In this article, the authors discuss capabilities and ableism in early childhood education by drawing from the capabilities approach and ableism-critical perspectives. Both capabilities and ableism are relevant concepts for inclusive early childhood education but hold different analytical potentials as they differ in their genealogy and conceptualisation. While the exposure of ableism is a mode of criticism against ableist structures and oppression, the capabilities approach serves as a framework for a good life and opportunities for enablement. So far, these approaches have rarely been brought together. Based on a review of the literature and an exploratory analysis of selected early childhood education policy in Austria, the authors show that the capabilities approach and ableism offer complementary perspectives to the field. They first introduce the capabilities approach and ableism, highlighting their conceptual differences and parallels. Second, they focus on inclusive early childhood education as part of the broader field of inclusive education. Based on the existing literature, they illustrate how the capabilities approach and ableism offer analytical perspectives for early childhood education. Third, the authors contextualise early childhood education in an Austrian context and then present their analysis of cap/abilities in pivotal early childhood education policy documents. The findings are then clustered around the aspects of competences through early childhood education and the competences of early childhood educators , highlighting both enabling and excluding dimensions of cap/abilities. They conclude that by considering the capabilities approach and ableism together in the form of a cap/abilities continuum, it becomes possible to uncover the narrow ability expectations inherent in early childhood education and simultaneously explore the potentials of early childhood education for the development of capabilities from an ableism-critical perspective.
Abstract The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into early childhood education (ECE) presents transformative possibilities but raises urgent ethical challenges that demand immediate attention. This scoping review examines 42 studies to explore key ethical concerns in four interconnected areas: data privacy, impacts on child development, algorithmic bias, and regulatory frameworks. Findings reveal significant gaps in safeguarding children’s sensitive data, with inadequate protections against breaches, profiling, and misuse. Emotional AI tools, such as social robots and emotion-recognition technologies, offer novel learning opportunities but risk undermining relational learning and fostering overreliance, manipulation, or loss of autonomy. The lack of developmentally appropriate design in AI systems further exacerbates these risks, failing to align technological solutions with the unique needs of young learners. Algorithmic bias, driven by non-representative datasets, perpetuates systemic inequities, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and eroding fairness. Regulatory frameworks are fragmented and inconsistent, often lacking provisions tailored to the vulnerabilities of children or mechanisms for global enforcement. To address these challenges, this study highlights the urgency of establishing global frameworks that prioritize transparency, data minimization, and cultural inclusivity. Engaging educators, parents, and children in participatory governance is essential to align AI design with developmental needs and uphold children’s rights. These findings underscore the need for immediate and sustained efforts to ensure that AI systems in ECE foster equitable and ethical learning environments, safeguarding the well-being of young learners while advancing innovation responsibly.
Saidatul Buang and colleagues report on collaborative efforts to introduce HPV vaccination in Malaysia and increase coverage Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally.1 Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 collectively cause 70% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions.1 The UN joint global programme on cervical cancer prevention and control includes HPV immunisation for girls as one of its three priorities at country level, together with screening and treatment for cervical pre-cancer, and diagnosis and treatment of invasive cervical cancer.2 In Malaysia, the age standardised cervical cancer rate is 7.8 per 100 000 females, making it the third most common cancer in women, with 4352 new cases reported for 2007-11.3 Malaysia’s HPV immunisation programme was introduced in 2010, within a healthcare system that has a credible track record (box 1, table 1). We present a case study of this programme and explore the role of multisectoral collaboration in achieving near universal immunisation of an estimated annual cohort of 250 000 13 year old girls. Box 1 ### Key facts about Malaysia #### Demographics4 #### Health7RETURN TO TEXT
Saidatul Norbaya Buang, Safurah Jaafar, Indra Pathmanathan et al.
New interactive technologies in terms of smart mobile devices and accompanied applications (apps) attract an increasing attention in the field of preschool and early-primary education. This has risen a great amount of academic literature, and numerous implementation initiatives. Despite this widespread interest, successful integration of interactive technologies in preschool and early-primary education still faces unresolved issues and challenges. This paper refers mostly to smart mobile devices and their accompanied mobile applications (apps) at the device/platform level. Robotics, Mathematics, STEM and Literacy are discussed below, since these are the fields found to provide most opportunities in early childhood, especially promising to cultivate interests early in computing. The ultimate objective is to present a greater comprehension of the influence of new technologies on young children's learning procedure and its potential for early childhood education. The study ends up with a general analysis of the research findings and a short proposal for the extension of the under-study subject as well.
