Family Child Care: International Resources

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The Early Years: an International Perspective

Tonight's #EYTalking topic on Twitter (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/eytalking.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details) is all about sharing ideas and suggestions on what an international e-portal devoted to early years might look like. This follows a <a href="http://www.leyf.org.uk/blog/welcome-to-the-institute-of-early-years-a-global-portal-connecting-ey-colleagues-help-us-shape-it-to-meet-your-interests/" target="_blank">recent post</a> on June O'Sullivan's blog outlining the reasons why such a site would be useful. So today's post attempts to draw together some of the most useful existing sites and recent reports to help you learn about early years practices from an international perspective.<br /><br />You could do a lot worse than starting with the <i>UN Convention on the Rights of the Child</i>. This is the most widely ratified human rights convention in history, and can be accessed online either in <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/UNCRC_PRESS200910web.pdf" target="_blank">full text</a>, or a <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/UNCRC_summary.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available. You may also want to look at a UNICEF study from last year, which studied how the Convention has been <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/UNICEFUK_2012CRCimplentationreport.pdf" target="_blank">legally implemented in 12 countries</a>.<br /><br />Looking at the topic from a European perspective for a moment, the Eurydice website has a <a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Early_Childhood_Education_and_Care" target="_blank">page devoted to Early Childhood Education and Care</a> which will give you some basic information on the early years setup in 36 different countries. On a similar note, the organisation has information o<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">n<i> </i></span><a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=3B48895C-E497-6F68-A237-BCD7AB934443&siteName=nfer" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Compulsory Age of Starting School in European Countries</span></i></a>. Still on a European note, earlier this year the European Commission published a report entitled <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130910_egge_out_of_school_en.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare Services forSchool Age Children: a Comparative Review of 33 Countries</i></a>, and their 2009 report - </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/eurydice/documents/098EN.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities through Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe</i></a> - may also be of interest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Looking further afield, the International Bureau of Education recently published a fantastic resource entitled </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documentation/Alerts/ECCE2013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Childhood Care & Education and the Curriculum: a List of Resources</i></a>, which pulls together links to all sorts of </span>early years documents from around the globe. The OECD also has a page devoted to <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/" target="_blank">Early Childhood and Schools</a>, and its series of reports entitled <a href="http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/quality-matters-in-early-childhood-and-education_22269673" target="_blank"><i>Quality Matters in Early Childhood and Care</i></a> should also be of interest. The <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/" target="_blank">Bernard van Leer Foundation</a> website is another place worth visiting for information on all sorts of childhood issues.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There have been quite a few reports from various other organisations over the last few years which could also prove interesting. It might just be easier if I list these!</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">DfE (2013) <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank"><i>A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</i></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (2013) </span><a href="http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer/2013/09/10/wp_20.pdf" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Quality Education for All Children? What Works in Education in Developing Countries</span></i></a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Scottish Government (2013) <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00416230.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Childhood Education and Care Provision: International Review of Policy, Delivery and Funding</i></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Economist Intelligence Unit (2012) <i><a href="http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/publications/sw_report.pdf" target="_blank">Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</a></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">DECET (2012) </span><i><a href="http://www.decet.org/fileadmin/decet-media/publications/Diversity-and-Social-Inclusion.pdf" target="_blank">Diversity and Social Inclusion: Exploring Competences for Professional Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care</a></i></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">CfBT (2010) <a href="http://cdn.cfbt.com/~/media/cfbtcorporate/files/research/2010/r-integrated-childrens-services-2010.pdf" target="_blank"><i>An International Perspective on Integrated Children’s Services</i></a></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you know of any useful websites or reports that I've missed, please share them with other readers by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. You can also look at all previous posts on this site relating to international issues by clicking on 'International Resources' in the Hot Topics menu on the right-hand side of this page.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tzCYXq3vpbjZH_Jp5H9VZIipbyOUQ8NQ8zXRMycA9gYNsfu0BGdS_V1PArSW7u-ty-D-tvqHYhTFEyKKatXIsXCzHbhBMkZMUq_gm-92f5EKvIXO5yOKpdcIB3PrLh8URydwVK_LLg/s1600/BlogPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tzCYXq3vpbjZH_Jp5H9VZIipbyOUQ8NQ8zXRMycA9gYNsfu0BGdS_V1PArSW7u-ty-D-tvqHYhTFEyKKatXIsXCzHbhBMkZMUq_gm-92f5EKvIXO5yOKpdcIB3PrLh8URydwVK_LLg/s200/BlogPic.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>

The Early Years: an International Perspective

Tonight's #EYTalking topic on Twitter (see previous post for details) is all about sharing ideas and suggestions on what an internation...

