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Shared picture-book reading is well-recognized as beneficial for children’s early language development, especially where ‘dialogic book-sharing’ techniques are used. Possible benefits of dialogic book-sharing to other aspects of child development have been little investigated, and it has not been widely studied in European populations. We conducted a randomized trial of dialogic book-sharing in Children’s Centers in the UK, with parents of 2-4-year-old children, hypothesizing that it would benefit parenting and a range of child developmental outcomes.\ud Intervention group parents (n = 110) received seven, weekly, group training sessions and control parents (n = 108) the usual center input. Parenting and a range of child outcomes (language, attention, executive function, social development and emotional-behavior difficulties) were assessed on three occasions: before, after, and 4-6 month following intervention. For all study outcomes we compared controls with each of the Intention-to-Treat population and the perprotocol population (participants attending the requisite number of sessions); and, for primary child outcomes only, the population of parents who engaged well with the intervention. There were substantial benefits of dialogic book-sharing training to parental behavior during booksharing, especially for sensitivity and cognitive scaffolding. For all three sets of comparisons there were small-medium effects of on child expressive language, and, for the per protocol and engaged populations, similar sized effects on child receptive language and attention. There was no evidence of benefit of dialogic book-sharing for the other areas of child development; we suggest that specific intervention components need to be added to standard dialogic book-sharing to effect change in these areas.

A survey study of the language and literacy practices of first-generation Turkish immigrant families with 3- to 6-year-old children was conducted in England. Information on family socioeconomic background, migration history and language skills of 168 first-generation Turkish parents was collected through structured interviews in Greater London and Northwest England. The study findings suggest that early childhood experiences that are important for the educational attainment of immigrant children may be affected by the family characteristics and the integration experiences of parents. Regression analyses demonstrated that parents from disadvantaged backgrounds engaged in language and literacy activities less often and preferred Turkish as the interaction language at home. Parent’s social integration, measured via parent’s length of residence and English skills, significantly predicted their language use with their children. Low social integration was associated with increased Turkish use, whereas high social integration was associated with more frequent language and literacy activities at home.

Many children start school developmentally vulnerable and struggle to keep up with their peers. Children experiencing socioeconomic-disadvantage are at higher risk of poor developmental outcomes. A high-quality education and wrap-around community-service model, such as the Doveton Model, at Doveton College, Australia, may improve outcomes for families experiencing entrenched disadvantage. This study focussed on the effect of this model on early-learning (pre-formal schooling) for school entry readiness and academic achievement over the subsequent four years. Students who did/did not attend the Doveton Model Early-Learning-Centre were compared using standard reading, oral-language, writing and numeracy tests from school-entry to Year 3. There was a trend towards higher academic achievement for students who attended Doveton early-learning compared to students who had not. Many tests showed statistically significant differences, despite low sample sizes. This study provides preliminary evidence that attending early-learning within a high-quality, wrap-around service model may have significant academic benefits for disadvantaged children.

Background Language is a critical development accomplishment of early childhood, enabling later literacy, education and employment. Previous studies have highlighted socioeconomic inequalities in the amount parents speak to their child, with researchers estimating by age four parents from professional backgrounds spoke 30 million more words to their children, than parents who were on welfare. Methods This study utilises innovative speech recognition technology called Language Environment Analysis (LENA), which counts the number of words children hear and speak over a day. LENA data is collected once every six months from 6 – 48 months of age, across two cohorts of children who are stratified by two levels of maternal education to examine the effects across socioeconomic groups. Results Results from the first three waves of data collection demonstrate that differences between education groups in the number of adult words spoken to the child are not evident until the children are 18 months old. Average change in adult word counts per day by maternal education show there is a difference of 17 words at 6 months, 568 words at 12 months and 3,851 words at 18 months. Conclusions This is the first study to be able to identify the age when socioeconomic differences in the amount of talk emerge. This has significant implications for the timing of interventions aiming to reduce the word gap, suggesting targeting the implementation of programs prior to 18 months. Key messages Socioeconomic differences in the amount parents talk to their children do not emerge until children are 18 months old.

