Association between the starting age of non-parental Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), and psycho-social problems in adolescence in West and East Germany - a natural experiment using data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS).

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to investigate the association between the start age of non-parental Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and psycho-social problems in adolescence. The similarities and differences between West and East Germany were also investigated in a natural experiment. METHODS: Our sample consisted of 1022 children (621 from West Germany, 401 from East Germany) aged 3-4 years at wave 2003-2006 that were followed up to wave 2014-2017 as adolescents (mean ± SD age = 14.4 ± 0.03 years) in the KiGGS study. The psycho-social problems were measured by the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at wave 2014-2017. Linear regression was used to explore the relationship between ECEC-start-age and psycho-social problems in adolescence in Germany, and stratified by West and East Germany. RESULTS: Those who started ECEC between 2 and 3 years old (reference) had the lowest scores of psycho-social problems in the whole Germany and in West Germany in adolescence. In comparison, those who started ECEC older than 3 years old had higher scores of internalizing psycho-social problems in both West Germany (with statistically significant results) and East Germany (with a relatively larger effect size but insignificant results). Those who started ECEC younger than 1 year old had statistically significant higher scores for externalizing psycho-social problems in West Germany, even though less children started ECEC younger than 1 in West Germany compared to East Germany. This significant association was not found in East Germany. Those who started ECEC between 1 and 2 years old tended to have higher scores of externalizing psycho-social problems in both West and East Germany. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that if children start ECEC older than 3 years or younger than 2 years, more attention needs to be given to internalizing or externalizing psycho-social problems respectively. The regional differences for children younger than 1 year old may suggest a selection effect in West Germany where only fewer parents bring babies to ECEC, while the regional similarities for children over 3 years old indicate the importance of providing access to ECEC for children over 3 years old.

Associations between parental well-being and early learning at home before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: observations from the China Family Panel Studies.

Background: COVID-19-related lockdowns and preschool closures resulted in many young children spending all their time at home. Some parents had to manage child care while working from home, and increased demands may have led them to experience considerable stress. Evidence indicates that among parents with young children, those who had pre-existing mental and physical conditions adapted less well than other parents. We considered associations between parental well-being and the home learning environment for young children. Method: We leveraged data from the nationally representative China Family Panel Studies. We analyzed longitudinal data collected before (2018) and during (2020) the pandemic. Participants were parents of 1,155 preschoolers (aged 3-5 years in 2020). Moderated mediation models were conducted. Maternal and paternal psychological well-being, depression, physical health, and physical illness in 2018 and 2020 were predictors. The frequency of marital and intergenerational conflicts in 2020 were mediators. Primary caregiver-reported engagement in home learning activities and family educational expenditure and parent-reported time spent on child care in 2020 were outcome variables. The number of COVID-19 cases in each province 3 months before the 2020 assessment was the moderator. Child, parental, and household characteristics and urbanicity were covariates. Results: Controlling for covariates, improvements in parental psychological well-being predicted more home learning activities and increases in paternal depression predicted less time spent by fathers on child care. Negative changes in maternal physical health predicted less family educational expenditure and mothers spending more time on child care. Family conflicts mediated the association between maternal physical illness in 2018 and family educational expenditure. The number of COVID-19 cases in a province (i) was positively associated with mothers spending more time on child care, (ii) moderated the association of improvements in maternal physical health and mothers spending less time on child care, and (iii) moderated the association of family conflicts and more family educational expenditure. Conclusion: The findings indicate that decreased parental psychological and physical well-being foretells reductions in monetary and non-monetary investment in early learning and care at home. Regional pandemic risk undermines maternal investment in early learning and care, especially for those with pre-existing physical conditions.

The effect of Universal Teacher-Child Interaction Training on Hispanic teachers' sense of self-efficacy in early childhood education and care settings.

