This paper presents an early childhood education model that upholds a child’s right to education in one of the world's most vulnerable and forgotten communities: a refugee camp. iACT, a non-governmental organization, works directly with refugee beneficiaries to establish, adapt, and implement Little Ripples, an early childhood education program—laying the foundation for a lifetime of well-being, learning, health, and peace for children affected by displacement and violence. This paper explores how iACT invests in the capacity of refugee community members to provide an early learning program that exceeds global standards for child-friendly spaces and the nurturing care model by prioritizing children's rights.
This study explores early childhood education through a psychological lens, comparing practices in Africa and the USA. The review delves into psychological approaches employed in early childhood education, examining how cultural, social, and economic factors shape these strategies in different contexts. By highlighting both commonalities and distinctions, this analysis aims to contribute to the understanding of effective psychological frameworks for early childhood education in diverse global settings. In the United States, early childhood education emphasizes psychological theories such as Piaget's cognitive development and Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. This study assesses the integration of these theories into pedagogical practices, exploring their impact on cognitive, social, and emotional development in young children. Additionally, it examines the influence of socio-economic factors on access to quality early childhood education and the implications for psychological development. In Africa, a range of cultural and contextual factors shape the psychological approach to early childhood education. The review analyzes indigenous psychological frameworks and their integration into educational practices, considering the role of community, family, and traditional structures in shaping children's psychological well-being. The study also investigates challenges such as limited resources and infrastructure, and how they impact the implementation of effective psychological approaches in early childhood education. Common themes emerge, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach that considers cultural diversity, socio-economic disparities, and community involvement. The study underscores the need for culturally sensitive psychological frameworks that recognize and build upon the strengths of local communities in fostering early childhood development. In conclusion, this review provides a psychological perspective on early childhood education in Africa and the USA, recognizing the influence of cultural, social, and economic factors. By identifying effective psychological approaches and considering the unique challenges in each context, the study aims to inform educators, policymakers, and researchers about strategies that promote optimal psychological development in the crucial early years of a child's life.
Samuel Darkey Ofori, David Frempong, Mariam Olateju et al.
In Fall 2020, we circulated a call for papers for a special issue, "COVID and Beyond: Reconfiguring Early Childhood Education in Canada for the 21 st Century." In seeking submissions, we noticed that the COVID virus had thrown the issue of childcare, as well as the fragility of the early childhood education system, into sharp relief.We sought theoretical and/or empirical papers that reflected on the current moment and imagined a reconfigured future.We were met with an enthusiastic response from the field, as authors proposed articles from research and ideas from practice.The seven articles assembled in this issue suggest the breadth of the myriad ways the pandemic touched the field.Collectively, the papers address curriculum, policy, licensing, Indigeneity, families, children, and more.Read as an assemblage, they illuminate the wide range of complex and varying effects the pandemic has generated across Canada.Martha Friendly, Barry Forer, Rachel Vickerson, and Sophia Mohamed provide a detailed inventory of COVID and childcare in Canada, tracking a "tale of ten provinces and three territories." They undertook the valuable work of documenting closures, shifting policies, and the sudden pivots that occurred from coast to coast to coast to manage the public health needs of children, staff, and families while also serving essential workers.Among other important lessons, the detailed review makes plain the varying capacities of different jurisdictions, a function of their diverse policy architectures.Quebec's more mature childcare policy framework meant its response differed from the rest of Canada.Sophie Matthieu unpacks how policy paradigms developed and shifted through the first and second waves of the pandemic.Since English-readers have little access to the details of Quebec, this paper does much to explain Canada's (and North America's) most developed childcare system.Equally compelling, Brooke Richardson, Alana Powell, and Rachel Langford use a gender lens to critique policy responses, showing deep connections between the needs of mothers, children, and early childhood educators.In a field that has, for strategic and other reasons, sometimes sought to downplay the role of gendered stratification, this paper reasserts the necessity of a gendered lens.Alongside systemic policy at the macro level, scholars addressed how the pandemic affected relations with and between educators and children in their everyday experiences in early childhood settings.Marie-Anne Hudson and Lori Huston advocate for inclusion of diverse ways of knowing, doing, and being in early childhood environments in order for the early childhood field to authentically be "all in this together." Also calling for inclusion, Kathryn Underwood, Tricia van Rhijn, Alice-
Abstract Objective The objective of this systematic review is to identify and analyze studies that address the relationship between racism and Early Childhood Education. Method Using the descriptors 'racism', 'racial prejudice', and 'racial discrimination', separately associated with the term 'early childhood education', a search was carried out in the following databases: Periódicos Capes, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Web of Science, and PubMed. This review followed methodological recommendations from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results Initially, 1,240 publications were identified, which, after applying the inclusion criteria, were reduced to 20. These 20 publications were analyzed in terms of authorship, year, location, method, objective, and results. Conclusion Despite an increase in recent years, the number of articles in this area is still limited, indicating the need to expand studies on this topic due to its relevance.