9:35 AM

International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog post.<br /><ul><li>The European Commission has published <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130910_egge_out_of_school_en.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare Services for School Aged Children</i></a>, which compares provision across 33 different countries.</li></ul><ul><li> On a similar note, the Commission has also recently updated <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/education_structures_EN.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Structure of the European Education Systems</i></a>, which provides an easy to view breakdown of the different systems in use across the continent.</li></ul><ul><li> The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation has just published <a href="http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer/2013/09/10/wp_20.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Quality Education for All Children? What Works in Education in Developing Countries</i></a>.</li></ul> If you're interested in international children's issues, other recent reports which may interest you include the DfE's <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank"><i>A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</i></a>, the OECD's <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20%28eng%29--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Education At a Glance 2013</i></a>, and UNICEF's <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/files/SWCR2013_ENG_Lo_res_24_Apr_2013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The State of the World's Children 2013</i></a>.

International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog...

3:38 AM

New from Department for Education

It's obviously a busy day at the Department for Education - it's only 10 o'clock and already they've released a number of research reports and other documents. There are too many to list here, so here are some of the highlights:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank"><i>A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</i></a> attempts to identify patterns between different preschool approaches and later educational outcomes.</li><li> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212589/DFE-RR266.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Parents' Views and Experiences of Childcare</i></a> reports on a telephone survey of parents and makes suggestions as to how provision can be improved.</li><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212614/DFE-RR285.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Evidence to Inform the Childcare Commission</i></a> is made up of 3 separate reports of information submitted to the Childcare Commission since its establishment in June 2012.</li><li>Finally, the DfE has opened a new consultation on childcare regulation; if you'd like to contribute then <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childcare-regulation" target="_blank">here's the link</a>, responses will be received until the end of September.</li></ul>If you use RSS feeds, then drop the link below into your feed reader to get DfE reports delivered to your inbox as and when they're published:<br /><br />https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.atom?departments[]=department-for-education<br /><ul></ul>

New from Department for Education

It's obviously a busy day at the Department for Education - it's only 10 o'clock and already they've released a number of re...

2:20 AM

Learning Begins Early

Learning Begins Early

I've written about the Bernard van Leer Foundation on this site before (see previous post ). Now the latest issue of their Early Childho...

6:47 AM

Education At A Glance 2013

Today sees the publication of the latest edition of the OECD's annual <i>Education At A Glance</i> report. This is a huge document, comparing a mass of information on  education provision in dozens of different countries, from preschool  right up to University level.<br /><br />The full report can be <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20%28eng%29--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf" target="_blank">downloaded here</a>, though at 440 pages long you'd be forgiven for waiting for the 'Highlights' version which is promised shortly. There's a whole <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm" target="_blank">mini-website</a> devoted to further supplementary documents and videos etc, while regular readers of this blog will probably be most interested in the 10 page <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/United%20Kingdom_EAG2013%20Country%20Note.pdf" target="_blank"><i>United Kingdom Country Note</i></a>, which summarises domestic education provision at this time.<br /><br />For further information about education systems in different countries, the <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php" target="_blank">Eurydice</a> and <a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en.html" target="_blank">International Bureau of Education</a> sites are well worth a visit.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ltABYOs6CZo" width="420"></iframe>

Education At A Glance 2013

Today sees the publication of the latest edition of the OECD's annual Education At A Glance report. This is a huge document, comparing ...

7:45 AM

The State of the World's Children

The State of the World's Children

Today sees the publication of The State of the World's Children 2013 , the latest annual edition of UNICEF's flagship report which e...

2:25 AM

Early Childhood Care & Education - International Resources.

Early Childhood Care & Education - International Resources.

In a similar vein to yesterday's post, this entry is all about international education. The International Bureau of Education has recent...