Disparities exist in the availability of high-quality early childhood education and care settings (ECEC) across communities within the United States. Teachers have an imperative role in fostering children's socioemotional development; however, when the classroom climate deteriorates due to disruptive behavior, meeting these emotional and learning needs becomes more difficult. Dealing with challenging behaviors can lead to emotional exhaustion which is directly linked to a decrease in teacher sense of efficacy. Teacher-Child Interaction Training-Universal (TCIT-U) targets teachers' skills to provide quality interactions and decrease child behavior problems. Despite evidence that teacher sense of self-efficacy can inhibit negative teaching practices, a lack of research has explored this construct as related to TCIT-U. The current study is a randomized, wait-list control study measuring the change of teachers' sense of self-efficacy after participating in TCIT-U, and the first known of its kind. The study included mostly Hispanic (96.4%) teachers (N = 84) of ECEC programs across 13 unique sites serving 900 children ages 2-5 years from low-income, urban areas. Results from inferential statistics and hierarchical linear regression tests demonstrated TCIT-U as an effective intervention to improve teachers' sense of efficacy in classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. In addition, this study contributes to the effectiveness of TCIT-U as an in-service training which targets teacher communication skills for teachers with diverse backgrounds in ECEC settings with mostly dual language learners.

Structures and systems influencing quality improvement in Australian early childhood education and care centres.

This study assessed the impact of structural characteristics on quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) outcomes in an Australian national study. Data from the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) repository of National Quality Standard (NQS) ratings were used to identify long day care services that had improved from Working Towards NQS to Meeting or Exceeding NQS or had no change over two assessments. QRIS outcomes were examined for state/territory jurisdiction, urban-rural location, community socio-economic status, type and size of provider organisation, centre size and stability of centre owner/provider using multinomial logistic regression analyses. Controlling for jurisdiction, results showed that improvement to Meeting NQS was more likely for not-for-profit versus for-profit providers and for large multi-site provider organisations versus small, stand-alone providers. Improvement to Exceeding NQS was also associated with not-for-profit and larger provider organisations, as well as larger versus smaller centres, and centres that had stable ownership.

Delta and Omicron: protective measures and SARS-CoV-2 infections in day care centres in Germany in the 4th and 5th wave of the pandemic 2021/2022.

BACKGROUND: During the five waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic so far, German early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres implemented various protective measures, such as wearing a face mask, fixed children-staff groups or regular ventilation. In addition, parents and ECEC staff were increasingly vaccinated throughout 2021. During the 4th wave, variant of concern (VOC) Delta-driven transmission indicators reached record values at the end of 2021. Those values were even exceeded in the 5th wave at the beginning of 2022 when Omicron dominated. We examine which factors facilitated or prevented infection with SARS-CoV-2 in ECEC centres, and if these differed between different phases within wave 4 (Delta) and 5 (Omicron). METHODS: Since August 2020, a weekly online survey among approximately 8000 ECEC managers has been conducted, monitoring both incident SARS-CoV-2 infections and protective measures taken. We included data from calendar week 26/2021 to 05/2022. We estimate the probability of any infections and the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children, parents and staff using random-effect-within-between (REWB) panel models for binomial and count data. RESULTS: While children, parents and staff of ECEC centres with a high proportion of children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher risk of infections in the beginning of wave 4 (OR up to 1.99 [1.56; 2.56]), this effect diminishes for children and parents with rising incidences. Protective measures, such as wearing face masks, tend to have more extensive effects with rising incidences in wave 5 (IRR up to 0.87 [0.8; 0.93]). Further, the protective effect of vaccination against infection among staff is decreasing from wave 4 to wave 5 (OR 0.3 [0.16; 0.55] to OR 0.95, [0.84; 1.07, n.s.]). The degree of transmission from staff to child and from staff to parent is decreasing from wave 4 to wave 5, while transmission from child to staff seems to increase. CONCLUSION: While Omicron seems to affect children and parents from ECEC centres with families with all SES levels more equally than Delta, the protective effect of vaccination against infection is decreasing and the effect of protective measures like face masks becomes increasingly important. In order to prevent massive closures of ECEC centres due to infection of staff, protective measures should be strictly adhered to, especially to protect staff in centres with a high proportion of children from families with low socioeconomic status.

"Not everyone can do this": childcare context and the practice of skill in emotional labor.

