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This paper describes the research protocol for the Educational and Developmental Gains in Early Childhood (EDGE) Study, which will examine the implementation of two years of funded kindergarten prior to the first year of school in Victoria, Australia. EDGE will examine whether children's language, cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioural outcomes are improved after two years of kindergarten compared to one year. The experiences of (and impacts on) teachers, service leaders, and families will also be examined. The study includes a cross-sectional cohort of 95 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, and an embedded longitudinal observational cohort of children attending these services. Case studies of 15–20 ECEC services will also be collected, in addition to interviews with policy stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: To explore distinct professional-wellbeing subgroups and variations in turnover intentions, we examined the factor structure of the Early Childhood Professional Wellbeing Questionnaire (McMullen et al., 2020), which was completed online by 368 Australian early childhood educators. Based on educators' scores on the Belonging and Connection, Impact Evaluation and Safety factors, we identified five professional-wellbeing subgroups who varied in job satisfaction, consideration of resigning, and intention to leave the field. Subgroup differences suggest that a decreased sense of safety from high to average as well as a below-average sense of belonging, connection and safety contribute to turnover intentions. Also, educators with low professional wellbeing have a poor sense of belonging and connection, a negative view of their professional impact and weak job satisfaction. Practice or Policy: Further studies exploring early childhood educator wellbeing subgroup differences in psychological health and attitudes to teaching and learning, the impact of external factors including professional roles and leadership support and broader systemic influences, as well as variation in the effects of wellbeing interventions are needed. Such research will provide a useful framework for developing policies and practices that address the complex, multifaceted nature of educators' wellbeing and help combat threats to their wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood education and care programmes provide opportunities to enhance children's learning and development, especially when high-quality learning experiences and educator-child interactions are embedded within them. However, the quality of early childhood education programmes varies greatly. Quality in early childhood education and care is conceptualised in three domains: structural, process and system. Understanding how to drive quality improvements in early childhood education and care relies on clear, consistent evidence concerning each of these domains, however, the current literature is not comprehensive. This scoping review maps the extent and consistency of the research literature in each domain of quality to identify knowledge gaps and inform future research. Through a search of the peer-reviewed literature, 85 meta-analyses and systematic reviews meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. We found a wide variation in the number of included studies in each domain and sub-domain of quality. We found the greatest number of meta-analyses and systematic reviews related to programmes, interventions, and curricula (process quality) and professional development and support (structural quality). The literature included in this scoping review is heterogeneous and of varying methodological quality, with inconsistent or contradictory findings. The research is most consistent in relation to pedagogy, professional development and support, and programmes, interventions, and curricula (process quality) and learning environments (structural quality). Interactions between the different domains of quality are complex and future research should focus on the associations between different features of quality in early childhood education programmes and practices that are critical to implementing successful continuous improvement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding contributions of educator–child interactions to child language outcomes by examining the extent to which specific dimensions of the CLASS observational tool of educator–child interactions are associated with child language abilities, utilizing data from an Australian longitudinal study of over 2,000 children attending formal Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The analysis included a novel measurement model fitted to the data to allow each CLASS dimension to be modeled separately. Results showed that each CLASS dimension was associated with initial average language abilities. Small, negative effects of Emotional Support dimensions on growth of children's average Understanding Directions score were found, but there were no associations between any of the dimensions and average growth in Verbal Ability. None of the Instructional Support dimensions (which are language focused) predicted growth in language abilities. These null findings are addressed in the discussion. