Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and…

Background: Toddlers spend a significant portion of their time within the childcare setting being sedentary. Therefore, interventions are needed to improve toddlers' physical activity (PA) within this setting. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 10-week activity program on toddlers' time…

Parents (N = 123; 90% Caucasian; 99% with college experience) of young children (ages 1-5) were asked to list the top three reasons for their childcare choices. Parents were also asked a hypothetical question about how their childcare choices would have changed if money were no object. Results showed that the majority of participants who chose…

While the issue of teacher stress is widely recognized, little is currently known about childcare teachers' stress, its impact on teaching, and the relationship with professional activities. This study utilizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) techniques with 50 early care teachers to examine the relationship between childcare teachers'…

When playwork settings re-opened in July 2020 after the first lockdown in March 2020, playwork as a profession demonstrated its adaptable and flexible nature for children to access the provision. This included open access provision becoming closed access and bookable, a reduction in the number of children, resources, and space to play, and…

Background: Since the 1990s there has been an exponential growth in childcare provision in the UK, particularly for school-aged children. There has also been a growing interest in the conceptualisation and measurement of quality of childcare and the professionalisation of the childcare workforce. Previous studies have found that one of the most…

The professionalisation of social care practice in Ireland, after a period of dormancy, has experienced rapid advancement toward statutory regulation and reform. Yet, the limited literature available in Ireland on the subject matter, almost exclusively predates these changes. This paper presents a theoretically informed commentary on the…

This study examines why African-American caregivers in low-income urban neighborhoods in the United States transition their children between different childcare arrangements involving relative care, home/family care and center-based care, based on interviews conducted with 40 caregivers from three different childcare centers in one metropolitan…

Introduction: This paper reports on the outcomes from an analysis of 500 noncompliant regulations drawn from 1563 Early Years Services inspections that took place in Ireland between January and December 2017. Aim: The aim of this study was to consider the impact of the early years inspection process on the quality of early years services.…

Child care centre attendance is associated with an increased risk of concurrent ear infections, but what is less clear is whether there are any positive or negative long-term effects of early child care attendance on the incidence of ear infections in later childhood. This research assessed the impact of early child care attendance on concurrent…

Emerging research indicates an immense burden on children and families related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses data from semi-structured interviews and focus groups with early childhood service providers (n=19) to demonstrate the pandemic's impact on families with very young children and early childhood services in two high-need…

The paper focuses on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which sets standards for children's care, development and education in England from birth to five years old. Analysing the EYFS, as comprised of knowledge and discourses that inform, and are informed by broader cultural understandings of childhood and development, we argue that the way…

This study used a semi-structured approach interviewing 22 participants currently working in playwork. Participants were asked what they thought was the purpose of playwork and comment on their playwork practice because of the lockdown from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom (UK). Using thematic analysis, three purposes of playwork practice were…

Care-experienced children and young people are likely to experience early adversities that place them at increased risk of developing physical and mental health difficulties. Physical activity can help address the varied needs and interests of care-experienced children and young people and become a tool to manage mental health and well-being…

Much research has explored transitions into adulthood for children living in out-of-home care. However, most of these studies are concentrated in Western countries, leaving a gap of information from the Global South. This paper discusses findings from a small-scale qualitative study conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe. Semi-structured interviews with (n…