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The most recent data from the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) present good news; 79% of Australia's Early Childhood Education and Care services are now meeting the National Quality Standard (NQS). Yet one in five services remain below standard. Understanding the context and characteristics of these services, and those of their workforce, and identifying features that distinguish them from services meeting the NQS are the first step in directing quality improvement supports. We compared services rated "Working Towards" with those "Meeting or Exceeding" the standard, through analysis of two discrete datasets: (1) ACECQA snapshots providing service data and (2) The Early Years Workforce Study providing data on educators and educator experience. We identified distinguishing structural characteristics and relational factors within services rated "Working Towards." Based on the findings, strategic directions for bringing the last 21% of services across the line to meet the National Quality Standard are detailed.

The international agenda for quality improvement in early childhood education and care (ECEC) has driven policies targeting workforce professionalisation. Increased training and accountability have been required, but without commensurate renumeration. Attendant staff turnover and educator stress threaten to undermine the achievement of intended policy goals. In a study of the Australian ECEC workforce, we conducted a national survey. We also longitudinally tracked staff turnover in a stratified sample of ECEC centres in remote, regional and urban locations, each with different populations and economic ecosystems. National survey data (N = 916) showed intended exit (22%) was associated with upgrading qualifications and positive motivations at entry to the workforce while intention to stay was associated with having a career role and personal satisfaction. The small variations in wages or work demands in the sector did not moderate these relationships but supportive workplaces increased intention to stay. In tracked centres (N = 98 staff), annual turnover (37%) was explained by personal (e.g., maternity) and workplace factors, both positive (promotion, removing unsuited staff) and negative (dissatisfaction). Highest turnover was in remote locations (47%). We conclude that long term sustainability should attend to appropriate reward of professionalisation. In the short-term supportive workplace culture is critical in retaining and sustaining educators. [This article was co-written with The Early Years Workforce Study team: (Karen Thorpe, Sue Irvine, Paula McDonald), Jennifer Sumsion, Angela Ferguson, Mary Lincoln, Kate Liley, and Pam Spall.]

A growing body of literature highlights the important role of paternal health and socioemotional characteristics in child development, from preconception through adolescence. Much of this research addresses the indirect effects of fathers, for instance, their influence on maternal behaviors during the prenatal period or via the relationship with their partner. However, emerging evidence also recognizes the direct role of paternal health and behavior for child health and adjustment across development. This critical review presents evidence of biological and sociocultural influences of fathers on preconception, prenatal, and postnatal contributions to child development. The National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program incorporates in its central conceptualization the impact of fathers on family and child outcomes. This critical synthesis of the literature focuses on three specific child outcomes in the ECHO program: health outcomes (e.g., obesity), neurodevelopmental outcomes (e.g., emotional, behavioral, psychopathological development), and positive health. We highlight the unique insights gained from the literature to date and provide next steps for future studies on paternal influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Common obesity‐associated genetic variants at the fat mass and obesity‐associated (FTO) locus have been associated with appetitive behaviors and altered structure and function of frontostriatal brain regions. The authors aimed to investigate the influence of FTO variation on frontostriatal appetite circuits in early life. Methods: Data were drawn from RESONANCE, a longitudinal study of early brain development. Growth trajectories of nucleus accumbens and frontal lobe volumes, as well as total gray matter and white matter volume, by risk allele (AA) carrier status on FTO single‐nucleotide polymorphism rs9939609 were examined in 228 children (102 female, 126 male) using magnetic resonance imaging assessments obtained from infancy through middle childhood. The authors fit functional concurrent regression models with brain volume outcomes over age as functional responses, and FTO genotype, sex, BMI z score, and maternal education were included as predictors. Results: Bootstrap pointwise 95% CI for regression coefficient functions in the functional concurrent regression models showed that the AA group versus the group with no risk allele (TT) had greater nucleus accumbens volume (adjusted for total brain volume) in the interval of 750 to 2250 days (2–6 years). Conclusions: These findings suggest that common genetic risk for obesity is associated with differences in early development of brain reward circuitry and argue for investigating dynamic relationships among genotype, brain, behavior, and weight throughout development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim was to examine the relationship between caregiver's mental health (parental psychological distress, and parenting stress), dysfunctional parenting (lax or overreactive parenting), and the screen media use in understanding attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms of children within an integrated model framework. Background: Familial factors and screen use have shown to be significantly related to ADHD in children. However, theoretical models of the role of family environment, screen use, and ADHD have rarely been tested jointly, and little is known about these associations in southeastern European middle‐income countries (MICs). Method: Data from 835 primary caregivers (92% biological mother, 4% biological father, 3% grandmother or grandfather, 1% other) of children (2 to 9 years) from three MICs were analyzed using path analyses, and models were tested for generalizability across education levels and marital status using multigroup analyses. ADHD‐related symptoms were assessed with a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents–Parent Version [MINI‐KID‐P]) and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Results: Whereas screen use was directly associated with ADHD symptoms across measures, a significant indirect effect of lax parenting on attentional problems via screen use was found only for the CBCL parent report. The final models were tested using multigroup analyses across education levels and marital status with no significant differences. Conclusion: Investments in resource and capacity building for children's primary caregivers that target lax parenting and limiting of screen use may impact children's attentional problems across educational levels and married and nonmarried caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing evidence that parenting and feeding interact to influence children's eating behaviour and weight status. Interpretation of existing research is complicated by the lack of consensus in the conceptualisation and measurement of both "parenting" and "feeding", particularly the distinction between "styles", "dimensions" and "practices". In addition, the lack of validated tools to concurrently assess feeding practices in infancy limits the capacity to examine the relationships between parenting and feeding in infancy and their short- and long-term influence on weight status. In this paper, we provide an overview of the constructs examined in this emerging area of research, highlight the conceptual, definitional and measurement challenges and propose a unifying model to aid design and the interpretation of intervention studies. Progress on these methodological issues will contribute to the robust evidence required to justify investment in interventions that focus on parenting and feeding in the context of child obesity prevention. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

The prevalence of child emotional and behavioral problems is an international problem but is higher in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) where there are often less mental health supports for families. Parenting programs can be an effective means of prevention, but must be low‐cost, scalable, and suitable for the local context. The RISE project aims to systematically adapt, implement, and evaluate a low‐cost parenting program for preventing/reducing child mental health problems in three middle‐income countries in Southeastern Europe. This small pre–post pilot study is informed by the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE‐AIM) framework and tested the feasibility of the intervention, the implementation, and evaluation procedures: Phase 1 of the three‐phase Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) for program adaptation. Local facilitators delivered the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) for Young Children program to parents of children aged 2–9 in North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova and Romania in 2018. Parents completed assessments pre‐ and post‐program. Results demonstrated positive pre–post change for participating families (N = 140) on various outcomes including child externalizing and internalizing symptoms and parenting behavior, in all three countries, all in the expected direction. Program participation was associated with positive outcomes in participating families. Based on the experiences of this pilot study, we outline the practical implications for the successful implementation of parenting programs in the three countries that will inform our next study phases, factorial experiment, and RCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]