Quality Early Childhood Education and Care for Children Under Age 3
Results from the Starting Strong Survey 2018
The experience of children under age 3 with early childhood education and care (ECEC) is crucial for their learning, development and well-being and for parents’ return to work. Despite increasing recognition of the importance of ECEC for the youngest children, little is known about this sector.
The OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) is the first international survey that focuses on the ECEC workforce. It asks staff and leaders about themselves and their settings, including the practices they use with children and their views on the sector. This thematic report focusses on ECEC for children under age 3, an option of the Survey in which four countries (Denmark, Germany, Israel and Norway) participated. The report answers many questions that are important for parents, actors in the field, and policy makers.
Process quality in early childhood education and care settings for children under age 3
This chapter explores process quality in settings serving children under age 3 using data from TALIS Starting Strong. Process quality describes how staff interact with young children and their parents and is a key aspect of a well-functioning early childhood education and care sector. This chapter investigates how much staff in Denmark, Germany, Israel and Norway engage in practices associated with different dimensions of process quality: cognitive development, socio-emotional development, engagement with parents, and group organisation and individual support. It also details how the composition of the group of children staff work with can vary across countries. The chapter concludes with an analysis of how process quality relates to different characteristics of the staff and centre.