2:42 AM

Childcare in France

If you've picked up a newspaper or watched the news in the last couple of days, then you're probably aware that the childcare minister Elizabeth Truss has made some <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312657/A-generation-unruly-toddlers-Childcare-Minister-Elizabeth-Truss-ill-judged-claims-nursery-children-arent-taught-manners.html" target="_blank">comments regarding 'chaotic' British nurseries</a>, and argued that an approach with parallels to the French childcare system would be more beneficial. It's probably safe to say that the reaction from the early years sector in this country <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/22/tory-minister-nursery-education" target="_blank">has been largely negative</a>, but how does childcare in France compare to what's on offer in the UK? I decided to see what I could find out...<br /><br />For a quick, easy summary of the French system, there's an <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1170249/" target="_blank">excellent <i>Nursery World</i> article</a> from a couple of months back which gives an overview of issues such as ratios, staff qualifications etc. You can also look at the <a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/France:Early_Childhood_Education_and_Care" target="_blank">Eurypedia page</a> relating to early childhood education and care, and the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2012%20-%20Country%20note%20-%20France%20%28EN%29.pdf" target="_blank">Country Note for France</a> from the most recent OECD <i>Education at a Glance</i> report gives an overview of educational provision there as a whole - most of the material relating to pre-primary education can be found on the first 3 pages. The French childcare model is also the subject of a short <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22279096" target="_blank">BBC news report today</a>.<br /><br />After that, it quickly became difficult to find useful items which focused specifically on France (though if you can speak French, then <a href="http://media.education.gouv.fr/file/2011/54/5/2011-108-IGEN-IGAENR_215545.pdf" target="_blank">here's the link</a> for what appears to be a detailed overview of the French system), but there are plenty of documents available which compare the early years sector in many countries, with the UK and France among the countries surveyed.<br /><br />What does become clear is that most of the reports available tend to focus on easily comparable statistics such as amount of funding, staff ratios, cost of childcare etc, rather than attempting to describe the quality of the provision on offer. A useful 2010 OECD paper entitled <a href="http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/37864559.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Quality of Childcare and Early Education Services</i></a> perhaps partially explains this by stating that "The quality of formal childcare and early education services is difficult to measure as there is no single indicator which adequately reflects the quality of service environment and the quality of interaction between staff and children."<br /><br />Nevertheless, the 2012 report <a href="http://www.managementthinking.eiu.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Starting%20Well.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</i></a> attempts to compile a league table of preschool quality - interestingly, the UK is ranked 3 places ahead of France. It's also worth having a look at <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Child Care Transition: A League Table of Early Childhood Education and Care in Economically Advanced Countries</i></a> - this is a UNICEF report from 2008 which rated French provision ahead of what is available in the UK.<br /><br />And a couple of other items to finish - you might want to read <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/098EN.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe: Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities</i></a>, which is a 2009 Eurydice report offering detailed information on early years provision in many different countries. Or you could just look at the recent <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/More%20Great%20Childcare%20v2.pdf" target="_blank"><i>More Great Childcare</i></a> proposal from the government, which mentions 'France' 25 times in just 46 pages. And by the time you've finished that lot, you'll hopefully have made up your mind about the minister's ideas...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGbfWWcZHWwljBcsKE_ZqOvBkwqzli7KMPV7rx-a0QTGd2uxci9HxqTD4M-Uy5rz82HBV5NsV6Pr6Ezl7A-iA5cDsZSxh0gor_UN-trEYDdTZNn4N_Bn-Qhk1dhKosN1QVLzaJT4o5w/s1600/FrenchChildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGbfWWcZHWwljBcsKE_ZqOvBkwqzli7KMPV7rx-a0QTGd2uxci9HxqTD4M-Uy5rz82HBV5NsV6Pr6Ezl7A-iA5cDsZSxh0gor_UN-trEYDdTZNn4N_Bn-Qhk1dhKosN1QVLzaJT4o5w/s320/FrenchChildren.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />

Childcare in France

If you've picked up a newspaper or watched the news in the last couple of days, then you're probably aware that the childcare minist...