Scholarship remains divided about whether emotional labor is 'skilled'. Interrogating gendered skill constructs that render emotions in work invisible, I examine two organizational contexts in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector: family and center-based care. I draw from 43 interviews, primarily with Latina and White women workers, reflecting feminized and racialized workplaces. I also draw from ethnographic and observational data. Challenging the particular devaluation of family-based care, findings reveal that the practice of skill in emotional labor is organizationally shaped across less and more institutionalized forms of ECEC. Examining worker critiques of professionalization norms and credential-based skill metrics, autonomy is also identified as a pre-requisite for embodied, tacit and discretionary skills in the emotional labor of ECEC.

COVID-19 infections in day care centres in Germany: social and organisational determinants of infections in children and staff in the second and third wave of the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, German early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres organised children's attendance in different ways, they reduced opening hours, provided emergency support for a few children, or closed completely. Further, protection and hygiene measures like fixed children-staff groups, ventilation and surface disinfection were introduced in ECEC centres. To inform or modify public health measures in ECEC, we investigate the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infections among children and staff in ECEC centres in light of social determinants (i.e. the socioeconomic status of the children) and recommended structural and hygiene measures. We focus on the question if the relevant factors differ between the 2nd (when no variant of concern (VOC) circulated) and the 3rd wave (when VOC B.1.1.7 (Alpha) predominated). METHODS: Based on panel data from a weekly online survey of ECEC centre managers (calendar week 36/2020 to 22/2021, ongoing) including approx. 8500 centres, we estimate the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and staff using random-effect-within-between (REWB) panel models for count data in the 2nd and 3rd wave. RESULTS: ECEC centres with a high proportion of children with low socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher risk of infections in staff and children. Strict contact restrictions between groups like fixed group assignments for children and fixed staff assignments to groups prevent infections. Both effects tend to be stronger in the 3rd wave. CONCLUSION: ECEC centres with a large proportion of children with a low SES background and lack of using fixed child/staff cohorts experience higher COVID-19 rates. Over the long run, centres should be supported in maintaining recommended measures. Preventive measures such as the vaccination of staff should be prioritised in centres with large proportions of low SES children.

Children's diurnal cortisol output and temperament in two different childcare settings at 2 and 3.5 years of age.

Prior research suggests that child temperament may play an important role in early childhood stress regulation. We compared children's diurnal cortisol and the association between cortisol and temperament in two different childcare settings. Cortisol was measured from saliva samples over 2 days in children (N = 84) attending out-of-home childcare and in children (N = 27), who were cared for at home at the age of 3.5 years. There was no difference between the childcare groups in total diurnal cortisol. However, of the individual measurements, afternoon cortisol levels were higher in the out-of-home childcare group during their childcare day when compared with their home day. Child temperament was not associated with total diurnal cortisol. Comparison with our prior measurements showed that the association between temperamental surgency/extroversion and total diurnal cortisol diminished along with the child age from 2 to 3.5 years in both childcare settings. This may indicate that more extroverted children are physiologically more reactive to environmental stimuli when they are younger, but this association does not appear as the children develop. Our results further suggest that the afternoon hours in the out-of-home childcare may be demanding and accelerate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in young children independent of their age.

Most Chinese Preschool Teachers Value Guided Play Over Free Play: Latent Profiles and Associated Predictors.

Longitudinal research suggests that optimal long-term outcomes are achieved when early childhood education and care (ECEC) balance free with guided play. A prerequisite for this achievement is that ECEC teachers value both equally. This study examines preschool teachers' play beliefs profile and explores its association with teachers' backgrounds (e.g., teaching experience, education level) in a sample of 674 Chinese teachers in Fujian, China. Participants completed an adapted form of the Parent Play Belief Scale, the Chinese Teacher Play Beliefs Scale (CTPBS), to report their beliefs regarding young children's play and early academics. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed 91% of teachers exhibited high Academics over Guided Play (AGP) and low Free Play and Socio-Emotional Skills Support (FPSSS), whereas only 9% were high in both factors. Teachers with a decade or more teaching experience were more likely to belong to the high AGP and low FPSES profile. The findings indicate that the majority of Chinese ECEC teachers value guiding play to academic skills more than they do facilitating free play for socio-emotional skills. Professional development focused on balancing guided with free play may be necessary for the majority of Chinese ECEC teachers to catch up with the zeitgeist of contemporary international research and policy on intentional teaching in play.

Which Meso-Level Characteristics of Early Childhood Education and Care Centers Are Associated with Health, Health Behavior, and Well-Being of Young Children? Findings of a Scoping Review.

