Enhancing Quality in ECEC: Parental Involvement, Curriculum, and Professional Development

1. Literature Overview‘Encouraging quality in ECEC’ 7th ECEC Network Meeting – 22nd June 2010 Ineke Litjens Education and Training Policy Division Directorate for Education

2. Parent and Community Involvement

4. Why does it matter? The Importance of Parents and the wider community • All environments affecting children foster similar goals • Foster great communication with parents • Better parenting • Increase parents’ understanding of appropriate educational practices • Better knowledge of child development • Better understanding of children by staff • Promote positive later achievement

5. Defining parental and community involvement

6. Evidence of its impacts of particular Type of involvement on child outcomes

7. Encouraging parent and community involvement at system level • Establish a system of communication with and participation of parents • Establish mechanisms for community involvement in support of staff and children Incentives and support Feasible within context Requirement Set out goals/purposes

8. Implementation of effective curricula andpedagogical approaches

9. Curriculum and Effective Pedagogy

10. The Importance of Curriculum and Pedagogies • Key-factors in the quality and effectiveness of the program • Clarifies development aims • Provides structure • Respond adequately to children’s needs • Improve the status of early childhood workers • Ensure an even level of quality across different provisions • Positive effect on children’s social and cognitive development • Promote the well-being of young children

11. What pedagogical and curricular approaches are used in ECEC?

12. Evidence of its impact on child outcomes

13. Factors that contribute to the effectiveness of curricula and pedagogical approaches • Cognitive + social development = complementary • Sustained shared thinking • Behaviour and discipline policies • Balance of practitioner-initiated and child-initiated activities • Differentiated learning environment • Learning materials • Appropriate learning intensity and duration • Strong parent and community involvement • Informative feedback • Good knowledge about curriculum and pedagogies • Trained staff • Low-staff turnover rate • Positive work conditions

14. Implementing effective curriculum and pedagogy • Clear guidelines for the content • Goals of early learning experiences • Pedagogical approaches

15. Implementation of effective curricula andpedagogical approaches

16. Professional Education and Working Conditions

17. Staff’s education, training, and their work environment : Why does it matter? • Centre of children’s environment and experiences in ECEC • Increases knowledge on child development, curriculum content and pedagogical approaches • Create richer and stimulating learning environment • Enhance optimum engagement for children • Promote the educational, physical, socio-emotional, and healthy development of children

18. Improving child outcomes through teacher and caregiver’s effectiveness

19. Implementation of effective professional development programmes and improving working conditions • A framework with professional (working) standards or guidelines Qualifications for tasks descriptions Pay scales and (financial) incentives Policies that support staff Involvement in curriculum design and flexibility in instruction Equitable access and certification standards Induction, mentoring, evaluation Adequate work environments

20. Implementation of effective professional development programmes and improving working conditions