9:14 AM

Child Well-Being in Rich Countries

UNICEF are in the headlines today following the publication of their latest 'Report Card' which examines the well-being of children in industrialised countries. The new publication ranks the UK <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/10/children-bleaker-future-coalition-unicef" target="_blank">16th out of 29 developed countries</a> for overall wellbeing, although it also suggests that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22088267" target="_blank">children's lives have improved</a> since a similar UNICEF report in 2007.<br /><br />If you'd like to read the full report, you can do so by <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>; a summary version containing the key messages is <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Images/Campaigns/Report%20card%20briefing2b.pdf" target="_blank">also available</a>. For further reading, you may want to look at <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22087974" target="_blank">this opinion article</a> or the <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/series/16/" target="_blank">full list of previous UNICEF report cards</a>, while only last week the Office of National Statistics published its own short report: <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_304416.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Children's Well-Being, 2013</i></a>. Or you could view all previous posts on this site relating to children's well-being by <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/wellbeing" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKtSiHRgkgXm5ZnsgslM-YbaUn3CNblAJwSfqVY3qDUrZLx4oc8DI05Cp1gqCaEw7xEmnG1Kx4iWQrdm1WO5N3WoGRvc3DnRskwWQdpVDJtnGZmUaXuW44wDbe7u8EmjZG1oFimKynA/s1600/ChildEating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKtSiHRgkgXm5ZnsgslM-YbaUn3CNblAJwSfqVY3qDUrZLx4oc8DI05Cp1gqCaEw7xEmnG1Kx4iWQrdm1WO5N3WoGRvc3DnRskwWQdpVDJtnGZmUaXuW44wDbe7u8EmjZG1oFimKynA/s200/ChildEating.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />

Child Well-Being in Rich Countries

UNICEF are in the headlines today following the publication of their latest 'Report Card' which examines the well-being of children ...

2:05 AM

Review of 2012

If it’s nearly Christmas, it must be time for the annual round-up of major developments and new research published in the children’s sector during the last year. After all, you might have missed some of these the first time round…<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The one thing that all practitioners and students can’t have missed was the introduction of the new EYFS in September. You can get quick links to the new EYFS and supporting documentation from <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/support-materials-for-new-eyfs.html" target="_blank">this previous post</a>, while the recent release of the new Profile Handbook and further materials are <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/early-years-foundation-stage-profile.html" target="_blank">dealt with here</a>. On a similar note, at the same time a <a href="http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/r/eyps%20standards%20from%20september%202012.pdf" target="_blank">new set of EYPS standards</a> were introduced for those hoping to achieve the status.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The other large story of the year was the Nutbrown Review, which investigated the current system of early education and childcare qualifications. You can read the final report and other supporting documents from <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/nutbrownreview" target="_blank">this link</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Annual reports from well known organisations are also a handy way of gauging current issues surrounding the sector. Some of the most useful ones from this year include the <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001088/osr18-2012.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey</i></a> and the <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/filedownloading/?file=documents/ar201112/The%20Annual%20Report%20of%20Her%20Majesty%27s%20Chief%20Inspector%20of%20Education,%20Children%27s%20Services%20and%20Skills%202011-12.pdf&refer=1" target="_blank">Ofsted Annual Report</a>, while for a more international flavour try UNICEF’s <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC-2012-Main-Report_EN_21Dec2011.pdf" target="_blank"><i>State of the World’s Children 2012</i></a> or the OECD’s <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG%202012_e-book_EN_200912.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Education at a Glance</i></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A few themes seemed to emerge when looking back at publications from the last year: certainly the cost of childcare for families was discussed in a number of reports by different organisations, such as the Resolution Foundation's <a href="http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/media/downloads/Counting_the_costs_of_childcare_1.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Counting the Costs of Childcare</i></a>, CPAG's <a href="http://www.cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/CPAG%20Cost%20of%20a%20Child%202012_0.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Cost of a Child in the Twenty-First Century</i></a>, and the Family & Parenting Institute's <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/Resources/FPI/Documents/FPI_1715_Publication_WEB%20pdf%20%283%29.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Families on the FrontLine</i></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Linked to this is the never ending stream of reports into child poverty – just a few that were published this year were Save the Children’s <a href="http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/child_poverty_2012.pdf" target="_blank"><i>It Shouldn’t Happen Here</i></a>, CPAG’s <a href="http://www.cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/CPAG-Ending-child-poverty-by-2020-progress-made-lessons-learned-0612.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Ending Child Poverty by 2020</i></a>, and UNICEF’s <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/RC10-measuring-child-poverty.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Measuring Child Poverty</i></a>, which compared the situation in the UK with other developed nations.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Another theme was the growing interest in outdoor play and the benefits which this can have for children. In March the National Trust’s <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/servlet/file/store5/item823323/version1/Natural%20Childhood%20Brochure.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Natural Childhood</i></a> report made a big contribution to this debate, or you can read this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/outdoor-play-learning.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> from September which provides links to plenty of the recent research in this area.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And a personal selection of interesting / useful stories and publications from the last year… Back in January the Children’s Society published the <a href="http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/good_childhood_report_2012_final.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Good Childhood Report 2012</i></a>; in June the <a href="http://www.savechildhood.net/" target="_blank"><i>Save Childhood</i></a> movement was launched; also in June the <a href="http://www.managementthinking.eiu.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Starting%20Well.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</i></a> report was published; and November saw the publication of <a href="http://issuu.com/leyf/docs/leyf-research-report-men-working-in-childcare-2012?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222" target="_blank"><i>Men Working in Childcare</i></a>, a useful contribution to a topic about which I get a lot of enquiries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A bit more? For research ideas you could do a lot worse than look at <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/SERC01/SERC01.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Education on the Web</i></a>, an excellent research guide from the NFER. Or you could look at this post on <i><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/open-access-research-for-childhood.html" target="_blank">Open Access Research for Childhood / Education</a></i>, which has attracted a lot of site visitors from search engines in recent months. Or you could look at <a href="http://www.kathybrodie.com/articles/social-bookmarking-an-essential-tool-for-dissertation-students/" target="_blank"><i>Social Bookmarking: an Essential Tool for Dissertation Students</i></a>, an article published on Kathy Brodie’s website back in June (you may recognise the author!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If there’s anything significant from the last 12 months that you think I’ve missed, do leave a comment below to let other site users know about it. If you’re a regular visitor here you’ll know I’m a fan of archive films, so get in the festive spirit by enjoying the short clip below from 1946, which includes sleeping children, toys that come alive, and… oh, just watch it! Merry Christmas…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZFHvRiLJiIM" width="420"></iframe>

