Child Development and Quality in ECEC
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The document discusses factors that influence quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) according to recent Italian literature. It identifies that quality ECEC considers the centrality of children, the importance of family participation, and standards for facilities and educational programs. Quality is defined by a monitoring system that considers the expectations of users, staff, politicians, and stakeholders. Factors that can enhance child well-being and learning include the emotional approach, parental involvement, teacher role, community support, structural elements like facilities, and relational and educational processes. Policies around economics, education, assessments, ratios, activities, evaluations, communication, and involvement can make a difference in child outcomes by supporting these factors.
![http://www.istruzione.it Mrs Angiolina PONZIANO [email_address] Mrs Silvana MARRA [email_address]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/childdevelopmentandqualityecec-100708082628-phpapp02/85/Child-Development-and-Quality-in-ECEC-7-320.jpg)
Child Development and Quality in ECEC
- 1. Child development and quality in ECEC MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 2. Introduction The examined literature review on quality in ECEC covers the same aspects analyzed in the most recent Italian literature on definitions and concepts of (high) quality in ECEC. The last one produced by CNEL (25- 5-2010) gives the benchmarks on quality. According to the detailed document made by researchers, it seems particularly important to: harmonize the different beliefs, values, socio-economic context and the needs of community user’s that indeed represent the focus of the matter referred to the services to the person (social area). value the costs /benefits of high quality services. MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 3. How can quality be defined in ECEC? 1 In Italy, the main concern according to the definition of quality in ECEC is contained in the indications given in the Paper on the Children Rights (1989), that have been taken in account in the national Low n. 176 of the 27th May 1991; Quality: Is in the centrality given to the children and the importance given to a family active participation; In the importance of the organization of the service setting (structures) and in the definition of the quantitative and qualitative standards; In the priority given to the children environment reception in the educational project; The link and coherence between the toddler (crèche) and the childhood school the scuola dell’infanzia ( sezioni primavera ), (chidren less than 2-3 years old) MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 4. How can quality be defined in ECEC ? 2 So Quality in ECEC responds to: a monitoring system which takes in consideration the multiply expectations of users, staff members political deciders stakeholders. MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 5. What factors can enhance child well-being and learning outcomes? Factors affecting quality Emotional approach (leaving/taking reliance ) Parental involvement (co-responsibility in educational issues in general) and structures ( meeting spaces and time flexibility). Teachers role and action (researcher) and team teachers educators and pedagogical staff as well as other working staff. Community support Structural factors Structures (spaces for activities as lab) Environment (as a teacher) and plurality of languages (images, music, light, sounds etc…) Pedagogical projects (responding to the personal needs) Experience (as a play) Identity (child as the source of his/her own learning) Relational process. (knowledge co-building and creativity) Use of communicative media Staff training MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 6. What policies can make a difference in child outcomes affecting these factors? Economic policies to support parents and mono-parental family Educational policies upgrading teacher and parents knowledge concerning child development Child outcomes assessing Children/ teacher ratio. Laboratorial Educational Activities and Setting Evaluation Communications policies: Relationship and discussion with parents and stakeholders about school policy and Curriculum planning Politics of involvement (Community involvement : school committee ) such as the Consulta MIUR - OECD ECEC- Paris 2010
- 7. http://www.istruzione.it Mrs Angiolina PONZIANO [email_address] Mrs Silvana MARRA [email_address]
Editor's Notes
- #3: In order to find a good definition of high quality in ECEC and the factors that can enhance well-being and learning outcomes and the policies to affect these factors and children outcomes, we have examined both international and Italian review literature. From the comparison of several documents it is possible to state that the aspects examined are almost the same presented by the discussant of previous sessions of this meeting. The last Italian research made by National Counsel of Economy and Work last May, underlines the necessity to invest in exceptional measures in the network of services to early childhood. It represents a cultural evolution considering that it responds to the triple aim of promoting well-being and child development, the relative lengths of time dedicated to care and to education and the ability to help parents to provide educational support. It examine also the balance between costs and benefits of high quality services.
- #4: Coming to the question related to the definition of quality in ECEC, the answer is that quality cannot be only referred to health and care but also to the development of child own personality on the basis of the most recent neurobiological and personality development studies. The high quality services to ECEC are considered, in Italy, of primarily importance both referred to children and families and at the same time represent a sort of support offered by the agreement between cure and educational activities. Municipalities and other local authorities have the responsibility for granting the development, the coordination and the control of a so complicated integrated system of services on their territories . For educational services we refer to those which have started as experimental innovation in the middle of the 80’s of last century and that have received a first legal clarification with Low n. 285 of 1997. In particular, the services are the following : A playground (18 - 36 months) ( maximum time 5 hours). The reception was articulated in order to consent a diversification in relation to user’s needs, while the canteen and postmeridian rest wasn’t given. There were Centers for children and parents, a service in which children (0-3 years) were welcomed, even in no exclusive mode together with their parents or accompanying adults. The activities were offered in flexible places. The dynamic aspect in quality definition has brought to consider now quality in the centrality given to the children and in the family active participation to the physical, psychological, cognitive, socio-affective etc activities . Of course, the organization of the service setting, the definition of the quantitative and qualitative standards have the same great importance in the definition of quality as well as the environment. Quality in Italy, considering its split system, is also in the capacity to connect coherently and in an educational continuum the toddler (crèche) and the childhood school .
- #5: In order to define quality in ECEC it is important to build a monitoring system capable to verify the correspondence between the expectation of the users, of the staff members such as educators, teachers, psychologist, assistants…etc….. Another factor that affects quality in ECEC are the political deciders and the stakeholders.
- #6: But what are the factors that can enhance child well-being and learning outcomes? Of course all the factors affecting quality. Taking in mind the centrality of the child and Italian tradition, the first step is the emotional approach in leaving and taking reliance. It includes parental involvement as a co-responsibility in educational issues in general for the coordination of cure and education timing that require meeting spaces and time flexibility. Another important factor is the role and the action of the teachers and the whole staff. And Community can be considered a resource and a support and all the structural factors ……….
- #7: The policies that can make a difference could be those one based on school politics and cultural politics which focus on child and on Upgrading knowledge both of teachers and caregivers and parents concerning the way in which a child discover the environment.