Background It is well understood that the first five years of life are crucial to future health, wellbeing and success, and that large inequalities are evident early in life. While research into inequalities amongst families is not new, understanding how a child’s access to mobile technology may impact the transmission of inequality from parent to child is. Scientific literature exploring screen time exposure mainly predates the current reality of mobile technology being ubiquitous household items. It also predominantly relies on parent reports of children’s screen use. Leveraging off an existing prospective cohort study which began in 2017, this study aims to quantify the amount of screen time children are exposed to during the early years, understand socioeconomic disparities and whether screen exposure makes a difference to child development. Methods This study utilises innovative speech recognition technology called Language Environment Analysis (LENA), which can quantify the amount of electronic noise heard by a child over a 16-hour day. LENA data is collected once every six months from 6 – 48 months of age, with children stratified by two levels of maternal education (secondary school only, university degree plus). Descriptive statistics of screen use will be presented cross-sectionally by age and maternal education groups. Results At 6 months children within the low education grouping heard 64.23 (SD 67.63) minutes of electronic noise and 58.10 (SD 51.16) at 12 months. This compares with 31.34 (SD 43.36) at 6 months and 41.93 (SD 50.10) minutes at 12 months for those in the high education grouping. Limitations in understanding screen use through the categorisation of ‘electronic noise’ through the LENA sound recognition software will be overcome through manual transcription of audio recordings by human transcribers. Comparisons of LENA data and human transcription will be presented. Conclusion This is the first study to objectively quantify children’s screen use in the first year of life within a contemporary sample. Current screen time guidelines recommend under the age of 2 years children should not be exposed to any screens. Our data indicates, for the majority of families this is simply not the case. The results from the current study also highlight inequalities in screen use, raising questions of whether screen use is contributing to the continuing disparities in developmental outcomes by school entry, something our study aims to investigate as it progresses.

There is now clear evidence that young children’s abilities to self-regulate set in motion developmental trajectories that are longitudinally influential, that self-regulation is malleable in childhood with flow-on implications into adulthood, and that efforts to improve self-regulation are enhanced when tailored and adaptive to children’s developmental progress. Yet there are significant concerns regarding current approaches to assessing self-regulation, potentially limiting our capacity to respond to children’s needs and support their development. In response, this study examined the viability of a novel approach to assessing young children’s cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional self-regulation that uses observer ratings in semi-structured activities. Eighty 3- to 5-year-old children were observed in their preschool in a small group task (a memory card game with other children) and in two individual tasks (an outdoor obstacle course and a curiosity box guessing game). Exploratory factor analysis of resultant Preschool Situational Self-Regulation Toolkit (PRSIST) assessment ratings yielded a two-factor solution which corresponded to cognitive and behavioral self-regulation. Comparison of these observation ratings with task-based (Head–Toes–Knees–Shoulders; HTKS) and adult-report measures of self-regulation (parent and teacher report on the Child Behavior Rating Scale; CBRS) showed strong association with HTKS scores and more modest relations with CBRS ratings. Unlike adult report, however, PRSIST and HTKS were also developmentally sensitive, both showed robust associations with children’s school readiness, and neither revealed systematic differences across genders. These findings offer encouraging support for the PRSIST approach, which has high ecological validity and direct relevance to those working with children.

Este estudo analisa as associações entre as pontuações provenientes de processos regulatórios de avaliação da qualidade da educação infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) do National Quality Standard (NQS)2 e das duas escalas de avaliação de qualidade (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; e ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extension). A amostra consiste em 257 unidades de ECEC em três estados australianos. Os resultados indicaram: associações positivas modestas entre as pontuações do NQS e das escalas; alguma especificidade entre as áreas de qualidade do NQS (aspectos do projeto e práticas pedagógicas para as crianças; relações com crianças) e de uma escala de avaliação – a SSTEW; variabilidade das pontuações das escalas de qualidade dentro de cada classificação do NQS; e atenuação dessas associações quando o tempo entre as avaliações ultrapassa 24 meses. As conclusões sugerem que o NQS e as escalas de avaliação indicam um núcleo comum de qualidade, mas capturam aspectos diferentes da qualidade, sugerindo que ambos poderiam ser usados para melhorar os padrões de qualidade nas pré-escolas australianas, onde as escalas de avaliação potencializam a qualidade ainda mais do que o NQS.Palavras-chave: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Qualidade, Pré-Escola, Regulamentação Comparando índices regulatorios y no regulatorios de calidad de la educación infantil en AustraliaEste estudio analiza las asociaciones entre los puntajes provenientes de procesos regulatorios de evaluación de la calidad de la educación infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) del National Quality Standard (NQS) y de las dos escalas de evaluación de calidad (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; y ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extended). La muestra consiste en 257 unidades de ECEC en tres estados de Australia. Los resultados indicaron: asociaciones positivas modestas entre los puntajes del NQS y de las escalas; alguna especificidad entre las áreas de calidad del NQS (aspectos del proyecto y prácticas pedagógicas para los niños; relaciones con niños) y una escala de evaluación – la SSTEW; variabilidad de los puntajes de las escalas de calidad dentro de cada clasificación del NQS; y atenuación de dichas asociaciones siempre que el tiempo entre las evaluaciones supera los 24 meses. Las conclusiones sugieren que el NQS y las escalas de evaluación indican un núcleo común de calidad, pero capturan aspectos distintos de la calidad, lo que sugiere que ambos se podrían utilizar para mejorar los estándares de calidad en el sistema preescolar australiano, en el que las escalas de evaluación potencian todavía más la calidad que el NQS.Palabras clave: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Calidad, Sistema Preescolar, Reglamentación Comparing regulatory and non-regulatory indices of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality in the Australian early childhood sectorThis study examines associations between Australia’s regulatory ratings of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) – the National Quality Standard (NQS) – and two research-based quality rating scales. The analytic sample consisted of 257 ECEC services across three Australian states. Results indicated (1) modest positive associations between NQS ratings and scale scores; (2) some specificity between NQS quality areas (educational programs and practice; relationships with children) and one research scale – the Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Wellbeing (SSTEW) scale; (3) variability in quality scales scores within each NQS designation; and (4) mitigation of these associations when the time-gap between ratings exceeded 24 months. Findings suggest NQS and research scales tap some common core of quality, yet capture different aspects of quality, suggesting both could be used to raise standards of quality in Australian preschools, where the research scales potentiate raising quality to even higher levels than NQS.Keywords: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Quality, Preschool, Regulation

