A commitment to long-standing child-centred ideologies and recent emphases on academic outcomes have both perpetuated narrow interpretations of play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. Instead, teachers might proactively and spontaneously deepen children’s thinking and understandings related to children’s own interests and motivations during thoughtful pedagogical interactions that arise from play. This paper draws on findings from a qualitative case study in Aotearoa, New Zealand where teachers used their professional expertise to engage with children’s thinking and understandings. We analyse the professional knowledge, strategies and skills teachers brought to these relational and play-based interactions. We offer new conceptualising of teaching in highlighting the need to position a sophisticated blending of play, learning and teaching within participatory and relational pedagogies as a core practice of early childhood education. Further, we argue that two constructs – everyday and scientific concepts, and the zone of proximal development – position theoretically ways in which teachers’ knowledge, expertise and engagement might contribute to these ‘in the moment’ rich, thoughtful understandings of what we term relational play-based pedagogy.
This paper explores teacher enjoyment and the notion of the intentional teacher in early childhood education. The research is part of a wider interrogation challenging existing discourses associated with the intentional teacher. A mixed-method research design was used to gather perspectives from early childhood teachers in relation to their experiences of enjoyment in their teaching practices and the connection with being an intentional teacher. Findings from participant responses highlight important aspects associated with early childhood teacher enjoyment and intentionality. The connection between enjoyment and intentional teaching was reflected in reports of ways of doing or acting, as well as in ways of being associated with teacher identity. Connection was made between experiences of enjoyment and intentional teaching through contributing, adding value, and personal impact. Association was also made with promoting social justice. Whilst small in scale, the research highlights the importance of challenging existing and potentially limiting discourses of the intentional teacher by giving attention to how intentional teaching is generated, as an internal encounter associated with ways of being and becoming and the role that enjoyment plays within this process.
BACKGROUND: Early childhood development is influential for life course capability. Children exposed to child maltreatment and at high risk of harm may be removed for their safety, but the effect on child development is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To assess developmental vulnerability at school commencement across five developmental domains to ascertain whether removal of children with substantiated maltreatment to foster/kinship care is likely protective, or not, of developmental vulnerabilities. METHODS: The study drew on linked-data for a South Australian population birth cohort (2003 to 2014) N = 74,751. For children exposed to substantiated child maltreatment meeting study criteria (N = 2011, mean age = 5.7 years, 50.7 % boys), the effect of placement in foster/kinship care (N = 666) on developmental vulnerability was explored using generalized linear models, adjusted for child and family covariates, maltreatment severity and propensity score. RESULTS: Children placed in care had a reduced risk of developmental vulnerability on the Physical Health and Wellbeing (aRR = 0.73 [0.64, 0.84]), Language and Cognitive Skills (school based) (aRR = 0.79 [0.68, 0.92]), and Communication Skills and General Knowledge (aRR = 0.81 [0.70, 0.94]) domains, compared to children who were not removed. However, these children had increased risk of vulnerability on Social Competence (aRR = 1.14 [1.01, 1.29]) and Emotional Maturity (aRR = 1.20 [1.05, 1.37]) domains. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest placement in out-of-home care supported physical health and wellbeing, communication and cognitive but not social and emotional early childhood development. These results highlighting the need for professional therapeutic support for children in care and better attending to the physical development, communication and cognitive skills in maltreated children remaining at home.
Krystal Lanais, Emmanuel Sumithran Gnanamanickam, Miriam Maclean et al.
AIMS: To evaluate gaps in measles immunisation coverage for children <5 years in Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we extracted coverage rates for the first measles, mumps and rubella (MMR1) vaccine and second MMR vaccine (MMR2) from the National Immunisation Register for birth cohorts 2017 to 2020. We described measles coverage rates per birth cohort, and stratified per district health board (DHB), ethnicity and deprivation quintile. RESULTS: Coverage for MMR1 declined from 95.1% for those born in 2017 to 88.9% for those born in 2020. The coverage for MMR2 was below 90% for all the birth cohorts, with the lowest MMR2 coverage in the birth cohort of 2018 (61.6%). MMR1 coverage was lowest for children of Māori ethnicity and coverage declined over time: 92.8% for those born in 2017 to 78.4% for those born in 2020. Six DHBs had average MMR1 coverage <90% including Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Northland, Tairāwhiti, West Coast and Whanganui. CONCLUSIONS: Immunisation coverage rates for measles are insufficient to prevent a potential measles outbreak in children <5 years. Concerningly, the coverage for MMR1 is declining, especially in Māori children. Catch-up immunisation programmes are urgently needed to improve immunisation coverage.