Characteristics of early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers might be relevant for children's health. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the association between meso-level characteristics (MLCs) of ECEC centers with children's health, health behavior, and wellbeing. Five databases were searched for quantitative and qualitative research articles published in English or German since 1 January 2000 on health, health behavior, and wellbeing of children aged 0 to 6 years considering MLCs of ECEC centers. Two authors screened 10,396 potentially eligible manuscripts and identified 117 papers, including 3077 examinations of the association between MLCs and children's health indicators (Kappas > 0.91). Five categories of MLCs were identified: (1) structural characteristics, (2) equipment/furnishings, (3) location, (4) facilities/environment, (5) culture/activities/policies/practices, and 6) staff. Only very few studies found an association of MLCs with body weight/obesity, and general health and wellbeing. Especially physical activity and mental health were related to MLCs. In general, the location (rural vs. urban, neighborhood status) seemed to be a relevant health aspect. MLCs of ECEC centers appeared relevant for child health indicators to different degrees. Future research should focus on these associations, in detail, to identify concrete ECEC indicators that can support health promotion in early childhood.

Differences in Children's Social Development: How Migration Background Impacts the Effect of Early Institutional Childcare Upon Children's Prosocial Behavior and Peer Problems.

This article focuses on the early years of children from immigrant families in Germany. Research has documented disparities in young children's development correlating with their family background (e.g., immigrant or ethnic minority status), making clear the importance of early intervention. Institutional childcare-as an early intervention for children at risk-plays an important role in Germany, as 34.3% of children below the age of three and 93% of children above that age are in external childcare. This paper focuses on the extent to which children from families with a background of migration differ in their social development when considering their age of entry into early external childcare (and thus its duration). Data from the infant cohort study of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS, N = 1,846) is used to analyze the impact of early institutional childcare before the age of 3 years on children's social competence at the age of 5 years, controlling for gender, siblings, temperament, home learning activities, and socioeconomic status. Results show the effects of duration of early external childcare on peer problems for children from families with a background of migration, in such a way that children who attend early external childcare for more than 1 year before the age of three show less problem behavior with peers than those who attend for less than a year. These findings have equity implications for children with a migration background living in Germany, especially as the proportion of these children is trending upwards.

A Realist Synthesis of Interprofessional Collaboration in the Early Years; Becoming Familiar with Other Professionals.

Research into interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has predominantly focused on health care and specialized care settings, but there is an increasing interest in interprofesssional 'teams around the child' in community-based settings. We conducted a realist synthesis of empirical studies into IPC between youth professionals, often in regular community settings, to explore barriers and facilitators of IPC. Included studies were coded with an elaborated scheme to chart the focus of studies and to identify moderators and context-mechanism-outcome configurations of IPC. Professional and normative integration was the main focus of the included studies. Most studies emphasized the challenges of IPC in practice, like unclear roles of self and others, lack of trust and inadequate communication. Other perceived barriers are excluding others in the planning of interventions, taking ownership of plans (vs. sharing) and different modes of communication. Interprofessional education, co-location of staff, acting as a mediator in the team, organising formal and informal meetings, conflict resolutions, self-sacrifice, and conceptualizing practice were perceived as facilitators of IPC. Future IPC research into community-based settings should include all professional stakeholders and the children and their families to evaluate outcomes at both interprofessional and clinical level.

Responses to Coronavirus Pandemic in Early Childhood Services Across Five Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region: OMEP Policy Forum.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) has been responsible for massive global impacts on the lives of children, families and communities. It is important to document these effects for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector. This report focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and ECEC sector, given limited regional studies on the impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education. It draws attention to the effects of the pandemic across five member countries of the Organisation Mondiale pour l' Education Préscolaire (OMEP)-Australia, China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The authors describe initial responses to control the spread of the pandemic in each national context and identify socio-political factors that enable broad understandings of national responses to COVID-19. In relation to the ECEC sector, responses are discussed in terms of cultural differences, economic issues, educational and professional concerns and educator wellbeing. While important government actions have rightly focused on virus suppression, it also remains important to maintain attention on the rights of children to ensure that the health crisis does not also become a child's rights crisis and that sufficient attention is given to children's safety and wellbeing.

