Importance of Child-Staff Ratios in ECEC for Children's Well-being
Recognizing the significance of child-staff ratios in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), this content highlights the impact of quality interactions on children's overall development. Emphasizing the key role played by structural variables like the child-staff ratio, it underlines how high-quality experiences in ECEC are shaped by warm relationships, pedagogical approaches, and partnerships between practitioners and families. The article echoes the 2022 Council Recommendation on the revision of ECEC targets, advocating for a multidimensional approach to ensure quality services for young children.
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High Quality ECEC: The importance of Child-Staff ratios for children s well-being and families engagement May 16, 2023 COFACE Breakfast Byte 1
2022 COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON THE REVISION OF THE BARCELONA TARGETS ON ECEC Part of the 2022 EU Care Strategy Renewed ECEC participation goals: 45 percent of children under 3 (with additional targets for Member States that have not met the 2002 goals) + 96 percent of children between 3 and compulsory primary education. BUT, the Recommendation also invites Member States to... Look beyond the mere availability of places and pay attention to dimensions such as accessibility, affordability and quality of the services provided. 2
2022 COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION: BRINGING IN A MULTIDIMENSIONAL NOTION OF ECEC QUALITY The essence of the concept of ECEC quality lies in the QUALITY OF THE INTERACTIONS between adults and children QUALITY IS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL, AND INCLUDES: Access to ECEC services, the qualifications and working conditions of staff, the pedagogical curriculum, monitoring and evaluation, and governance (...). Of particular importance are the child-staff ratio, staff qualifications, and continuous professional training CHILD-STAFF RATIO IS A KEY VARIABLE IN THE IRON TRIANGLE OF STRUCTURAL QUALITY THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN PER QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER IN PLAYGROUPS OR CLASSROOMS 3
STRUCTURAL VARIABLES AND THE QUALITY OF INTERACTIONS BTW CHILDREN AND ADULTS QUALITY INTERACTIONS between children and adults BROADER DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES STRUCTURAL VARIABLES CHILD/STAFF RATIO HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON DAILY INTERACTIONS OF CHILDREN WITH ADULTS AND PEERS IN PLAYGROUPS POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON THEIR WELL-BEING / DEVELOPMENT. IN THE THEMATIC NOTE, WE IDENTIFY AND DISCUSS THREE KEY DIMENSIONS OF QUALITY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN FORMAL ECEC SETTINGS 4
KEY DIMENSIONS OF HIGH-QUALITY EXPERIENCES IN ECEC Relationships that are warm, sensitive, and receptive, and combine of care and education into one approach It is widely acknowledged that high-quality practices in early childhood education and care require these three dimensions to be present Pedagogical approaches that emphasize observation + responsiveness to children s signals and unique needs Partnerships between parents/guardians and practitioners (both caregivers and management) THE RATIO OF CHILDREN-TO-STAFF IN PLAYGROUPS IS A PRECONDITION FOR QUALITY WITHOUT IT, KEY DIMENSIONS OF HQ EXPERIENCES ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE ENACTED 5
LOW CS RATIOS PROVIDE THE PRECONDITIONS FOR WARM AND CARING RELATIONSHIPS EASIER TO ENGAGE CHILDREN WITH MEANINGFUL, SENSITIVE, RESPONSIVE INTERACTIONS LOW CS RATIOS IMPROVE THE MEANINGFULNESS OF CARING AND EDUCATIONAL INTERACTIONS SIMPLER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ROUTINE CAREGIVING SITUATIONS, AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONE-TO-ONE EXCHANGE BETTER STAFF WORKING CONDITIONS, RESULTING IN LOWER TURNOVER RATES 6
LOW CS RATIOS ALLOW FOR TAILORED APPROACHES TO SPECIFIC NEEDS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONE-TO- ONE SUPPORT LOW RATIOS INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF TO IMPLEMENT TARGETED INTERVENTIONS + APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGIES MORE TIME TO PLAN ADAPTED, CONTEXTUALISED ACTIVITIES TRAINING GUIDELINES EMPHASIZING IMPORTANCE OF REFLECTIVE COLLEGIAL WORK EXTREMELY RELEVANT FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN / FAMILIES IN CONDITIONS OF DISADVANTAGE GREATER ROOM FOR WORKING WITH FAMILIES TO DEVELOP WELL-ADJUSTED PRACTICES 7
LOW CS RATIOS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS WITH PARENTS ONE-TO-ONE GUIDANCE, MENTORING, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT A GREATER NUMBER OF ADULTS-PER-CHILDREN IN DAY- CARE CENTERS ALLOWS CAREGIVERS MORE TIME FOR COMMUNICATING WITH FAMILIES FREQUENCY OF COMMUNICATION + LONGER INFORMATION EXCHANGES OPENNESS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS IS STRONGLY DEPENDENT ON THE QUALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATORS AND PARENTS DETAILED ASSESSMENTS AND THOUGHTFUL REPORTS 8
FINAL REMARKS RAISING QUALITY WHILE INCREASING PARTICIPATION REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES RISK THAT NATIONAL/ LOCAL AUTHORITIES MAY TRADE QUALITY FOR COST SAVINGS 2022 REVISION OF THE BARCELONA TARGETS CALLS FOR A MINIMUM 45% PARTICIPATION ! 9
FINAL REMARKS TO PREVENT THAT THE TARGETS OF RAISING QUALITY AND IMPROVING PARTICIPATION BECOME MUTUALLY EXCLUDENT AND ARE PLAYED AGAINST EACH OTHER: ECEC QUALITY GUIDELINES INCLUDING BINDING MINIMUM STANDARDS ECEC SETTINGS ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX AND INVOLVE MANY PROFESSIONAL ROLES CS RATIOS SHOULD REFER TO QUALIFIED STAFF ENGAGED IN REGULAR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITES ORGANIZATION OF ECEC SETTINGS IN A WAY THAT FORMALLY RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF (COLLEGIAL) PLANNING ACTIVITIES AND ONE-TO-ONE EXCHANGES WITH FAMILIES 10
Many thanks for the attention. mserapioni@coface-eu.org 11