Background The idea of the ‘30 million word gap’ suggests families from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds engage in more verbal interactions with their child than disadvantaged families. Initial findings from the Language in Little Ones (LiLO) study up to 12 months showed no word gap between maternal education groups. Methods Families with either high or low maternal education were purposively recruited into a five-year prospective study. We report results from the first three waves of LiLO when children were 6, 12 and 18 months old. Day-long audio recordings, obtained using the Language Environment Analysis software, provided counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Results By the time children were 18 months old all three measures of talk were 0.5 to 0.7 SD higher among families with more education, but with large variation within education groups. Changes in talk from 6 to 18 months highlighted that families from low educated backgrounds were decreasing the amount they spoke to their children (− 4219.54, 95% CI -6054.13, − 2384.95), compared to families from high educated backgrounds who remained relatively stable across this age period (− 369.13, 95% CI − 2344.57, 1606.30). Conclusions The socioeconomic word gap emerges between 12 and 18 months of age. Interventions to enhance maternal communication, child vocalisations and vocabulary development should begin prior to 18 months.

In the latter part of the 20th century evidence was accumulating about the effectiveness of various intervention programmes for young children in disadvantaged families. Some small-scale interventions were evaluated by randomised control trials as in the case of the Abecedarian project (Ramey et al., 2000), the High/ Scope Perry Preschool Project (Schweinhart, Barnes, & Weikart, 1993) and evaluations of home visiting (e.g. Olds, 1997). Others were evaluated by quasi-experimental methods as with the large-scale Head Start project (e.g. Barnett, 1995; Kresh, 1998). Despite some weaknesses in the evidence for large-scale interventions, the accumulating evidence of the benefits of early intervention was very influential in the planning and launch of the Sure Start programme (Glass, 2003), now known as Sure Start local programmes. Sure Start local programmes are central to the UK government’s policy for combating the adverse effects of poverty and disadvantage on young children and their families. Hence they have potentially great importance in the lives of hundreds of thousands of families and young children. By 2004 there will be 524 Sure Start local programmes in disadvantaged areas in England that will be serving over 300,000 children and their families. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own Sure Start programmes. This initiative represents a unique approach to early intervention for children aged 0–4, their families, and communities. The aim of Sure Start is: To work with parents-to-be, parents and children, to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of babies and young children – particularly those who are disadvantaged – so that they can flourish at home and when they get to school, and thereby break the cycle of disadvantage for the current generation of young children. Sure Start local programmes are designed to be comprehensive, community-based projects adapted to local needs, and making maximal use of local expertise and enthusiasms. Such a focus on local autonomy may capitalise on shared concerns of people for their community (Oliver, Smith, & Barker, 1998). The issue of whether preventative interventions should be targeted or universal in application is dealt with by Sure Start by targeting distinct areas of disadvantage and making the services universal within those areas. In this way there are the advantages of economy associated with targeted interventions and also the stigma-free advantage of universal provision. While some research has reliably documented the benefits of early intervention, there has been much prevention work that has either not been evaluated or where evaluations are so flawed as to preclude meaningful conclusions (see Mrazek & Brown, 2002; WebsterStratton & Taylor, 2001). The Sure Start programme recognised the need for rigorous evaluation and after a competitive commissioning process the National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) was initiated. Rather than providing a specific service, Sure Start local programmes involve changes to existing services. Improved services and community functioning are presumed to lead to enhanced family and community functioning that in turn enhance child development. This approach raises the following questions for NESS. 1. Do existing services change? (How and, if so, for which populations and under what conditions?) 2. Are delivered services improved? (How, and if so, for which populations and under what conditions?) 3. Do children, families, and communities benefit? (How, and if so, for which populations and under what conditions?) This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/1975 NESS addresses these questions through four core research components: (1) implementation evaluation that considers how programmes are operating and changing; (2) impact evaluation that considers effects of Sure Start local programmes upon children and families; (3) local context analysis that considers communities as units of analysis and how they function and change over time; and (4) cost-effectiveness analysis that examines economic return on investment of the Sure Start local programmes. The NESS team also provides technical support to smaller scale evaluations being conducted by local Sure Start programmes themselves. The four core research modules of the evaluation are described in turn.

