Research study

The quality of the early childhood workforce is central to service provision in this area, being a major factor in determining children’s development over the course of their lives. Specific skills and competencies are expected from early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Well-trained staff from ECEC settings are an extremely important factor in providing high-quality services which will positively influence the outcomes of children. The present paper analyses the quality of early childhood education and care workforce from the parents’ perspective in the context of Romania’s early childhood reform agenda. A critical review of the specific situation of the early childhood system in relation to the workforce from this sector is made in the first part of the paper in order to highlight the complexity of this issue. In the second part, the authors will present the results of empirical research developed in 2017 using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to assess the activity of early childhood education and care staff. The main challenges in this field as they emerge from research will be analyzed, the findings having implications for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of ECEC services.

Below you may download one of the 30 Workforce Profiles (country reports) on the current status quo regarding the qualification requirements for early childhood education and care professionals (pedagogues, teachers, educators), the composition of the workforce, the systems of initial professional education and continuing professional development, current reform initiatives and research projects and selected aspects of the working conditions of staff in each of the 30 participating countries.The initial Workforce Profiles in Systems of Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe were provided by mostly long-standing cooperation partners according to a research specification which they received for comment before compilation of the data. The final versions are based on a long period of close collaboration between the editors and the authors. The reports vary in length between approximately 25 pages and 80 pages.SEEPRO-R takes a look at many of the new fundamental reforms including, qualification and competence requirements for early childhood workforce and the structures of professional studies and continuing education. More on the SEEPRO-R project here.

Transforming European ECEC services and Primary schools into professional learning communities: drivers, barriers and ways forward focuses on Professional Learning Communities, within competent early years systems, which help professionals better serve the complex needs of families and their children.The diverse societies in which we live make it impossible to find standardized solutions for all families. New competences like negotiation and reflection must be integrated with additional forms of continued professional development (CPD) that focus on the active and democratic participation of staff.Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a valuable answer to this complex issue. PLCs are ‘groups of people sharing and critically interrogating their practice in an on-going, reflective, collaborative, inclusive, learning-oriented, growth-promoting way’.Competent systems are essential for the creation and maintenance of PLCs. The latter require a multilevel network of competences, structural conditions, engagement, and awareness. This report seeks to:

1. provide a framework to explain the need for PLCs today;
2. offer a clear definition of the essential criteria that define a PLC, with concrete examples from several European countries; and
3. provide four in-depth case studies—from Belgium (Flanders), Croatia, Italy and Slovenia—which illustrate different ways of establishing and sustaining PLCs.

The report includes specific conclusions and recommendations for policy makers in Member States. Please note that the report focuses on services and schools for 0 to 12 years old children. However, the key concepts and conclusions could also be re-adapted for secondary school.

The relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of early childhood care and learning environment attempts to synthesize the empirical evidence on the relationship of teacher qualifications on the quality of early childhood learning environments. The study aims to answer one question:Is there a relationship between the level and type of education of the lead teacher, and the quality of the early childhood learning environment, as measured by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, the Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale and their revised versions?The authors review 48 studies with 82 independent samples from 1980 to 2014, examining the relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of ECEC environment. The results draw upon information from quantitative research data from a number of countries, showing that higher qualifications of teachers are significantly correlated with higher quality ECEC. 

Review of Occupational Role Profiles in Ireland in Early Childhood Education and Care presents a profile for the early childhood profession in Ireland.

The aim is to develop the Irish early childhood care and education sector into a genuine Competent System. A central requirement for achieving this goal is a shared orientation for all practitioners working with children from birth to eight years, regardless of occupational status, job title and level of formal qualification.

The concept of Competent Systems in early childhood has been developed by the CoRe project – an international study that investigated Competence Requirements in Early Childhood Education and Care on behalf of the European Commission (Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, & Peeters, 2011). Central to a competent system is that shared orientations are not only required of practitioners ‘on the ground’ but of all professionals and institutions that together constitute the early childhood system: early childhood settings, training and professional preparation, research, regulation and governance, inspection and evaluation.

2016 Alameda County Early Care and Education Workforce Study aims to inform policy, planning and advocacy efforts in California, specifically Alameda County. The study collected countrywide information about teaching staff employed by center-based ECE programs with the goal of identifying the demographic, education and employment characteristics of Alameda Country’s center-based workforce. The data is intended to inform policy makers and to serve as a resource for stakeholders interested in information on the state of the early childhood workforce to inform policymaking, planning and the investment of resources.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality presents the findings from the SEQUAL study focused on teaching staff. Supportive Environmental Quality Underlying Adult Learning (SEQUAL), developed by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE), is used to document contextual information about workplace conditions that impact teacher practice and program quality and to build a vocabulary for the field around teachers’ needs for workplace support. The tool addresses five critical areas of teachers’ learning environments:

• Teaching supports;
• Learning opportunities;
• Policies and practices that support teaching staff’s initiative and teamwork;
• Adult well-being; and
• How supervisors and program leaders interact with staff to support their teaching practice.

In this study, assistant teachers, teachers, lead teachers and administrators employed at the 42 center-based early care and education programs reported assessments of their work environments for each of the five SEQUAL domains. This resource presents information for each of these domains, as well as recommendations for funders and policymakers.

You can find out more about SEQUAL on the CSCCE website here.

Child Protective Services Workforce Analysis and Recommendations looks at the growing issue of child abuse in Texas and the great challenge of retaining a high-quality workforce in the state’s Child Protective Services (CPS). This documents explores trends and past reforms in the state, before addressing the issue of workforce turnover. Several issues that contribute to turnover are addressed, as well as the stages of the system.

Towards the Right Care for Children: Orientations for reforming alternative care systems - Africa, Asia, Latin America, commissioned by the European Commission Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development commissioned SOS Children’s Villages International to conduct a study on the possible issue of institutionalization in six South and Central American, Asian and African countries, in order to strengthen the knowledge of the European Commission on the nature, the extent and scope of institutionalization and feasibility of the de-institutionalization.
 
The objectives of this research was to:

• map and summarize the existing knowledge on (de-) institutionalization in the three continents concerned;
• increase the knowledge base on (de-) institutionalization in the six countries; and
• provide guidelines for future EU strategies on (de-)institutionalization in developing countries.

This synthesis report brings together desk reviews and country studies through which a large collection of documents from various sources have been consulted.

The Role of Social Service Workforce Development in Care Reform illustrates key issues by drawing on the experiences of Indonesia, Moldova and Rwanda – three countries are in the process of reform. Each country's reform takes place within their own context and history, social and political system, protection structure and services, and social services education system.

The case studies highlight each country’s reform processes and identifys learning in terms of the approach taken to strengthen and align the social service workforce given the needs of the system, the scope and actors involved, and the different care reform strategies and outcomes. The case studies are presented with recognition of the ongoing and dynamic process and are examples from different stages and contexts of reform.