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Education Sciences
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Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce...
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Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce Quality

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Early Childhood Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 5283

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marianne Fenech

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Guest Editor
Sydney School of Education and Social Work, Sydney, Australia
Interests: early childhood policy and governance; early childhood quality and access; early childhood workforce; early childhood leadership and management
Dr. Leanne Gibbs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University, Melbourne, Australia
Interests: ECE leadership; ECE governance; advocacy workforce; student retention

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Governments and providers of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services around the globe are facing a workforce crisis. There is an undersupply of early childhood teachers and educators, and attrition rates post COVID remain high. Policy levers at both sector and service levels are seeking to increase the workforce pipeline, but what initiatives are being put into place to ensure workforce quality?

This Special Issue invites contributions that address policy and leadership approaches intended to support ECEC workforce quality and sustainability. Rather than a focus on specific ECT and educator practices, we are interested in the architectures—sector and service—that support high-quality ECEC. At the sector level, what policy and regulatory approaches are supporting the preparation, development and retention of quality early childhood teachers and vocationally qualified educators? At the service level, how are governance and leadership supporting workforce capability in ways that contribute to service quality and positively impacting children’s development and wellbeing? These issues are timely as we emerge from the COVID pandemic and face increasing neoliberal and marketised approaches to ECEC.

Original research articles and reviews could focus on questions such as:

  • How do early childhood initial teacher education programs attract and retain students while ensuring graduate quality?
  • How can the regulation of ECEC services assess and support quality in the context of a workforce crisis?
  • What ECEC policy and provider initiatives enable workforce supply and quality?
  • In the context of significant workforce challenges, who are the leaders of quality ECEC, and are new conceptualisations of leadership needed?
  • How do ECE settings, providers and governments enable and constrain leadership and a sustainable workforce?
  • What does advocacy leadership look like as the marketisation of ECEC increases? 

Dr. Marianne Fenech
Dr. Leanne Gibbs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • early childhood workforce
  • early childhood education and care quality
  • early childhood policy
  • leadership
  • governance
  • marketisation
  • advocacy and activism