There is a rich tradition in Europe of child-centred Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) with social development as the predominant curricular goal and free play as the main pedagogical principle for development. This tradition has been challenged by recent research showing that young children benefit from more structured learning, often called ‘guided play’. Moreover, the predominant goal of social development has been challenged by a recent survey of curricular goals in European countries that found wide support for ‘21st century’ skills such as self-regulation and some limited support for ‘emerging’ academic ones. This paper argues for the importance of observed process quality as the educational driver supporting the development of 21st century skills in the pre-school years. Based on multi-level models of children’s developmental progress in a large, longitudinal study in England, the findings demonstrate the contribution of process quality in ECEC to the development of self-regulation and pro-social behaviour (key 21st century skills) as measured at the end of primary school.

SCIENTIFIC Different aspects of social–emotional development in early childhood—including self-regulation, hyperactivity, emotional problems, and peer problems—have each been shown to individually influence academic achievement into primary and secondary school. Environmental and demographic factors have also been shown to influence a child’s academic development. The current study extends previous work to consider—concurrently, using structural equation modeling—a broader array of antecedents and measures of social–emotional development to understand their relative relations with later academic outcomes. Parent-reported data on a nationally representative sample of children (N = 10,080) at ages 3 and 5 years, and academic assessment at age 7, from the Millennium Cohort Study were subjected to longitudinal modeling. Results indicated the individual and collective contributions of social–emotional, environmental, and demographic antecedents of academic progress. These results suggest that malleable factors in early childhood are important predictors of later academic success, and thus may be viable targets for intervention.

Research increasingly acknowledges the importance of high quality interactions that support and extend children’s thinking. Few measurement tools currently exist, however, to capture this specific aspect of process quality. The Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Wellbeing (SSTEW) scale was developed to assess interactional quality in early childhood education and care, and it includes dimensions of process quality based on developmental theories and practice in effective settings. This study compared ratings on the SSTEW and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Extension (ECERS-E) to consider the impact of varying levels of curricular and interactional quality on child development in 45 Australian pre-school centres; namely the language, numeracy and socio-behavioural development of 669 children at the end of their pre-school year. Results indicated a level of predictive validity for interactional quality ratings as measured by SSTEW which, while related to curricular quality ratings on ECERS-E, differed in associations across domains of child development.

Background There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. This study aims to investigate the number of words children hear and the number of vocalizations children produce in their first year of life and examines whether these aspects of the early language home environment differ by maternal education. Methods Mothers were recruited into a five-year prospective cohort study and categorized into either high or low maternal education groups. Data was derived from the first two waves of the study, when the children were six and twelve months old. At both waves, children were involved in day-long audio recordings using the Language Environment Analysis software that provided automatic counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Descriptive results are presented by maternal education groups. Results There was large variation within each maternal education group, with the number of adult words spoken to the child ranging from 2958 to 39,583 at six months and 4389 to 45,849 at twelve months. There were no meaningful differences between adult words, child vocalizations or conversational turns across maternal education groups at either wave of data collection. Conclusions These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age. The large variability among both maternal education groups suggests that universal interventions that encourage all parents to talk more to their child may be more appropriate than interventions targeted towards disadvantaged families during the first year of life.

This study explores how various measures of home learning environment (HLE) collected at different ages are related to each other and explores associations when the effects of significant child and family characteristics are controlled for. Different age-appropriate measures of the HLE were constructed at ages 3, 7, 11, and 14. The measures were derived from parents’ reports (3, 7, and 11), but at age 14 both adolescents’ self-reports and parents’ questionnaires responses were used. Multilevel models tested the effects of earlier measures of HLE on later measures, while the same set of individual and family characteristics were controlled. The early years HLE measure was a significant predictor of later measures of HLE across different phases of education (primary and secondary school). The strength of the relationships between different HLE measures depended on the time lag between measurements but also on the nature of the activities covered in each dimension.

