A new, groundbreaking study, The Early Advantage, finds that Australia, England, Finland, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea and Singapore are pioneering new but remarkably different vision s for early childhood education and care (ECEC).
In the new book, The Early Advantage 1: Early Childhood Systems That Lead By Example , world - renowned early childhood researcher Sharon Lynn Kagan and her team of international experts examine d the innovative approaches to early childhood policy, practice, and service delivery in these leading systems. Kagan and her team analyzed the quality, equity, efficiency and sustainability of servi ces for young children in the six jurisdictions .
The book takes readers on a deep dive into the innovative strategies and approaches to ECEC and offers an insider’s look into common challenges, themes and lessons from these diverse systems.
“ This study b rings to light the striking new reality facing early childhood education and care systems around the world,” said Kagan. “For the first time , we are seeing clearly the disparate and rapidly evolving global perspectives in ECEC. These differing perspectives and approaches to the “how” and “what” of systemic change reflect a policy and research sphere that is at an inflection point. Our understanding of the significance of the early years is growing rapidly and the common effort to create public policy and programs that support young children during this critical time are, in many ways, scrambling to keep pace.”
This is the first of two books, published by Teachers College Press, that together will form the centerpiece of the multi - year Early Advantage international comparative study.
In this first book,The Early Advantage research team challenges prevailing ideas, confronting deeply held assumptions and historic narratives regarding the provision of early childhood education and care
The research team found that the jurisdictions studied are paying close attention to the growing empirical evidence around the importance of the first three years of life for brain development as it impacts public policy and a shared equity agenda, pedagogy and new ideas around quality of care for young children
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A few key findings of note in each jurisdiction include:
• Australia
o A strong and well - implemented national reform agenda enables a learning framework and service quality standards to transcend states and territories, service types, and the age of the young child.
• England
o A first - rate inspection system ensures all programs meet common objectives for program quality and equitable outcomes . o Rigorously collected child data are used extensively as tools for pedagogical and program improvement.
• Finland
o A centralized national core curriculum for early years education, pre - primary education and basic education leaves room for local and regional flexibility tailored to child needs .
o A comprehensive pre - service professional development system for ECEC teachers contributes to quality across the nation.
• Hong Kong
o Increasing public support, combined with significant inspection and monitoring for quality, fosters effective private sector provision amidst considerable centralization.
• Republic of Korea
o Substantial government investment in ECEC harmonize s service quality .
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