Review of 2012

If it’s nearly Christmas, it must be time for the annual round-up of major developments and new research published in the children’s sector ...

7:45 AM

European Education Systems

European Education Systems

A lot of students ask for information about childcare / education in other countries, so today's featured link should be useful to some ...

2:45 AM

New Research

A quick round-up of various new reports:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/UNICEFUK_2012CRCimplentationreport.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: a Study of Legal Implementation in 12 Countries</i> </a>is a new publication from UNICEF which examines how the UK compares to other countries in providing for children's rights at national level.</li><li><a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/education-campaign-ambition-for-all/first-steps-read-the-report-online/" target="_blank"><i>First Steps</i></a> is a report from the CBI which sets out an agenda for education reform from a business perspective.</li><li><a href="http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/FacingtheScreenDilemma.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology and Early Education</i></a> examines how new technologies could be having an effect on children's development.</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR235.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Pupils not Claiming Free School Meals</i></a> has just been published by the Department of Education, and attempts to establish how many children who are entitled to free school dinners are not taking advantage.</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR238.pdf" target="_blank"><i>What is the Research Evidence on Writing?</i></a> gathers together literature on pupils' writing ability, with the authors claiming that this is an area which receives less attention than reading ability.</li></ul>

New Research

A quick round-up of various new reports: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: a Study of Legal Implementation in 12 Countries is a...

