Administration and Policy of Early Childhood Education and Care (Europe, America, and Australia)

Author: Jian Chuying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Administrative and policy impacts on directors, teachers, parents, and teaching are profound, and they are also closely related to the quality of early childhood education. Therefore, they have always been the author's focus. Currently, policies on early childhood education and care are moving towards integrating early childhood education and care, and extending the compulsory education age by one year. During the policy-making process, there are constant debates over whether to separate or integrate early childhood education and care, and whether the starting age of compulsory education should be extended by one year. The saying "He who would climb high must begin low" implies that referring to the experiences of other countries is necessary. The 11 countries introduced in this book have developed different policies due to their unique national conditions and cultures. However, there are similarities among them, and these common points can serve as references for our policy-making. The differences are also valuable lessons for us to learn from when formulating policies. A key feature of this book is understanding the formation of early childhood education and care policies within the ecological and cultural contexts of each country. For example: societal views on children influence a nation's approach to caring for them. Another feature of the book is the discussion of issues after each country's introduction. After fully understanding the impact of ecological and cultural contexts on early childhood education and care policies in each country, similar or different issues still arise, offering valuable lessons for us to learn from. Administrative and policy impacts on directors, teachers, parents, and teaching are profound, and they are also closely related to the quality of early childhood education. Therefore, they have always been the author's focus. Currently, policies on early childhood education and care are moving towards integrating early childhood education and care, and extending the compulsory education age by one year. During the policy-making process, there are constant debates over whether to separate or integrate early childhood education and care, and whether the starting age of compulsory education should be extended by one year. The saying "He who would climb high must begin low" implies that referring to the experiences of other countries is necessary. The 11 countries introduced in this book have developed different policies due to their unique national conditions and cultures. However, there are similarities among them, and these common points can serve as references for our policy-making. The differences are also valuable lessons for us to learn from when formulating policies.