This paper presents evidence of how the role of teaching assistants (TAs) in England has been remade by the COVID pandemic. Drawing on data from a national survey of 9,055 TAs and 22 semi-structured interviews with TAs, teachers and headteachers, the authors show how essential TAs were to schools' responses to managing the disruption caused by the…

This study draws on data from TALIS Starting Strong 2018, an international survey of early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff and leaders, to examine the staff roles (leader, teacher, assistant, specialised staff, intern, other) that are included in ECEC centres in nine countries: Chile, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea,…

Educators working in early childhood education play a critical role in enhancing outcomes for children and families through active leadership. However, there are persistent paradoxical perceptions regarding the practical implementation of followership alongside leadership. This article addresses this followership paradox, as a key finding drawn…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff are central to promoting young children's development, learning and well-being. ECEC staff work in teams and the staff roles included these teams vary both across countries and within countries, for instance related to the size and location of ECEC centres. Initial education and ongoing professional…

There is international recognition of the importance of high quality services for young children with a consensus that three pillars contribute to quality improvement: adult: child ratios, staff qualifications and group size. In Australia over the past 5 years, early childhood policy has attempted to drive improvements in early childhood service…

Although teacher aides are often employed in schools to provide support for students with disabilities and special education needs, there is limited Australian research on their work and employer expectations. This article provides an analysis of advertisements for teacher aide positions, and compares the content of advertisements with role…

The acquisition of emergent literacy skills has become a prominent focus of early childhood education programs in recent years as research has demonstrated the significance of emergent literacy ability in the process of learning to read. The effectiveness of use of varied instructional techniques targeting the emergent literacy domains of…

In many schools in Australia students often begin their primary years with limited preparation for reading. "All hands on deck" are required to ensure the best possible student success rate for learning to read. In this project, Education Assistants, often under-utilised in schools, were used to implement a reading intervention to…

Help for educators and administrators may be on the way in the form of "hold harmless" documents that allow for flexibility in enforcing program policies. Having a "No Babysitting policy," and "Hold Harmless" documentation will not stop one's program from being sued. However, with the "No Babysitting policy" and "Hold Harmless" documentation…

Analyzes issues related to integrating handicapped children into regular classroom settings--particularly staff development and preparation of normal as well as handicapped children. (MS)

Discusses the special problems that arise in a children's institution when the death of a staff member occurs and describes the events of one such case. (MS)

Day care center directors share ideas for successful staff meetings. (Author/BB)

Presents business organization and child care center managers with ideas on how to deal with various staffing situations. Ideas include suggestions for handling informal staff networks; getting insight into what is important to people; motivating people in difficult situations; developing temporary employee services for child caregivers; and…

This article explores factors that facilitate moving from the service-provider role to becoming part of a family's constellation of helpers. Elements of empowerment are juxtaposed with the following metaphors for practice: building a definition of disability, following the parent's lead, creating a community of helpers, and expanding perspectives.…

Describes the Ethnic Program, a bilingual early childhood program in Adelaide, Australia, which utilizes ethnic staff as mediators in kindergartens with a significant number of children of ethnic minority origin. (CM)