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 424 KiB  
Article
Strengthening ECEC Workforce Systems in Low-Resource Contexts: Insights from a Delphi Study
by Emma Pearson and Iram Siraj
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040420 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 279
Abstract
Even though the majority of the world’s under 5-year-olds live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), our knowledge about the systems and architectures which support and sustain ECEC workforce quality is dominated by evidence from high-income countries (HIC). Drawing on a three-round Delphi [...] Read more.
Even though the majority of the world’s under 5-year-olds live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), our knowledge about the systems and architectures which support and sustain ECEC workforce quality is dominated by evidence from high-income countries (HIC). Drawing on a three-round Delphi study of consensus around essential training needs for early childhood staff in low-resourced contexts conducted among fourteen global experts over a period of four months, this paper highlights challenges faced when resources for teacher preparation are severely constrained, and unique approaches for sustaining quality in workforce preparation in such contexts. Key findings that inform efforts to build a strong ECEC workforce in resource-constrained contexts, include consensus among experts around (i) clear professional pathways which offer practitioner-centred flexibility through initial training, followed by on-going mentoring and supervision. A strong emphasis on the importance of strong systems of high-quality and supportive mentoring and supervision reflects recognition that initial training in such contexts is often relatively short-term; (ii) recognition of the importance of diverse roles (for example, community-based practitioners) in working with communities to deliver ECEC in complex communities; and (iii) systems supported by centralised financing, budget allocation and established professional pathways, but open to support and involvement of non-government entities in supporting workforce development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce Quality)
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15 pages, 229 KiB  
Article
Supporting Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce and Service Quality Through Governance Practices
by Alicia Phillips
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030267 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1544
Abstract
A high-quality early childhood workforce is essential for positive child outcomes and boosting economic and social productivity. However, the Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector faces significant workforce challenges and complexities. Effective governance practices are key to ensuring ECEC quality and [...] Read more.
A high-quality early childhood workforce is essential for positive child outcomes and boosting economic and social productivity. However, the Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector faces significant workforce challenges and complexities. Effective governance practices are key to ensuring ECEC quality and workforce retention. This study examined the governance practices of high-quality ECEC services, using complexity theory to understand how governance impacts workforce and service quality. Subset data were derived from a larger qualitative, multiple case study that investigated long day care centres rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard, and specifically Exceeding in Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership. Data were collected through observations, educator interviews, and document analysis and analysed using thematic analysis. Complexity was manifested in the various models of governance structures and, consequently, in some of the governance practices across the participating long day care centres. Key practices supporting job satisfaction, retention, and workforce quality included flexible working conditions; whole-staff leadership; staff capacity building through professional development opportunities; financial capacity building to enable staff to deliver high-quality ECEC; and higher-level working conditions, such as higher qualifications and better educator–child ratios. The findings align with literature highlighting governance as critical to workforce quality and provide insights into governance practices that support workforce and service quality. Recommendations are made for policy levers at both sector and service levels to increase workforce quality and sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce Quality)
16 pages, 493 KiB  
Article
Leadership Practices That Enable and Constrain Retention in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings in Australia
by Suzanne Garrett and Leanne Gibbs
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020185 - 5 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1200
Abstract
Australia’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is in crisis, with educator job tenure decreasing and workforce supply threatened. Despite worsening retention rates, many highly skilled educators remain and thrive within ECEC settings, ensuring strong relationships and positive outcomes for children. While [...] Read more.
Australia’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is in crisis, with educator job tenure decreasing and workforce supply threatened. Despite worsening retention rates, many highly skilled educators remain and thrive within ECEC settings, ensuring strong relationships and positive outcomes for children. While research has uncovered the complex organisational factors contributing to workforce retention, the leadership’s influence on educator retention remains under-researched. This paper describes a small-scale Australian qualitative study of ECEC leaders and educators using a social constructivist lens. The present study explored how positional leaders in two high-quality ECEC sites enabled educator retention, considering the perspectives of leaders and educators. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using the theory of practice architectures to uncover the practices and practice architectures that enable and constrain retention. This research discovered six key practices of leaders. These six practices were flexible approaches to managing individuals, proactive approaches to creating and building professional relationships with educators, prioritising educators’ professional growth, positioning themselves to enable educators’ practice, creating cohesive teams, and valuing educators and their work. The practices of leaders and practice architectures illuminated in this study may be employed by organisations in the sector to support the retention of educators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce Quality)
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15 pages, 265 KiB  
Article
Promoting Teaching and Learning Through Research-Informed Professional Development: The Leadership for Learning Programme in Australia and China
by Iram Siraj and Runke Huang
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1299; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121299 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1593
Abstract
The fragmented provision of training for early childhood educators has highlighted the imperative need for research-informed professional development (PD) programmes to enhance educator professionalism. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a research-informed in-service PD programme—“Leadership for Learning”—through cluster randomised controlled trials in Australia [...] Read more.
The fragmented provision of training for early childhood educators has highlighted the imperative need for research-informed professional development (PD) programmes to enhance educator professionalism. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a research-informed in-service PD programme—“Leadership for Learning”—through cluster randomised controlled trials in Australia and China. In Australia, the study involved 83 early-years services, and 1346 4–5-year-old children. In China, the study adapted the PD programme both educationally and culturally, involving 24 preschools, 95 classrooms, 202 educators, and 547 children aged 3–5 years. The comparative findings revealed that the PD programme significantly improved scores on the ECERS-E and SSTEW classroom quality rating scales in both Australia and China. Regarding children’s outcomes, the Australian PD programme significantly enhanced children’s numeracy development, social–emotional development, and expressive language, but not vocabulary, while the Chinese adaptation improved literacy development but not numeracy. This study has important implications for the implementation of PD programmes and cross-cultural educational research, highlighting the need for context-specific adaptations to maximise the effectiveness of PD interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Service and Sector Architectures That Support and Sustain ECEC Workforce Quality)
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