Early Childhood Education Policy: Impact on Children's Well-Being and Development

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the globe to submit their original research and reviews for a Special Issue focused on early childhood development policies and their impact on children's well-being. This issue will explore the recent policy initiatives implemented by governments to enhance the quality of early childhood education (ECE) and assess the effects of these policies on various outcomes related to children's development and wellbeing. In recent years, many governments have recognised the importance of early childhood development (ECD) as a key factor influencing long-term societal well-being, educational achievement, and workforce readiness. Various policies and interventions have been introduced worldwide to address the quality, accessibility, and equity of early childhood services. These initiatives include, but are not limited to, improving teacher training, developing curriculum standards, increasing public investment, and integrating social and emotional learning. 

This Special Issue aims to explore the impacts of these policies on the following:

• How have government-led ECD policies impacted cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development in young children?
• Are children entering formal education better prepared due to new early childhood initiatives? How do policies affect literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional readiness for school?
• How do ECE policies influence parental mental health, wellbeing, and participation in the workforce? Do accessible ECE services enable greater parental engagement in economic activities?
• How are the working conditions, professional development opportunities, and retention of early childhood educators impacted by recent policy changes? 

We invite papers that investigate, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Comparative analysis of national or regional early childhood policies and their effectiveness.
• Studies examining how specific policy interventions (e.g., universal preschool access, parental leave reforms) have influenced children's developmental outcomes.
• Longitudinal research on the relationship between early childhood education quality and long-term educational success.
• Investigations of the role of equity and inclusion in recent policy changes, particularly in underserved communities.
• Cross-cultural studies that provide insights into how cultural and societal factors influence ECE policy design and implementation.
• Evaluations of initiatives targeting workforce development for early childhood educators, including professional training and support systems.
• Research on the role of public-private partnerships in delivering quality early childhood education.

We welcome submissions from a broad range of disciplines, including education, psychology, public policy, sociology, and health. Articles on review synthesis, evaluations, secondary data analysis, and comparative design approaches are encouraged. All submissions must be original research that has not been published elsewhere.

Prof. Dr. Nadia Siddiqui
Dr. Johny Daniel
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.