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Preschool STREAM education is a philosophy and guiding principle. It is a way of thinking towards multidisciplinary approach, in which Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics are integrated in the early childhood programme to provide the young children with a well-rounded education and equipped them with the 21st century skills. In this aspect, preschool teachers' perceptions towards the implementation of STREAM education are crucial for the sustainability of STREAM education now and then. In this study, the objectives are to investigate preschool teachers' perceptions towards STREAM implementation, the challenges of implementing STREAM education, as well as to examine the differences between pre-service and in-service teachers' perspectives towards the implementation of STREAM education. For this study, a quantitative research design was adopted. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey and analysed using SPSS software, which was used to obtain descriptive statistics and perform t-tests. The participants involved 80 preschool teachers (40 pre-service; 40 in-service) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. A questionnaire of 35-item was used. The result revealed that most participants have positive perceptions towards preschool STREAM education approach. However, the report indicated that there are differences between in-service and pre-service teachers in regards of the challenges in implementing preschool STREAM education. Moreover, the lack of teachers' expertise and professional training to integrate and implement STREAM learning activities are the main issues and concern of the in-service teachers. These findings suggested that teachers need training with relevant resources and effective materials for easy integration of content teaching and learning to sustain STREAM education as a frame of mind for effective implementation and desired learning outcomes.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centre registration is an important aspect in promoting quality ECCE. Quality ECCE plays an important role in promoting holistic development for children. In the Malaysian context, ECCE is managed under a dichotomous system which is overseen by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Ministry of Education. The ECCE registration process involves various departments, and hence, the operators need to deal with different authorities in adherence with the rules and regulations set by each authority. The objectives of this study are to explore the perceptions of the ECCE operators on the centre registration process and to investigate the challenges faced by them in the registration process. This study adopted a mixed-method research which involves 127 respondents in the survey and 53 participants in focus group interviews. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and NVivo respectively. From the findings, the operators showed high awareness of the registration guidelines and the consequences of non-registration. They also highlighted concerns in terms of the clarity of the policy information for centre registration, as well as challenges faced in the registration process. The quantitative findings were further supported by the qualitative findings, whereby the operators revealed the challenges faced in the complex ECCE centre registration process as well as the inconsistent requirements for registration. Hence, shared responsibility and effective coordination should be further looked at, in the continuous efforts in promoting quality ECCE.

Preschool education is an essential early learning experience in the world of education. It has been recognized as the most critical period in child development as quality preschool education makes significant contribution for the development of the whole child. Malaysia preschool education is always emphasizing on the holistic approach with developmentally appropriate preschool programme. The mission is to bring about a paradigm shift from 'teacher-centred' to 'child- centred' education to promote active learning in the 21st century classroom. Classroom practices are the educational process for effective teaching and learning. It is the fundamental to young children's learning. Therefore, teachers' beliefs and practices are crucial for improving the educational processes. The objectives of this study are to explore the preschool teachers' beliefs and classroom practices for child-centred learning in preschool education, as well as to investigate the relationship between teachers' practices and beliefs. This study adopted the quantitative approach. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlational analysis were used to analyse the data collected. The participants involved 580 preschool teachers of the private sectors in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur areas. A questionnaire of 52-item was used. This tool was administered to measure preschool teachers' beliefs and classroom practices. In conclusion, the result reported that teachers' beliefs and classroom practices showed high degree of practices. However, the findings revealed that the reciprocal relationship with parents needs to be enhanced. Further findings indicated that there is strong relationship between teachers' beliefs and classroom practices.

All children have the right to a safe and nurturing environment that promotes their holistic development. Accessibility is an important gateway to inclusive education where all children including disadvantaged children such as indigenous children, special needs children and children at risk are given equal access to quality early childhood care and education (ECCE). In ensuring inclusive accessibility to ECCE, many countries including Malaysia have instituted policies in relation to the provision of childcare and preschool education. These policies are expected to make a significant difference to the way practitioners work to achieve the best outcomes. This paper reports on a research study to examine the impact of the existing policies on the accessibility to quality ECCE in Malaysia. As part of a larger research project, this study employs a qualitative methodology that used a purposive sampling method. 54 participants were involved consisting government official and leaders of non-government agencies related to ECCE in Malaysia. A team of researchers conducted individual interviews and focus group interviews for the participants who consented to the research. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis method involving three cycles of rigorous analytic coding and review processes. The findings of this study indicated the participants are aware of the accessibility related policies they are directly dealing with, and the major themes expressed were inter-agency cooperation to achieve enrolment target; questioning the status quo of the existing procedures; and challenges in providing support services for children with special needs; and inclusion of children with disabilities. The challenges to accessibility are mostly related to disadvantaged children and weakness in the governance and gaps of implementation. Policy reviews need to be systematized into programme planning to ensure high quality ECCE services are accessible to all children in Malaysia.

With the increased number of women participation in the labour force and the encouragement from the Malaysia government to the private sector in setting up preschool and early childcare centre, there is a high demand on the number of institution-based private childcare centre. However, the literature has shown that the number of childcare centres closing is on the rise and at a worrying state. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the possible factors affecting the closing down of childcare centre and to learn the best practices from the sustaining childcare centres. This study utilized multiple case studies methods in researching the success factors of those sustainable childcare centre as well as identifying the factors that lead to the closing down of some childcare centres. Two institution-based private childcare centres who have operated for more than ten years and two centres that have recently closed after operating between two to four years in the Klang Valley area were selected in this study. This study used semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data from the operator, teacher and parent of each centre. Findings indicate that operators need not only to have early childhood education background in curriculum planning, training and lessons planning, at the same time, they have to be knowledgeable, skilful and experienced in business management to enhance their competencies for management of centres in today's competitive industry. Operators are expected to have good financial management, strong leadership abilities, good in marketing and recruitment and to have policy literacy to comply with the constant changing of the laws and regulations of Malaysia. The ineffective governance in terms of registration and monitoring of childcare centre, enforcement of the laws and loopholes between different licenses became the leading factors of the closing down of the childcare centres in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

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