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study illustrate that, typically, ECEC programs rate low on dimensions of quality developed to capture language-promoting educator–child interactions. Findings also suggest a selection effect related to equity of access to classroom quality with children with the highest initial language abilities in the highest quality classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to establish a Research Network of Early Childhood Professionals and to identity network members' top research priorities and preferred research methods. Australian early childhood education (ECE) professionals were invited to participate in a Delphi-style survey. In Stage 1, participants were asked to describe the most important issues in ECE that need addressing; from this, a 'top 20' list of the most common research priorities was generated. In Stage 2, respondents were asked to prioritise the top 20 research topics and to rate their interest in participating in various methods of research. A total of 182 ECE professionals completed the Stage 1 survey (pre-COVID-19), yielding 34 topics of research interest. Ninety-four respondents completed the Stage 2 survey (during the COVID-19 pandemic), ranking the top three most important research topics as: educator wellbeing and mental health, child wellbeing and mental health, and professional learning and development. Members of the network appear to be interested in participating in ECE research and their research priorities can help highlight real-world issues warranting further investigation. Facilitating research that addresses prioritised ECE areas is particularly timely given the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the ECE sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children facing adversity are at greater risk of experiencing language difficulties than their peers. This study aims to examine the association between specific maternal responsive behaviours at 24 months and language outcomes at the age of 5 years in a cohort of mothers and children facing adversity. Mother–child dyads (n = 138) facing adversity were observed and videoed at home at 24 months in mother–child free play. Four maternal responsive behaviours were coded from these videos: imitations, responsive questions, labels, and expansions. Child language was assessed using the CELF-4 at the age of 5 years. Linear regression was used to examine associations, in both adjusted and unadjusted models. In unadjusted models, imitations, responsive questions, and labels predicted better child language scores at age 5. Imitations continued to positively predict language scores after adjusting for confounding factors, including earlier communication skills. Findings demonstrate the importance of considering maternal responsive behaviours with respect to stages of child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) as an essential service for families and the economy. However, it also exacerbated persisting challenges for the sector which impact educator well-being. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that investigated Australian early childhood educators' perspectives about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges and supports for educator well-being. A sample of 214 ECEC professionals responded to an online survey and 15 educators participated in subsequent focus groups. Five themes were identified in the data from open-ended survey questions and the focus groups: (1) threats to physical, emotional and financial health; (2) self-care and access to well-being resources; (3) connection with children and families; (4) a supportive professional community; and (5) acknowledging the value of early childhood education. These themes are elucidated using the 'voices' of educators, providing insights into how educator well-being can be supported during and beyond the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific features of adult linguistic input may play a larger, or smaller role, at different child ages, across different language outcomes, in different cohorts. This prospective, longitudinal study explored associations between the quantity and quality (i.e. diversity and responsiveness) of maternal linguistic input and child language. This study was derived from an Australian population-based intervention trial. Participants were mother–child dyads at risk of experiencing social adversity (n = 136). Home visits were conducted at 24 and 36 months. At the 24-month visit, mother–child free-play videos were collected. Seven aspects of maternal linguistic input were measured from videos: imitations, expansions, wh-questions, labels, word types, word tokens and mean length of utterance (MLU). Child language was assessed using a standardized measure at 36 months. Maternal MLU and imitations were associated with overall language and expressive vocabulary scores; wh-questions were associated with receptive language scores. By exploring quantity and quality, we can appreciate the differential contribution of adult linguistic input to early language abilities in different groups of children. Our findings highlight how imitations of early words/sounds and asking children wh-questions may foster expressive and receptive language development. These findings may be helpful to consider when selecting strategies for use in parent-implemented language promotion activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participant attrition is a significant challenge for longitudinal studies, particularly those involving disadvantaged populations. We attempted to re-engage n = 990 families in a five-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial of an early childhood parenting intervention. Tracing was attempted for n = 90/990 (9.1%) uncontactable participants. Evidence for the identification of a matching Facebook profile was classified as strong, moderate or weak. A private message was sent to those with strong evidence (n = 63/90, 70.0%), of which 32 responded, 22 agreed to participate and 19 provided data. Compared to participants engaged using traditional methods, those re-engaged through Facebook were more likely at initial recruitment to have a younger child (p =.02), to be a single parent (p =.04), less educated (p <.001), lower income (p =.01) and in an unemployed household (p <.001). Findings suggest that social media can be an effective engagement tool, helping to minimise overall and selective attrition in longitudinal studies, particularly for hard-to-reach populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]