The educational performance of children in Out of Home Care (OHC) in the UK is lower than that of other children. This is largely attributable to the high levels of need of these children rather than to the effect of the OHC environment. A study of the educational progress of OHC children in England was carried out using data on 47,500 children. Educational attainment at ages 7, 11 and 16 was obtained by linking these children to the National Pupil Database. Their educational progress was analysed using Group Trajectory Analysis (GTA), a method which identifies groups of individuals whose outcomes show similar paths over time. GTA identified 5 trajectory groups: low achievement (15.9%), late improvement (7.0%), late decline (20.5%), predominant (43.3%), and high achievement (13.3%). Being taken into care earlier was associated with a higher probability of belonging to the high achievement trajectory group and a lower probability of belonging to the late decline group. For children taken into care aged 7–16, having a longer total time in care by age 16 was associated with a higher probability of belonging to the high achievement trajectory group. We discuss some interventions which may improve the educational attainment of OHC children.

This paper reviews the development of early childhood education and care\ud (ECEC) in China. The historical context from 1900 is summarised, and then\ud developments from the 1980s up to the present kindergarten expansion\ud movement, starting in 2010, are covered in detail. The review shows that ECEC\ud development in China has undergone great changes both in policy and practice.\ud The clash between progressive ideas and existing kindergarten practices has been\ud and remains a challenge. The ‘cultural appropriateness issue’ is of concern, and\ud there are strong voices for keeping valuable aspects of Chinese traditional\ud culture. China has put great efforts recently into boosting kindergarten\ud participation nationwide, yet there have been and remain great social economic\ud disparities at various levels. There is also growing concern that the programme\ud quality cannot be maintained with the rapid kindergarten expansion process.\ud Policy development for the childcare sector (0-3) in China is relatively thin\ud compared to recent booms for kindergartens.

This study investigated whether the amount and timing of group-based childcare between birth and 51 months were predictive of cognitive development at 51 months, taking into account other non-parental childcare, demographic characteristics, cognitive development at 18 months, sensitive parenting and a stimulating home environment. Children’s ( N=978) cognitive development was assessed at 51 months with four subscales of the British Ability Scales: two verbal and two non-verbal. Mothers were interviewed and observed at 3, 10, 18, and 36 months and the quality of group care was assessed at 10, 18, and 36 months ( N=239) if it was used for ≥12 hours per week. Age of starting in group care and amount were highly associated ( r = -.75). Multiple regressions indicated that, controlling for other factors, higher cognitive development and particularly non-verbal ability was associated with more hours per week in group care from 0 to 51 months, or an earlier start, or group care before age 2. Nevertheless, the majority of variance was explained by other predictors: sex (girl), higher cognitive development at 18 months, older mother, first language English, mother of white ethnic background, with more qualifications, higher family social class, more maternal responsivity at 10 months and a more stimulating home learning environment (HLE) at 36 months. Hours per week in relative care or home-based care were not significant predictors of cognitive scores. For the smaller relatively advantaged sample who had group care quality information ( N=239), quality was a marginal predictor of better cognitive development but age of starting group care was not. Most variance was explained by 18 month cognitive development, maternal education, and family social class.

Several methods of assessing executive function (EF), self-regulation, language development, and social development in young children have been developed over previous decades. Yet new technologies make available methods of assessment not previously considered. In resolving conceptual and pragmatic limitations of existing tools, the Early Years Toolbox (EYT) offers substantial advantages for early assessment of language, EF, self-regulation, and social development. In the current study, results of our large-scale administration of this toolbox to 1,764 preschool and early primary school students indicated very good reliability, convergent validity with existing measures, and developmental sensitivity. Results were also suggestive of better capture of children’s emerging abilities relative to comparison measures. Preliminary norms are presented, showing a clear developmental trajectory across half-year age groups. The accessibility of the EYT, as well as its advantages over existing measures, offers considerably enhanced opportunities for objective measurement of young children’s abilities to enable research and educational applications.

The widely and internationally replicated socioeconomic status (SES) gradient of executive function (EF) implies that intervention approaches may do well to extrapolate conditions and practices from contexts that generate better child outcomes (in this case, higher SES circumstances) and translate these to contexts with comparatively poorer outcomes (often low‐SES populations). Yet, can the reverse also be true? Using data from equivalent assessments of 1,092 pre‐schoolers’ EFs in South Africa and Australia, we evaluated: the SES gradient of EF within each sample; and whether this SES gradient extended cross‐culturally. The oft‐found EF‐SES gradients were replicated in both samples. However, contrary to the inferences of EF‐SES associations found nationally, the most highly disadvantaged South African subsample outperformed middle‐ and high‐SES Australian pre‐schoolers on two of three EFs. This suggests the possibility of EF‐protective and ‐promotive practices within low‐ and middle‐income countries that may aid understandings of the nature and promotion of EFs.