8:43 AM

Bernard van Leer Foundation

The <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/" target="_blank">Bernard van Leer Foundation</a> is an international organisation with a mission to "improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances." While I've previously linked to the occasional report on their site, I thought that as it's a slow news day, it might be worth drawing attention to some of the resources available on their website, all of which are free to access.<br /><br /> From a research point of view, the most interesting part of the site is the <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/English/Home/Publications.html" target="_blank">Publications</a> area. You can search or browse through the various documents in a number of ways, though my personal preference would be to browse by series. Among the series that the Foundation publishes are a collection of <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/English/Home/Publications/Browse_by_series.html?ps_page=1&getSeries=10" target="_blank">Working Papers</a> - recent topics covered include <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/Childrens-right-to-play-An-examination-of-the-importance-of-play-in-the-lives-of-children-worldwide?pubnr=1274&download=1"><i>Children's Right to Play</i></a> and <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/Fostering_language_acquisition_in_daycare_settings_What_does_the_research_tell_us?pubnr=628&download=1"><i>Fostering Language Acquisition in Daycare Settings</i></a> - and <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/English/Home/Publications/Browse_by_series.html?ps_page=1&getSeries=3" target="_blank">Early Childhood in Focus</a>, which is published in collaboration with the Open University, and examines recent research on key policy issues. Recent titles in this series include <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/Supporting_parenting?pubnr=1141&download=1"><i>Supporting Parenting</i></a> and <i><a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/Effective_Early_Childhood_Programmes?pubnr=758&download=1">Effective Early Childhood Programmes</a></i>. The biannual journal <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/English/Home/Publications/Browse_by_series.html?ps_page=1&getSeries=4" target="_blank"><i>Early Childhood Matters</i></a> is also worth a look.<br /><br />If you'd prefer printed versions of the Foundation's publications, you may order up to five copies free of charge.

Bernard van Leer Foundation

The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international organisation with a mission to "improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who...

9:40 AM

International Education

If you're looking for information on education in other countries, a really good starting point is the <a href="http://libguides.ioe.ac.uk/inted" target="_blank">International Education</a> Libguide from the IOE. The site serves as a gateway with links to useful education websites all around the world, and while some of the content is specific to users of the IOE Library, there is still plenty here to make it worth bookmarking for when you're researching an assignment on learning in Finland... or Singapore... or Angola...<br /><br />Don't forget that you can view previous posts on here relating to international issues by clicking on the 'International Resources' link in the Hot Topics menu on the right. I also have a collection of <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/davidrenfree/international" target="_blank">bookmarks on international education</a> which you may find useful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeD95C5DQkXNUZx3OX_DHtGjJnvLVlmw1GTGusKRvFGQZcYQabuF5joUMLJeYoZ0fN9LMGNz0lQXwyWXtI-z6aYj30a7qzfqASM6RciDJwccoA1MNn73cEzaPN3kmDYTXRzDm_JiAzA/s1600/GlobePic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeD95C5DQkXNUZx3OX_DHtGjJnvLVlmw1GTGusKRvFGQZcYQabuF5joUMLJeYoZ0fN9LMGNz0lQXwyWXtI-z6aYj30a7qzfqASM6RciDJwccoA1MNn73cEzaPN3kmDYTXRzDm_JiAzA/s200/GlobePic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />

International Education

If you're looking for information on education in other countries, a really good starting point is the International Education Libguide...

5:25 AM

Education At A Glance 2012

Today sees the publication of the OECD's annual <i>Education At A Glance</i> report. This is a huge document, comparing a mass of information on education provision in dozens of different countries, from preschool right up to University level.<br /><br />The full report can be <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG%202012_e-book_EN_200912.pdf" target="_blank">downloaded here</a>, though you'd be forgiven for heading straight for the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/highlights.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a>. In addition, there's an <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2012%20-%20Country%20note%20-%20United%20Kingdom.pdf" target="_blank"><i>United Kingdom Country Note</i></a> available, which provides a shorter analysis of education in the UK, and how it compares to other countries. Or for simple information on the headlines generated by the research, try looking at <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/sep/11/education-compared-oecd-country-pisa" target="_blank">this <i>Guardian</i> article</a> or <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19548597" target="_blank">this BBC article</a>.<br /><br />For further information about education systems in different countries, the <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php" target="_blank">Eurydice</a> and <a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en.html" target="_blank">International Bureau of Education</a> sites are well worth a visit.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j44Uup5iYCE" width="420"></iframe>

Education At A Glance 2012

Today sees the publication of the OECD's annual Education At A Glance report. This is a huge document, comparing a mass of information ...