Tony Walls, Nienke N. Hagedoorn, Andrew T. Anglemyer
BACKGROUND: This study describes trends in social inequities in first dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR1) vaccination coverage in Western Australia (WA) and New South Wales (NSW). Using probabilistically-linked administrative data for 1.2 million children born between 2002 and 2011, we compared levels and trends in MMR1 vaccination coverage measured at age 24 months by maternal country of birth, Aboriginal status, maternal age at delivery, socio-economic status, and remoteness in two states. RESULTS: Vaccination coverage was 3-4% points lower among children of mothers who gave birth before the age of 20 years, mothers born overseas, mothers with an Aboriginal background, and parents with a low socio-economic status compared to children that did not belong to these social groups. In both states, between 2007 and 2011 there was a decline of 2.1% points in MMR1 vaccination coverage for children whose mothers were born overseas. In 2011, WA had lower coverage among the Aboriginal population (89.5%) and children of young mothers (89.3%) compared to NSW (92.2 and 92.1% respectively). CONCLUSION: Despite overall high coverage of MMR1 vaccination, coverage inequalities increased especially for children of mothers born overseas. Strategic immunisation plans and policy interventions are important for equitable vaccination levels. Future policy should target children of mothers born overseas and Aboriginal children.
Arzu Arat, Hannah Catherine Moore, Sharon R Goldfeld et al.
The paper uses a child-centred approach to analyse Australia’s child immunisation laws. These laws condition enrolment to early education centres on the child being fully immunised and provide financial incentives to parents, encouraging them to comply with the national immunisation protocol. The paper seeks to contribute to the debates in public health about the utility of human rights and the definition of the ‘public’ by problematising the marginalisation of children from this space. Navigating between the positionalities of individuals and collectives in two terrains, namely, human rights and public health, the paper examines how children and their rights are conceptualised in the development of immunisation policies, and asks what these laws tell us about children’s positionality, lives and bodies in society. It argues that the current child immunisation laws commodify children’s bodies, physically and figuratively, as a means to protect the entire population from infectious diseases. This reproduces children and childhood as means to an end, seeing childhood as a vehicle to adulthood. Utilising a child-centred approach can advance a different approach to public health matters concerning children, safeguarding their rights in this domain and in turn changing their public visibility.
Introduction: Childhood immunisation is a safe and effective way to protect children and communities from serious diseases. In Australia childhood immunisation is generally well accepted with high coverage rates however pockets of low coverage exist. Authors conducted five previous studies in New South Wales which found socio-economic disadvantage, gender inequity, health service access barriers and under-utilisation of immunisation data, rather than ideological opposition, contributed to children's incomplete vaccination. Material and Methods: Common findings across those five studies were identified. Additional literature was reviewed using a number of lenses, underpinned by a social determinants of health framework. Results: The lensed approach allowed further exploration of the impact of financial stress, poor mental health, drug and alcohol problems, domestic violence, assumed gender roles, lack of culturally acceptable health care for Indigenous families, geography and changes to immunisation policies on families and how this may have contributed to pockets of low immunisation coverage. Social and structural inequities were revealed. These often contributed to conflicting priorities that meant children's immunisations fell behind. Discussion: Strategies to address inequities may include reorientation of existing community based child health services to include flexible options such as drop in clinics, outreach services, home visiting and ensuring Indigenous families have access to culturally safe and acceptable services. Assistance with transport would further improve access to services. Better use of immunisation data can aid in the identification of pockets of low coverage and monitor and evaluate service effectiveness. Conclusions: Greater awareness of social and structural barriers and their impact on families can inform the design of tailored strategies that address the needs of disadvantaged children and families. Without efforts to overcome the inequities that contribute to low immunisation coverage, the status quo persists, leaving children and communities at risk of vaccine preventable diseases.
Susan L Thomas, Katarzyna T. Bolsewicz, Julie Leask et al.
