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The onset of monophasic sleep, in which napping ceases and sleep consolidates into a single night period, is a key developmental milestone of childhood. Yet to date, there is little consensus regarding the timing of cessation of napping in children. The aim of the current study is to examine global evidence regarding napping patterns in childhood, and, through meta-analysis, describe patterns of napping cessation and duration observed in children aged 0-12 y. A systematic search of all published, original research articles reporting children's napping patterns, by age, was conducted. The quality of studies was assessed, and meta-analysis of eligible studies undertaken. Risk of bias and heterogeneity of measurement was high. Current evidence indicates that less than 2.5% of children cease napping prior to age 2, while 94% cease napping by age 5. The preschool period (3-5 y; 36-60 mo) represents a particularly dynamic period in napping cessation, with large variation in rates of napping across studies evidencing potential ecological effects. Future studies should focus on understanding of the underlying mechanisms explaining individual variations in napping patterns and the extent to which patterns of napping may represent a marker of child development., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Duration and quality of sleep affect child development and health. Encouragement of napping in preschool children has been suggested as a health-promoting strategy., Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess evidence regarding the effects of napping on measures of child development and health., Design: This study is a systematic review of published, original research articles of any design., Subjects: Children aged 0-5 years., Method: Electronic database search was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and assessment of research quality was carried out following a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) protocol., Results: Twenty-six articles met inclusion criteria. These were of heterogeneous quality; all had observational designs (GRADE-low). Development and health outcomes included salivary cortisol, night sleep, cognition, behaviour, obesity and accidents. The findings regarding cognition, behaviour and health impacts were inconsistent, probably because of variation in age and habitual napping status of the samples. The most consistent finding was an association between napping and later onset, shorter duration and poorer quality of night sleep, with evidence strongest beyond the age of 2 years., Limitations: Studies were not randomised. Most did not obtain data on the children's habitual napping status or the context of napping. Many were reliant on parent report rather than direct observation or physiological measurement of sleep behaviour., Conclusions: The evidence indicates that beyond the age of 2 years napping is associated with later night sleep onset and both reduced sleep quality and duration. The evidence regarding behaviour, health and cognition is less certain. There is a need for more systematic studies that use stronger designs. In preschool children presenting with sleep problems clinicians should investigate napping patterns., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

Sleep and rest provision in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is commonly enacted as a routine – a standard time-period during which children are required to lie down even if they do not sleep. Yet contemporary ECEC policies emphasise responsive pedagogical practice that includes children in decision-making and respects each child's developmental and sociocultural context as appropriate pedagogical practice. To understand current practices, analyses of numeric data and textual accounts from a survey of Australian ECEC service providers, leaders and educators (N = 247) was undertaken. Two broad challenges to enabling responsive practice and inclusion of children in decision-making were identified: (1) Provisions – organisational interpretations of national policy and attendant resourcing set the structural parameters for achievement of responsive pedagogical practice. (2) Practices – individual and communal demands on educators and their professional philosophy set interactional parameters. Service leadership played a pivotal role in determining whether sleep–rest practices were Routine (84%) or Responsive (16%). Responsive leaders were characterised by strong professional advocacy for child rights and child-focused pedagogy. They instigated professional reflection and communication strategies within their service and removed expectation that educators could undertake alternative activity while providing for children's sleep and rest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Whole-population analysis of access to high-quality ECE using a national standard. • Inequities of access associated with geographic and socio-economic disadvantage. • Recent immigrants over-represented in poor quality services. • Calls for interrogation and identification of effective thresholds of quality. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (4.2) calls for all children to have access to high quality Early Childhood Education (ECE), recognising the potential of ECE to promote children's development and ongoing national prosperity. Yet, in marketized systems both structural features (availability and affordability of services) and social factors (family knowledge and social connection) can drive inequitable access to the highest quality provision. In the current study, we analyse data for N =77,113 children in Australia's new whole-population integrated database to ask: Who accesses high-quality ECE services? Australia's national quality rating of ECE services provided whole-of-country standard measurement of ECE quality. We find that, although Australia provides an income-scaled subsidy to families to enable ECE attendance, inequalities are seen in the quality of service accessed. Families experiencing socio-economic disadvantage and those living in regional and remote locations are under-represented in services rated high-quality. Recent immigrants, regardless of their economic status, are most likely to attend poorer quality services. These findings highlight the need to identify and remediate mechanisms preventing those most likely to benefit from the highest quality ECE from access. Such actions are critical to deliver on the promise of ECE to disrupt intergenerational disadvantage and enable sustainable national development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OECD (2006 Starting Strong II: Early Childhood Education and Care. OECD Publishing: Paris) envisions early childhood education and care settings as meeting places for diverse social groups; places that build social capital. This vision was assessed in a comparison of three preschools types: full-fee paying, subsidised-fee and publicly funded. The social composition within each was examined and the connectedness of the children (n = 472) who attended compared. Publicly funded preschools had more socially diverse populations. The quantity of social connectedness did not differ but children in publicly funded preschools described higher quality social relationships. Not all preschool settings are socially diverse but, where they are, the quality of relationships is highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]