Individuals with the short variant of the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region gene are more susceptible than individuals homozygous for the long allele to the effects of stressful life events on risk for internalizing and externalizing problems. We tested whether individual differences in coping style explained this increased risk for problem behavior among youth who were at both genetic and environmental risk. Participants included 279 children, ages 8–11, from the Children’s Experiences and Development Study. Caregivers and teachers reported on children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and caregivers and children on children’s exposure to harsh parenting and parental warmth in middle childhood, and traumatic events. Children reported how frequently they used various coping strategies. Results revealed that short/short homozygotes had higher levels of internalizing problems compared with long allele carriers and that short allele carriers had higher levels of externalizing problems compared with long/long homozygotes under conditions of high cumulative risk. Moreover, among children who were homozygous for the short allele, those who had more cumulative risk indicators less frequently used distraction coping strategies, which partly explained why they had higher levels of internalizing problems. Coping strategies did not significantly mediate Gene x Environment effects on externalizing symptoms. Among all children, regardless of genotype, socially supportive relationships -- specifically social networks characterized by low levels of "social strain" -- buffered children from the adverse effects of exposure to traumatic events on risk for psychopathology.

In countries with universal access to early childhood education and care (ECEC), child participation is high across a range of socioeconomic groups. However, ECEC quality is often varying, and many children spend much time in ECEC settings that are not necessarily high quality. In this observational study, we therefore examined the relationship between observed ECEC quality and children’s cognitive development at age three years in Norway – a country that provides universal access to ECEC from age one. The sample comprised 800 children, enrolled in 83 ECEC centers, who were assessed in verbal and non-verbal cognitive ability. ECEC quality was measured with the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R), and cognitive outcomes were measured with the Naming Vocabulary and Picture Similarities subtests of the British Ability Scales III (BAS III). The results showed that children’s cognitive development at age three was not associated with ECEC quality; irrespective of socioeconomic background.

Some aspects of child non-cognitive development in pre-school have independently been shown to predict academic outcomes in later primary and early high school. However, the extent to which each aspect uniquely predicts these outcomes remains unclear. It is also unclear as to what mechanisms may predict these aspects of non-cognitive development. To address these issues, the current study sought to explore the antecedents to, and the predictive strength of, prominent aspects of early non-cognitive development (e.g. hyperactivity, pro-social behaviour, peer and conduct problems at 4–5 years of age) on children’s academic achievement at 6–11 years of age from a large, longitudinal and nationally representative sample. The study found early hyperactivity to be the strongest predictor of academic achievement at age 10–11 years of age. Further, early hostile parenting styles, child’s gender, and parental educational levels were the strongest and most consistent predictors of children’s non-cognitive development. Findings from this study further clarify the relational nature of aspects of non-cognitive development and academic outcomes, as well as the factors that best predict early non-cognitive development.

