A system made up of a series of linked elements is the best way to ensure that high quality early learning and child care (ELCC) programs are the norm rather than the exception, according to research and comparative analysis. These elements — Ideas, Governance, Infrastructure, Planning and policy development, Financing, Human resources, Physical environment, Data, research and evaluation — that make up the system need to be taken into account together. Considered individually, their potential to have a positive impact will be weaker.
Research shows that the common obstacles to high quality in ELCC programs are often structural weaknesses — lack of adequate financing, unfavourable staff:child ratios, poorly qualified and inadequately paid staff, and poorly developed and implemented educational theory. These characteristics are determined by public policy.
Thus, a high quality ELCC system is the basis for high quality in ELCC programs and strong public policy is the foundation for a high quality ELCC system. The elements of a high quality ELCC system operate as a whole: there is no “magic bullet”. For the system to function well to support high quality at the program level, attention must be paid to all elements.
DOCUMENTATION
Online
Presentations
from Plan-It Quality: Environments in early learning and child care linking
research to policy and practice
SOURCE: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, 2005.
This Canadian conference held in Regina, SK featured the following keynote
presentations:
What
is good daycare? A Swedish perspective
by Andersson, B.
Achieving
multi-dimentional quality in early childhood programs
by Harms, T.
Quality
and predictors of quality in Canadian child care
by Doherty, G.
Quality
in early learning and child care services: Papers from the European Commission
Childcare Network
SOURCE: Childcare Resource and Research Unit, 2004.
This publication consists of three papers that were produced in the 1990s
as part of the work of the European Commission's Childcare Network. As the
papers were no longer available in print nor accessible electronically,
the Childcare Resource and Research Unit sought permission from the European
Commission to make the papers available to a wide audience.
Quality
in childcare services: Report on an EC Childcare Network Technical Seminar
by European Commission Childcare Network, 1990.
Quality
in services for young chidren: A discussion paper
by Balageur, I., Mestres, J. & Penn, H., 1991.
Quality
targets in services for young children: Proposals for a ten year action
programme
by European Commission Network on Childcare and Other Measures to Reconcile
the Employment Responsibilities of Men and Women, 1996.
NOTE: This paper includes a listing of 40 targets to improve the quality
of early childhood education and care in Europe. These targets can also
be found reprinted in the September 2004 issue of Children in Europe. CRRU
has also reproduced the 40 quality targets as a Quality
By Design working document.
European
Early Childhood Research Association 2004 conference: Quality in early education
– Keynote presentations
SOURCE: European Early Childhood Research Association, 2004.
The conference held in Malta featured the following presentations by keynote
speakers:
The
curriculum as means to raise the quality of early childhood education
by Laevers, F.
Conceptualising
the early childhood professional
by Oberhuemer, P.
Curriculum
issues in national policy-making
by Bennett, J. [See also the paper
based on this speech]
Starting
Strong: Early childhood education and care
SOURCE: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2001.
This is the summary report from the first cycle of the OECD’s Thematic
Review of Early Childhood Education and Care. Related reading: CRRU BRIEFING
NOTE: Executive
summary: Starting Strong-Early education and care. Report on an OECD Thematic
Review.
Child care quality:
Does it matter and does it need to be improved?
by Vandell, D.L. & Wolfe, B.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2000.
Children in Europe, September 2004 (Issue 7) -- Europe’s
role in children’s services: Should we share common values in our
search for quality?
SOURCE: Edinburgh: Children in Scotland, 2004.
This issue features the following articles:
Children: Citizens of Europe?
by Moss, P. & Balaguer, I.
The Council of Europe: Defender of children’s rights
by Kowalczyk-Kedziora, I.
Coming of age in the EU: Will children now gain their rights as
citizens?
by Cohen, B.
Building a shared vision for quality
by Balaguer, I.
Forty targets inspire childcare policy in Flanders
by Peeter, J.
Quality targets in services for young children
by European Commission Network on Childcare and Other Measures to Reconcile
the Employment Responsibilities of Men and Women
Early childhood services in Europe: England
by Moss, P.
Early childhood services in Europe: Germany
by Prott, R. & Schneider, K.
Early childhood services in Europe: Netherlands
by Schreuder, L.
Early childhood services in Europe: Sweden
by Johansson, I.
Defining program quality
by Cryer, D.
SOURCE: D. Cryer & R. Clifford (Eds.), Early childhood education and
care in the U.S.A. (pp. 31-46). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing
Company, 2003. Book.
Video
Can you feel a colour?
SOURCE: European Commission Childcare Network, 1996.
Copies are available from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, in VHS
or DVD.
