quality of childcare provision
• The workforce remains predominantly female

Money, love and identity: Initial findings from the National ECEC Workforce Study shares the initial findings of a National Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce study – a three-year national study funded by the Australian Research Council. In addition to findings from the study, this report shares key takeaways from conversations during a workshop hosted by the researchers. Capturing responses from participants of this 76-delegate workshop, here you can find observations and insights into emerging themes and the implications they have for policy and practice.

This report reviews the following topics:
1. An overview of initial findings from the ECEC Workforce Study
2. Interesting and surprising findings about tensions in ECEC
3. A summary of participant responses to the study findings and other prioritized workforce topics
4. Key themes responding to the question – looking forward, in an ideal world, what is one ‘must have’ in a national ECEC Workforce Strategy?

The Erasmus+ report, Professionalisation of Childcare Assistants in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC): Pathways towards Qualification, focuses on reviewing profiles of ECEC assistants in 15 European countries, as well as the professionalization opportunities available to them. The report makes recommendations on how pathways for qualification and continuous professional development (CPD) can be created for assistants. Examples from Denmark, France and Slovenia show some successful pathways in these areas.

Several key findings were introduced in the report. The first is that ECEC assistants are not recognized in policy documents or research. This is unacceptable considering the high number of assistants in the ECEC workforce. Additionally, ECEC assistants have little opportunity to receive the same qualification as a core practitioner. There should be investment in systems that reward the work of all staff, and opportunities to be upwardly mobile at work. This includes increasing the number of opportunities for professional development that assistants have access to. European countries do not generally provide funding for staff’s non-contact time, causing assistants to miss out on reflection time with their teams.

The brief entitled, California’s ECE Workforce: What We Know Now and the Data Deficit That Remains,takes a look at three recent resources centered on the early childhood workforce in California. These include:

1) local workforce data sources from three counties;
2) annual federal data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
3) California-specific data drawn from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education

Though using various datasets presents challenges, this document presents data aimed at better understanding the current status of the early childhood education workforce in California.

A Comparative Study of Pre-service Education for Preschool Teachers in China and the United States provides a comparative analysis of the pre-service education system for preschool educators in China and the United States. Based on collected data and materials (literature, policy documents, and statistical data).

Comparisons are made between two areas of pre-service training:

1. the formal system;
2. the informal system.

In the formal system, most of the Chinese preschool teachers are trained in secondary school, though the system is shifting toward a higher reliance on associate degree programs. On the other hand, the majority of preschool teachers in the United States receive pre-service education in bachelor’s degree and associate degree programs. The study examines how the United States has relied more on the formal system to train and prepare preschool teachers, while China has focused on informal pre-service training for candidates without an early childhood background.

This study concludes with a discussion of trends for possible reforms in the two countries; it also includes lessons for elevating preschool teacher preparation.

Culture and Practice in Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Comparative and Qualitative Study focuses on two early childhood teacher education programs in contexts where the participants are undergoing rapid social and personal change. The first is a program in Namibia, and the second is a program for immigrant childcare educators in Canada.

The study's objective is to provide in-depth understanding of the ways in which differing ideas about teacher education are reflected in practice. It stresses the importance of education programs that prepare teachers to ensure young children are ready for school, and maintain meaningful connections to the culture and language of the home community. Without such connections, many children in settings undergoing rapid change will continue to drop out of school before literacy and other skills are firmly established.

The study uses ethnographic methods to undertake fieldwork in teacher education classrooms at the two research sites over a period of two terms. The central research question focuses on the way conceptions of young children’s preschool needs are played out in each setting. The data stems from analysis of early childhood care and education and teacher education curricula; policy and other documents; focused observations in teacher education classrooms and teaching practice; and interviews with teacher educators, education officers, teachers, parents, and community leaders.

This report is the final report of the CARE project (Curriculum Quality Analysis and Impact Review of European ECEC). It aims to highlight priorities in ECEC professional development and develop recommendations regarding high-quality provisions for common EU policies. Six policy priorities are identified in throughout the report:

• in-service and ongoing professional development;
• the leveraging of communities of practice (CoP) and communities of innovation (CoI);
• quality in professional development;
• innovative approaches to professional development; and
• addressing the vulnerable through professional development.

As ECEC's policies and systems evolve, so does the work and expectations of those working in the field. This emphasizes the importance of enhanced, continuous professional development.

You may also like Report on “good practice” case studies of professional development in three countries from the CARE project.

The Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina workforce study provides comprehensive data on teachers, assistant teachers and directors in early care and education centers and on the licensed early care and education programs in which they work.

Data is provided from statewide surveys of the workforce from September 2012 through February 2013.

Other workforce studies can be found via the website listed below.

Early Childhood Care and Education in Five Asian Countries seeks to consolidate early childhood developments in Asia as a basis for The Head Foundations further research and advocacy in this area.

A general overview of the ECCE landscape in the Asia-Pacific region is introduced by this resource. Country profiles are included as a way to share data on individual countries. These country profiles are presented through five aspects:

1. Programme structure,
2. Teacher qualification
3. Demographics
4. Funding and governance structure,
5. Public-private share

These profiles also provide a look at current concerns and recent developments in the countries. Common threads between these profiles are also addressed.