Importance: Current guidelines recommend screen time limitations for young children in favor of their ongoing development and well-being. Distinguishing momentary patterns of screen use in relation to childhood well-being will further inform screen time recommendations to better reflect contemporary childhood digital experiences. Objective: To investigate the associations between momentary children's screen use, parent-child interactions, emotions, and externalizing behavior. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, parent-reported methodology was used to measure children's screen-based experiences. Reporting on the last hour, assessments were provided up to 3 times per weekday and 5 times per weekend day, across a 2-week period from May to November 2024. Parents completed momentary assessments in their everyday environments, capturing typical fluctuations in children's habits, emotions, and behaviors. Participants identified as parents of children in the first 3 years of formal schooling. Exposure: Children's use of screens including screen use, duration, activities, and solo vs co-use details. Main Outcomes and Measures: Children's momentary affect, externalizing behaviors, and parent-child interactions were measured using subsets of items from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short form, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Child Parent Relationship Scale-Short form, respectively. Results: A total of 934 momentary assessments from 42 parents (mean [SD] age, 38.7 [4.9] years; 33 female [79%]) of children (mean [SD] age, 6.4 [1.2] years; 24 male [57%];) were included in analyses. Multilevel modeling indicated screen use duration was associated with lower levels of both positive affect (b = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.30 to -0.02; estimating screen time b = -0.05; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.01) and negative affect (b = -0.12; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.01; estimating screen time b = -0.10; 95% CI, -0.15 to -0.06). Interactive activities (b = 0.26; 95% CI, 0.04-0.47) and co-use (b = 0.17; 95% CI, 0-0.34) were significantly associated with positive affect. Parent-child interactions negatively estimated screen use duration (b = -0.07; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.02). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that the associations between children's digital experiences and well-being are complex and bidirectional. The momentary associations found in this study provide evidence for moving beyond duration-focused recommendations toward context-sensitive guidelines that consider the dynamic nature of children's digital experiences.
Jacquelyn A. S. Harverson, Jeromy Anglim, Louise E. Paatsch et al.
No single conceptual framework currently captures the overall well-being of children experiencing maternal incarceration. To address this gap, we examined whether an existing, population-based child well-being framework, developed by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth’s (ARACY), is able to account for factors known to influence the well-being of children in the context of maternal incarceration. Using a meta-narrative method, our synthesis of 97 documents revealed that the domains in the ARACY framework account for the overall well-being of children experiencing maternal incarceration; contextual factors specific to these children were not well represented. These factors include those that shape what well-being looks like for children experiencing maternal incarceration, those that are common to these children but not directly related to maternal incarceration, and those directly related to maternal incarceration itself. Therefore, while population-based frameworks like ARACY’s can serve as a useful tool to improve understanding of the well-being outcomes of children experiencing maternal incarceration, such frameworks should not be used for policy and practice translation without consideration of these unique contextual factors. Failure to do so may lead to inadequate support targets and indicators that poorly measure meaningful change for this population. Based on our findings, we suggest policy and practice efforts prioritise understanding well-being from different cultural perspectives, address pre-existing disadvantage, and implement multisystemic interventions tailored to individual children’s needs. Future research should develop robust prevention and intervention strategies that account for implementation challenges while deepening the theoretical and empirical understanding of these children’s unique well-being needs.
Corrie Williams, Tara Renae McGee, Robyn Garland et al.
Abstract ‘Well-being’ and ‘child well-being’ are broad terms with little consensus amongst numerous definitions. Applications of the term, particularly for children aged birth to six, are vague due to the lack of conceptual clarity. The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise the recent literature on young children’s well-being, drawing on perspectives across disciplines to propose relevant considerations for promoting child well-being in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) contexts. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping studies, 55 articles gathered and published between 2018 and 2024 were reviewed. Two key themes emerged from qualitative analysis of the articles: (1) ambiguity in conceptualisations of the concept stemming from varied discourses guiding definitions and different approaches towards supporting and assessing child well-being; and (2) increasing consensus on the need for multidimensional conceptualisations. Main considerations for applying understandings of child well-being to ECEC were proposed, including: contemplating education as contributing towards the goal of child well-being and well-being as necessary for effective learning; adopting a balanced and multidimensional approach towards promoting children’s well-being in the present and in the future; and recognising that children’s well-being is influenced by and supported within dynamic contexts, systems and processes.
Lynn Lee-Pang, Penny A. Levickis, Lisa Murray et al.