3:06 AM

Starting Well

I'm a few days late with this one but those of you with an interest in how early years education is delivered in other countries may be a new publication from the Economist Intelligence Unit. The report is entitled <i>Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</i>, and ranks 45 nations into a league table on the basis of their preschool environments. The UK does pretty well, coming in at 4th place, though as always seems to be the case with these studies, the top positions are dominated by Scandinavian countries.<br /><br />To view the full report, <a href="http://www.managementthinking.eiu.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Starting%20Well.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0DuY_6tU7vxksTy7UxgoZ5LX2AxtPtA_Qo6j7LQ68lJjAZRSaKWGcxHfkZABWxUYZT5iWjm9r7UJss1UJJT9aI3iNrTwsqr2Yi0mStPlG6NKBEb5db1D0hpeDM4I4hZvVGUSr1T0wQ/s1600/BlogPic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0DuY_6tU7vxksTy7UxgoZ5LX2AxtPtA_Qo6j7LQ68lJjAZRSaKWGcxHfkZABWxUYZT5iWjm9r7UJss1UJJT9aI3iNrTwsqr2Yi0mStPlG6NKBEb5db1D0hpeDM4I4hZvVGUSr1T0wQ/s320/BlogPic2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />

Starting Well

I'm a few days late with this one but those of you with an interest in how early years education is delivered in other countries may be ...

8:35 AM

International Children's Services

International Children's Services

I'm a few months behind with this one, but as I get plenty of enquiries about information on education and children's services in ot...

2:54 AM

State of the World's Children 2012

State of the World's Children 2012

UNICEF has just published The State of the World's Children 2012 . This is their annual flagship report, and the theme for this year...

6:51 AM

Education At A Glance 2011

Education At A Glance 2011

One for the number crunchers today - the OECD has just published Education At A Glance 2011 , its annual report comparing a mass of informat...

3:35 AM

Latest from Ontheweb

<a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/what-we-offer/information/ontheweb/" target="_blank">Ontheweb</a> is a monthly service from the <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/" target="_blank">NFER</a> which lists education-related reports and research which has recently been published. The reports it links to come from all over the globe, and cover a huge range of different topics, so it's well worth subscribing to if you want to stay on top of what's going on in the education sector - you can sign up for free alerts by filling in the simple form at <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/nferdirect/" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br /><br />The latest issue has just come out and as usual contains plenty of useful material. I've been through it and although quite a few of the reports it covers have already been mentioned on here in recent weeks, here's a pick of some of the other information which this site's readers may find interesting:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/teenage-drinking-culture-full.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Teenage Drinking Cultures</span></a> is a report by the <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/" target="_blank">Joseph Rowntree Foundation</a> which examines young people's behaviour towards alcohol.</li></ul><ul><li>The <a href="http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Office of The Children's Commissioner for England</a> has published a study of <a href="http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/force_download.php?fp=%2Fclient_assets%2Fcp%2Fpublication%2F465%2FLanding_in_Kent_-_The_experience_of_unaccompanied_children_arriving_in_the_UK.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Experiences of Unaccompanied Children Arriving in the UK</span></a>.</li></ul><ul><li>The <a href="http://endchildpoverty.org.uk/" target="_blank">End Child Poverty</a> campaign group has produced a <a href="http://endchildpoverty.org.uk/files/child-poverty-map-of-the-uk-part-one.pdf" target="_blank">Child Poverty Map of the UK</a>.</li></ul><ul><li><a href="http://browse.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9610041E.PDF" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Trends Shaping Education 2010</span></a> is a report with an international focus from the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/" target="_blank">OECD</a> which "provides an overview of key economic, social, demographic and technological trends and raises pertinent questions about their impact on education."</li></ul><ul><li>The <a href="http://www.commissioningsupport.org.uk/" target="_blank">Commissioning Support Programme</a> has concluded its work with the publication of <a href="http://www.commissioningsupport.org.uk/pdf/CSP%20final%20report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Commissioning of Children’s Services in England: Learning from the Sector, Providing for the Sector</span></a>.</li></ul>

Latest from Ontheweb

Ontheweb is a monthly service from the NFER which lists education-related reports and research which has recently been published. The repo...

9:12 AM

Family Child Care