Dalila Castelliano de Vasconcelos, Quézia Rafaela Medeiros Sousa, Ananda Clara de Almeida Pereira et al.
Play is crucial for early childhood development, fostering skills like social-emotional competence, cognition, and language. Despite its recognized importance, factors like screen time and academic pressures have led to a decline in play implementation. This study used survey and interviews to examine teachers' perceptions of the importance of play and challenges they faced in implementing play-based learning. Classroom observations used the ECERS-3 and the CLASS assessments and recorded time spent in play to provide measures of developmentally appropriate practice, including play. Survey and interview data indicate teachers value play but face implementation barriers such as screen time and academic expectations. Data from the ECERS-3 and CLASS indicated play quality and appropriateness had lower scores than other indicators. Observations showed insufficient playtime was associated with increased challenging behaviors. There's a pressing need to promote high-quality play in early childhood education and support teachers in effective play-based learning implementation. Keywords: structured play, free play, loss of play, curriculum, policy, early childhood education, child development, perception, standardization, teacher practice
In this review of research, we offer a meta-analysis of young children’s learning and development within and across psychology, education, and linguistics. Engaging with Soja’s concept of Thirdspace, we mapped young children’s learning and development transdisciplinarily, seeking to (re)conceptualize early childhood teaching in ways that are answerable to intersectionally minoritized children, families, and communities of color—those whose voices, values, perspectives, and knowledges have been historically and continue to be contemporarily marginalized. To do so, we identified seven principles with the potential to transform early childhood teaching practice. We posit that together these principles can shift the architecture of early childhood teaching, offering promising possibilities for fostering equity by allowing us to move toward emancipatory praxis and negotiate practical solutions to education’s long history of inequities and oppressions.
Mariana Souto‐Manning, Beverly F. Falk, Dina López et al.
In this brief, using data from the Census Bureau, state administrative systems, and a Carsey survey of working parents, author Jessica Carson examines the child care landscape of the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont and links these findings to a discussion of early childhood education policy and practice. She reports that 96 percent of Upper Valley parents surveyed said child care is necessary in order for them to work. The number of slots offered by licensed (home- and center-based) early childhood education providers in the Upper Valley is 2,000 short of the estimated number of young children whose parent or parents are in the labor force. Further, the cost of licensed care for an Upper Valley family with just one infant is equivalent to 16 percent of median family income, more than twice the 7 percent that the federal government considers affordable. She discusses possible multipronged strategies and policies to address the challenges working parents face accessing early childhood care and education in the Upper Valley and beyond.
Guided by Kalamu ya Salaam’s Revolutionary Love poem, this article theorizes 3 tenets of revolutionary love in education: (a) self-examination, (b) interconnectedness, and (c) liberation. The authors, a teacher educator, educational consultant, inservice, and preservice teacher will conceptualize how they enact these tenets in teacher education and early childhood education and provide implications and recommendations for practice.
Kamania Wynter‐Hoyte, Natasha Thornton, Mukkaramah Smith et al.
This study forecasts the life-cycle treatment effects on health of a high-quality early childhood program. Our predictions combine microsimulation using nonexperimental data with experimental data from a midlife long-term follow-up. The follow-up incorporated a full epidemiological exam. The program mainly benefits males and significantly reduces the prevalence of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and mortality across the life-cycle. For men, we estimate an average reduction of 3.8 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The reduction in DALYs is relatively small for women. The gain in quality-adjusted life years is almost enough to offset all of the costs associated with program implementation for males and half of program costs for women.
We investigate whether preschool-age children exposed to Sesame Street when it aired in 1969 experienced improved educational and labor market outcomes. We exploit geographic variation in broadcast reception derived from technological factors, namely UHF versus VHF transmission. This variation is then related to census data on grade-for-age status, educational attainment, and labor market outcomes. The results indicate that Sesame Street improved school performance, particularly for boys. The point estimates for long-term educational and labor market outcomes are generally imprecise. (JEL I21, I26, J13, J24, L82)
