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Cross-case study research was used to explore the school readiness of four 5-year-old children entering kindergarten during the 2020–2021 school year after three or more years of play-based early childhood education at a Reggio Emilia-inspired early childhood education center. Data included a series of three 1-h individual interviews with four mothers and three kindergarten teachers, field visits during remote learning, and artifact collection over the course of the school year. Themes describing the children's school readiness were developed through cross-case analysis. Participants described the children as learners, explorers, communicators, and empathizers. The learner theme centers on the children's responsiveness to instruction; the explorer theme describes how the children approached learning; the communicator theme illustrates the children's prowess with social connection and self-advocacy, and the empathizer theme shows the thoughtfulness and emotional sensitivity these children displayed. Findings suggest that play-based learning prepared these children for successful kindergarten experiences and was a viable early childhood education pedagogy fostering school readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That mass media supports children's learning at scale across a variety of educational outcomes is widely acknowledged, effects which are further enhanced when content is co-viewed with a parent or primary caregiver. Ahlan Simsim, a children's educational television show produced in the Middle East, is focused on supporting children's socio-emotional needs. For young children, there is ample evidence in developmental literature that socio-emotional skills are associated with improved school performance, increased pro-social behavior and well-being, and a decline in anxiety and behavioral problems. Using findings from an encouragement design performance evaluation on Season 1 of Ahlan Simsim conducted with families in Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (N = 473), this study provides evidence that families who regularly co-viewed Ahlan Simsim reported improved emotional vocabulary and increased emotion regulation among both children and parents, expanding the understanding of the benefits of co-viewing to also include parents' improved socio-emotional skills. Findings also show that learning extended beyond viewing individual episodes, as parents reported that watching Ahlan Simsim sparked conversations at home about new emotional vocabulary, expressing feelings, and practicing coping techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the lack of tools that can be easily used by practitioners, there is a need to develop acceptable embedded ways to assess children's fine motor skill development within early childhood education and care settings. This study examined the validity and reliability of a brief and ecologically valid fine motor assessment tool for preschool-aged children; the fine motor growth assessment (i.e., FINGA). Children's fine motor performance on FINGA was compared with widely-used and validated performance-based (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd edition) and informant-based (Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd edition) fine motor assessments. Ninety-one children [mean age (y) ± SD = 4.50y ± 0.68] were assessed within seven early childhood education and care services in New South Wales, Australia. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and linear regression analyses showed that FINGA had good internal consistency (EFA of 73%) and age sensitivity (Bstd = 0.69, p < 0.001), and bivariate correlation analyses demonstrated good concurrent validity (rs from 0.69 to 0.84, ps < 0.001) against the two comparison assessments. Because of its brevity and ecological validity, the FINGA tool should be further examined as a routine fine motor skills assessment administered within the context of universal early childhood education and care service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners from low-resource communities may find it challenging to provide developmentally appropriate services to support child development, due to the increased risk of developmental delays. Practitioners rely on their ECD knowledge when delivering ECD services, but many practitioners in South Africa are underqualified. The knowledge and needs of practitioners from low-resource communities should be explored to develop and implement appropriate support services. A combined Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI) and KIDI-Preschool (KIDI-P) tool was used to investigate ECD knowledge, and a questionnaire was utilised to determine participants' needs. The mean score for their ECD knowledge was 47.0%. ECD qualification and experience were not identified as significant contributors for better knowledge scores, but having a high school education (β = 4.702, t = 3.387, p = 0.001), being a parent (β = 3.764, t = 2.091, p = 0.038), training completed 5 or more years ago (β = 4.271, t = 2.142, p = 0.034), and a need for information on developmental milestones (β = 2.399, t = 1.992, p = 0.048) were. The most commonly reported need was related to training and furthering knowledge. The findings provide insight into the knowledge base of ECD practitioners, their needs as well as significant contributors to better ECD knowledge. Implications for practice can be guided by the Nurturing Care Framework (World Health Organization 2019), since the participants and findings from the study can be contextualised within it. ECD practitioners, especially those from low-resource communities, need adequate support in the crucial role they are playing. Further research should be conducted to determine consistency of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peruvian children's sub-optimal results on international and national assessments underscore the need for enhanced investments in early childhood development (ECD) such as shared reading between caregivers and young children. We conducted a qualitative study with 13 mothers of young children ages 11–25 months old that: used focus groups to explore caregivers' perspectives and experiences related to their daily activities, including reading and other ECD activities, with their young children; and used focus groups and video recordings to describe caregivers' experiences reading with these children during an at-home opportunity for shared reading. The mothers described daily schedules that focused on taking care of their daily chores and making sure that their young children were busy as they carried out those tasks. The mothers reported that they did not designate dedicated time to spend with their children, and children were often without adult attention for lengthy periods of time. We found that after the 1-month at-home opportunity for shared reading, there was a definite positive shift in both mothers' engagement with their children and their perspectives on reading. The caregivers improved their daily interactions with their children and observed important changes in their children thanks to reading. This study is encouraging and justifies a follow up randomized controlled trial to implement and evaluate the LIBRE shared reading program in Lima, Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to delay gratification (DG) in young children is vital to their later development. Such ability should be taught as early as possible. One hundred kindergartners (Mean age = 6.11), randomly assigned to three groups; a, labeling: received the treatment of being labeled as “patient” kids; b, story-telling: were read a story about the patient antagonist rewarded double gifts, while the impulsive character got only one same reward; c, control: received no treatment. Under the DG task of Ball-Moving Activity, the ANOVA results showed the children in labeling group delayed longer (M = 13.23 m) than the control one (M = 11.25 m), showed marginal significant difference at p = .06, medium effect size magnitude at η2 = .06. No significant mean differences were found between the story-telling (M = 12.68 m) and the control group, though the story-telling group delayed more than 1 min longer than their counterparts. Sex differences on the task are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that there are distinct differences in the psychological development of boys and girls. It has also been found that boys have more problems in their teen years and into adulthood because of problems during early childhood, particularly in the area of handling emotions. This article first describes gender differences that are supported by research and how society, parents', and teachers' influences shape gender identity during early development. Second, the article discusses problems boys in particular may face later in life if they are not taught how to handle their emotions during childhood. Third, suggestions are offered for teachers and parents to guide boys in early childhood to mature in more emotionally sound ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]