Background Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem. Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) is a new intervention for young, expectant mothers implemented successfully in pilot studies. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of gFNP in reducing risk factors for maltreatment with a potentially vulnerable population. Methods A multi-site, randomized controlled, parallel-arm trial and prospective economic evaluation was conducted, with allocation via remote randomization (minimization by site, maternal age group) to gFNP or usual care. Participants were expectant mothers aged below 20 years with at least one live birth, or aged 20–24 years with no live births and with low educational qualifications. Data from maternal interviews at baseline and when infants were 2, 6 and 12 months, and video-recording at 12 months, were collected by researchers blind to allocation. Cost information came from weekly logs completed by gFNP family nurses and other service delivery data reported by participants. Primary outcomes measured at 12 months were parenting attitudes (Adult-Adolescent Parenting Index, AAPI-2) and maternal sensitivity (CARE Index). The economic evaluation was conducted from a UK NHS and personal social services perspective with cost-effectiveness expressed in terms of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. The main analyses were intention-to-treat with additional complier average causal effects (CACE) analyses. Results Between August 2013 and September 2014, 492 names of potential participants were received of whom 319 were eligible and 166 agreed to take part, 99 randomly assigned to receive gFNP and 67 to usual care. There were no between-arm differences in AAPI-2 total (7 · 5/10 in both, SE 0.1), difference adjusted for baseline, site and maternal age group 0 · 06 (95% CI − 0 · 15 to 0 · 28, p = 0 · 59) or CARE Index (intervention 4 · 0 (SE 0 · 3); control 4 · 7 (SE 0 · 4); difference adjusted for site and maternal age group − 0 · 68 (95% CI − 1 · 62 to 0 · 16, p = 0 · 25) scores. The probability that gFNP is cost-effective based on the QALY measure did not exceed 3%. Conclusions The trial did not support gFNP as a means of reducing the risk of child maltreatment in this population but slow recruitment adversely affected group size and consequently delivery of the intervention. Trial registration ISRCTN78814904. Registered on 17 May 2013. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2259-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundFamily Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a home-based nurse home-visiting programme to support vulnerable parents. Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) has similar aims and materials and was demonstrated to be feasible in implementation evaluations.ObjectivesTo determine whether or not gFNP, compared with usual care, could reduce risk factors for maltreatment in a vulnerable group and be cost-effective.DesignA multisite randomised controlled parallel-group trial and prospective economic evaluation, with eligible women allocated (minimised by site and maternal age group) to gFNP or usual care.SettingCommunity locations in the UK.ParticipantsExpectant mothers aged InterventionForty-four sessions of gFNP (14 during pregnancy and 30 in the first 12 months after birth) were offered to groups of between 8 and 12 women with similar expected delivery dates (the difference between the earliest and latest expected delivery date ranged from 8 to 10 weeks depending on the group) by two family nurses (FNs), one of whom had notified her intention to practise as a midwife.Main outcome measuresParenting was assessed by a self-report measure of parenting opinions, the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory Version 2 (AAPI-2), and an objective measure of maternal sensitivity, the CARE-Index. Cost-effectiveness was primarily expressed in terms of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained.Data sourcesInterviews with participants at baseline and when infants were aged 2, 6 and 12 months. Cost information from nurse weekly logs and other service delivery data.ResultsIn total, 166 women were enrolled (99 to the intervention group and 67 to the control group). Adjusting for site and maternal age group, the intention-to-treat analysis found no effect of gFNP on either of the primary outcomes. AAPI-2 total was 7.5/10 [standard error (SE) 0.1] in both arms [difference also adjusted for baseline 0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.15 to 0.28;p = 0.50]. CARE-Index maternal sensitivity mean: intervention 4.0 (SE 0.3); control 4.7 (SE 0.4) (difference –0.76, 95% CI –1.67 to 0.13;p = 0.21). The sensitivity analyses supported the primary analyses. The probability that the gFNP intervention was cost-effective based on the QALY measure did not exceed 3%. However, in terms ofchangein AAPI-2 score (baseline to 12 months), the probability that gFNP was cost-effective reached 25.1%. A separate discrete choice experiment highlighted the value placed by both pregnant women and members of the general population on non-health outcomes that were not included in the QALY metric.LimitationsSlow recruitment resulted in smaller than ideal group sizes. In some cases, few or no sessions took place owing to low initial group size, and small groups may have contributed to attrition from the intervention. Exposure to gFNP sessions was below maximum for most group members, with only 58 of the 97 intervention participants receiving any sessions; FNs were experienced with FNP but were mainly new to delivering gFNP.ConclusionsThe trial does not support the delivery of gFNP as a means of reducing the risk of child abuse or neglect in this population.Future workA randomised controlled trial with modified eligibility to enable first-time mothers aged Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN78814904.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full inPublic Health Research; Vol. 5, No. 9. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Background: The new Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years recommend that, for preschoolers, a healthy 24-h includes: i) ≥180 min of physical activity, including ≥60 min of energetic play, ii) ≤1 h of sedentary screen time, and iii) 10–13 h of good quality sleep. Using an Australian sample, this study reports the proportion of preschool children meeting these guidelines and investigates associations with social-cognitive development.\ud \ud Methods: Data from 248 preschool children (mean age = 4.2 ± 0.6 years, 57% boys) participating in the PATH-ABC study were analyzed. Children completed direct assessments of physical activity (accelerometry) and social cognition (the Test of Emotional Comprehension (TEC) and Theory of Mind (ToM)). Parents reported on children’s screen time and sleep. Children were categorised as meeting/not meeting: i) individual guidelines, ii) combinations of two guidelines, or iii) all three guidelines. Associations were examined using linear regression adjusting for child age, sex, vocabulary, area level socio-economic status and childcare level clustering.\ud Results: High proportions of children met the physical activity (93.1%) and sleep (88.7%) guidelines, whereas fewer met the screen time guideline (17.3%). Overall, 14.9% of children met all three guidelines. Children meeting the sleep guideline performed better on TEC than those who did not (mean difference [MD] = 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.36, 2.47). Children meeting the sleep and physical activity or sleep and screen time guidelines also performed better on TEC (MD = 1.36; 95% CI = 0.31, 2.41) and ToM (MD = 0.25; 95% CI = −0.002, 0.50; p = 0.05), respectively, than those who did not. Meeting all three guidelines was associated with better ToM performance (MD = 0.28; 95% CI = −0.002, 0.48, p = 0.05), while meeting a larger number of guidelines was associated with better TEC (3 or 2 vs. 1/none, p < 0.02) and ToM performance (3 vs. 2, p = 0.03).\ud Conclusions: Strategies to promote adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years among preschool children are warranted. Supporting preschool children to meet all guidelines or more guidelines, particularly the sleep and screen time guidelines, may be beneficial for their social-cognitive development.