Immunisation is a cornerstone to primary health care and is an exceptionally good value. The 14 low-income and middle-income countries in the Middle East and North Africa region make up 88% of the region's population and 92% of its births. Many of these countries have maintained high immunisation coverage even during periods of low or negative economic growth. However, coverage has sharply deteriorated in countries directly impacted by conflict and political unrest. Approximately 1.3 million children were not completely vaccinated in 2017, as measured by third dose of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine. Most of the countries have been slow to adopt the newer, more expensive life-saving vaccines mainly because of financial constraints and the socioeconomic context. Apart from the three countries that have had long-standing assistance from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, most countries have not benefited appreciably from donor and partner activities in supporting their health sector and in achieving their national and subnational immunisation targets. Looking forward, development partners will have an important role in helping reconstruct health systems in conflict-affected countries. They can also help with generating evidence and strategic advocacy for high-priority and cost-effective services, including immunisation. Governments and ministries of health would ensure important benefits to their populations by investing further in their immunisation programmes. Where possible, the health system can create and expand fiscal space from efficiency gains in harmonising vaccine procurement mechanisms and service integration; broader revenue generation from economic growth; and reallocation of government budgets to health, and from within health, to immunization.
Helen Saxenian, Nahad Sadr-Azodi, Miloud Kaddar et al.
Spain is a key member of the European Union, which stands out with its high enrollment rates and comprehensive early childhood education system among EU countries. Early childhood education (Educación Infantil, 0-6 years old) in Spain is a non-compulsory stage in the country’s education system. Over 95% of Spanish children start school at the age of 3, and the enrollment rate of children aged 3 to 5 is close to 100%. The study explores the unique features of early childhood education in Spain, emphasizing its internationalized educational framework, comprehensive educational objectives and content, relatively well-developed welfare system, as well as the emphasis on children’s foreign language proficiency and digital literacy, provide valuable insights for the development of early childhood education in other countries.
It is intended to carry out a tour about the influence of neuroscience in early childhood education. It is important that all teachers, especially those working with infants, can know the fundamental principles of neuroscience and how the brain learns; thus have sufficient resources for decision making in school classrooms. This research paper attempts to make an introduction about the topic to be addressed and its focus on early childhood education.
Abstract In an effort to enhance the quality of early childhood education (ECE) at scale, nearly all U.S. states have recently adopted Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). These accountability systems give providers and parents information about program quality and create both reputational and financial incentives for program improvement. However, we know little about whether these accountability reforms operate as theorized. This study provides the first empirical evidence on this question using data from North Carolina, a state with a mature QRIS. Using a regression discontinuity design, we examine how assignment to a lower quality rating influenced subsequent outcomes of ECE programs. We find that programs responded to a lower quality rating with comparative performance gains, including improvement on a multi‐faceted measure of classroom quality. Programs assigned to a lower star rating also experienced enrollment declines, which is consistent with the hypothesis that parents responded to information about program quality by selectively enrolling away from programs with lower ratings. These effects were concentrated among programs that faced higher levels of competition from nearby providers.
This study determined 1) why the Jambi Province Early Childhood Education and Community Education have not been able to improve the quality of Early Childhood Education; 2) how is the management of the Jambi Province Early Childhood Education and Community Education Partnership in improving the quality of Early Childhood Education; 3) how is the quality improvement by Jambi Province Early Childhood Education and Community Education in Jambi Province; 4) how to manage Jambi Province Early Childhood Education and Community Education to improve the quality of Early Childhood Education. This research used descriptive qualitative method, with a phenomenological-naturalistic approach. Sampling was taken by purposive sampling. The results showed that Jambi Province Early Childhood Education and Community Education Jambi Province have implemented management to improve the quality of Early Childhood Education in Jambi by implementing quality management starting from planning, organizing, implementing and monitoring which refers to TQM in Education, but in the process and the results were not optimal and not yet able to provide consumer’s satisfaction.
BACKGROUND: Asia is a region that is rapidly urbanising. While overall urban health is above rural health standards, there are also pockets of deep health and social disadvantage within urban slum and peri-urban areas that represent increased public health risk. With a focus on vaccine preventable disease and immunisation coverage, this commentary describes and analyses strengths and weaknesses of existing urban health and immunisation strategy, with a view to recommending strategic directions for improving access to immunisation and related maternal and child health services in urban areas across the region. The themes discussed in this commentary are based on the findings of country case studies published by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) on the topic of immunisation and related health services for the urban poor in Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. MAIN BODY: Although overall urban coverage is higher than rural coverage in selected countries of Asia, there are also wide disparities in coverage between socio economic groups within urban areas. Consistent with these coverage gaps, there is emerging evidence of outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in urban areas. In response to this elevated public health risk, there have been some promising innovations in operational strategy in urban settings, although most of these initiatives are project related and externally funded. Critical issues for attention for urban health services access include reaching consensus on accountability for management and resourcing of the strategy, and inclusion of an urban poor approach within the planning and budgeting procedures of Ministries of Health and local governments. Advancement of local partnership and community engagement strategies to inform operational approaches for socially marginalised populations are also urgently required. Such developments will be reliant on development of municipal models of primary health care that have clear delegations of authority, adequate resources and institutional capabilities to implement. CONCLUSIONS: The development of urban health systems and immunisation strategy is required regionally and nationally, to respond to rapid demographic change, social transition, and increased epidemiological risk.
John Grundy, Xiaojun Wang, Kunihiko Chris Hirabayashi et al.