La propagation rapide du virus coronavirus (COVID-19) a eu un impact mondial massif sur la vie des enfants, des familles et des communautés. Il est important de documenter ses effets sur les secteur de l'éducation et des soins à la petite enfance (ECEC). Ce rapport se consacre à la région Asie-Pacifique et aux secteur de l'ECEC, compte tenu du nombre limité d'études régionales sur l'impact de la COVID-19 sur l'éducation de la petite enfance. Cet report se centre sur les effets de la pandémie dans cinq pays membres de l'Organization mondiale pour l'éducation préscolaire (OMEP): Australie, Chine, Corée, Japon et Thaïlande. Les auteurs décrivent les premières réponses en vue de maîtriser la propagation de la pandémie dans chaque contexte national et ils identifient des facteurs sociopolitiques permettant une vaste compréhension des réponses nationales à la COVID-19. En ce qui concerne les secteur de l'ECEC, les réponses sont examinées sous l'aspect des différences culturelles, des questions économiques, des préoccupations éducatives et professionnelles ainsi que du bien-être des éducateurs. Si d'importantes actions gouvernementales se sont concentrées à juste titre sur la suppression du virus, il reste aussi important de maintenir l'attention sur les droits des enfants afin de s'assurer que cette crise sanitaire ne devienne pas aussi une crise des droits de l'enfant, et qu'une attention suffisante soit accordée à la sécurité et au bien-être des enfants.

La rápida propagación del virus de coronavirus (COVID-19) ha sido responsable de un impacto global masivo en las vidas de niños, familias y comunidades. Es importante documentar sus efectos en el sector de Educación y Cuidado Preescolar. Este informe se enfoca en la región del Pacífico Asiático y el sector de educación y cuidado preescolar. El presente artículo se enfoca en los efectos de la pandemia en cinco países pertenecientes a la Organización Mundial para la Educación Preescolar (OMEP): Australia, China, Japón, Corea y Tailandia. Los autores describen respuestas iniciales para controlar la propagación de la pandemia en cada contexto nacional e identificar los factores sociopolíticos que permitan una mayor comprensión de las respuestas nacionales a COVID-19. Con relación a el sector de Educación y Cuidado Preescolar, las repuestas se discutieron en términos de diferencias culturales, problemas económicos, problemáticas educativas y profesionales, y bienestar de los educadores. Aunque las principales acciones gubernamentales se han concentrado, como debe ser, en la supresión del virus, también resulta importante no perder de vista los derechos de los niños para garantizar que la crisis sanitaria no se convierta también en una crisis a los derechos de los niños y que se preste suficiente atención a su seguridad y bienestar.

Toddlers' diurnal cortisol levels affected by out-of-home, center-based childcare and at-home, guardian-supervised childcare: comparison between different caregiving contexts.

Previous research suggests that attending non-parental out-of-home childcare is associated with elevated cortisol levels for some children. We aimed to compare diurnal saliva cortisol levels between children having out-of-home, center-based childcare or those having at-home, guardian-supervised childcare in Finland. A total of 213 children, aged 2.1 years (SD = 0.6), were drawn from the ongoing Finnish birth cohort study. Saliva samples were collected over 2 consecutive days (Sunday and Monday), with four samples drawn during each day: 30 min after waking up in the morning, at 10 am, between 2 and 3 pm, and in the evening before sleep. These results suggest that the shapes of the diurnal cortisol profiles were similar in both childcare groups following a typical circadian rhythm. However, the overall cortisol levels were on average 30% higher (95% CI: [9%, 54%], p = .004) with the at-home childcare in comparison with the out-of-home childcare group. Furthermore, a slight increase in the diurnal cortisol pattern was noticed in both groups and in both measurement days during the afternoon. This increase was 27% higher ([2%, 57%], p = .031) in the out-of-home childcare group during the out-of-home childcare day in comparison with the at-home childcare day. The elevated afternoon cortisol levels were partly explained by the afternoon naps, but there were probably other factors as well producing the cortisol rise during the afternoon hours. Further research is needed to define how a child's individual characteristic as well as their environmental factors associate with cortisol secretion patterns in different caregiving contexts.