BACKGROUND: Looked-after children in local authority care are among the most disadvantaged, and measures of their well-being, including educational outcomes, are poorer than other children’s. METHODS: The study sample consisted of all children in England born in academic years 1993 to 1994 through 1997 to 1998 who were in local authority care at any point during the academic years 2005 to 2006 through 2012 to 2013 and for whom results of national tests in literacy and numeracy were available at ages 7, 11, and 16 (N = 47 500). RESULTS: Group trajectory analysis of children’s educational progress identified 5 trajectory groups: low achievement, late improvement, late decline, predominant, and high achievement. Being looked after earlier was associated with a higher probability of following a high achievement trajectory and a lower probability of following a late decline trajectory. For children first looked after between ages 7 and 16, having a longer total time looked after by age 16 was associated with a higher probability of following a high achievement trajectory. For children with poor outcomes at ages 7 and 11, being looked after by age 16 was associated with an increased chance of educational improvement by age 16. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that early entry into care can reduce the risk of poor educational outcomes. It also establishes group trajectory analysis as an effective method for analyzing the educational progress of looked-after children, with the particular strength that it allows factors associated with a late decline or improvement in educational progress to be identified.

Background\ud \ud Prevalence estimates internationally suggest that many preschool-aged children (3–5 years) are insufficiently physically active and engage in high levels of screen-based entertainment. Early childhood is the developmental period for which we know the least about the effects of physical activity on development and health. Likewise, rapid technological advancements in mobile electronic media have made screen-based forms of entertainment for young children ubiquitous, and research demonstrating the impacts on cognition, psychosocial well-being, and health has lagged behind the rate of adoption of these technologies. The purpose of the Preschool Activity, Technology, Health, Adiposity, Behaviour and Cognition (PATH-ABC) study is to investigate if physical activity and screen-based entertainment are independently associated with cognitive and psychosocial development, and health outcomes in young children, and if so, how much and which types of these behaviours might be most influential.\ud Methods\ud \ud The PATH-ABC study is a prospective cohort, aiming to recruit 430 3–5 year-old children. Children are recruited through and complete initial assessments at their Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centre, and then 12-months later at their centre or school. Direct assessments are made of children’s habitual physical activity using accelerometry, cognitive (executive function) and language development (expressive vocabulary), psychosocial development (emotional understanding, Theory of Mind, empathy, and heart rate variability), adiposity (body mass index and waist circumference), and cardiovascular health (blood pressure and retinal micro- vasculature). Educators report on children’s psychological strengths and difficulties and self-regulation. Parents report on children’s habitual use of electronic media and other child, parent and household characteristics.\ud Discussion\ud \ud The PATH-ABC study aims to provide evidence to enhance understanding of how much and which types of physical activity and screen-based media influence development and health in preschool-aged children. This information would benefit parents, educators, health professionals and governments seeking to develop strategies and policies to give young children the best start in life by promoting healthy levels of physical activity and electronic media use.

Given evidence that early executive functioning sets the stage for a broad range of subsequent\ud outcomes, researchers have sought to identify ways to foster these cognitive capacities. An\ud increasingly common approach involves computerized ‘brain training’ programs, yet there are\ud questions about whether these are well suited for fostering the early development of executive\ud functions (EFs). The current series of studies sought to design, develop, and provide evidence for the\ud efficacy of embedding cognitive activities in a commonplace activity – shared reading of a children’s\ud book. The book, Quincey Quokka’s Quest, required children to control their thinking and behaviour to\ud help the story’s main character through a series of obstacles. The first study investigated effects of\ud reading with embedded cognitive activities in individual and group contexts on young children’s\ud executive functions (EFs). The second study compared reading with embedded cognitive activities\ud against a more-active control condition (dialogic reading) that similarly engaged children in the\ud reading process yet lacked clear engagement of EFs. The third study sought to investigate whether the\ud effect of reading the story with embedded EF activities changed across differing doses of the\ud intervention and whether effects persisted 2 months post-intervention. Findings provide converging\ud evidence of intervention effects on working memory and shifting in as little as 3 weeks (compared to\ud more traditional reading) and maintenance of these gains 2 months later. This suggests the efficacy of\ud embedding cognitive activities in the context of everyday activities, thereby extending the range of\ud users and contexts in which this approach can be used.