Background: Preschool is a crucial period for developing motor skills. Objective: This study evaluated factors associated with motor competence in preschoolers from a Brazilian urban area. Methods: A total of 211 preschoolers (51.2% girls and 48.8% boys) were evaluated. Body mass index was calculated; the Brazilian Economic Research Criterion, the…

High-quality learning environments are critical to support students' learning and development. This study supported eight lead teachers of Starting Strong classrooms in four different early learning programs to try to improve teachers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) within their classrooms. Four…

Statistics show that if a child is a low reader at the end of first grade, they are more likely to be a low reader by the end of fourth grade. The United States has enacted multiple educational initiatives to combat shortfalls that many children demonstrate in literacy, but the number of children reading on grade level in the elementary grades are…

The Bulgarian Government has made a commitment to inclusive early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). High-quality ECEC settings are more inclusive and responsive to children's individual learning needs. In partnership with UNICEF, the Ministry for Education established a…

The results of a Russian national study of the quality of preschool education (2016-2017, N[subscript kindergartens]= 1,301) are discussed with a focus on possible predictors of quality dynamics on the relations between Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale--Revised scores and group size, number of teachers in a group, child/adult ratio,…

The purpose of the study on which this article rests is to supplement ECERS-3 observations of the learning environment (n = 31) for 3-5-year-old children attending preschool activities in Favrskov Municipality, Denmark. The paper gives an in-depth analysis of characteristic features of high-quality preschool activities within the areas of…

The aim of this article was to independently test the factor structure of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 3rd Edition (ECERS-3). Using a sample of 148 independent observations, Standard and Satorra--Bentler confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine if the ECERS-3 conformed to the structure published in its manual using a…

Research Findings: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale--Revised (ECERS-R) is widely used to evaluate the quality of early childhood education and its association with child development. However, the psychometric properties of the ECERS-R are not well established. Consequently, in this study we tested 3 different factor solutions of the…

The early childhood sector in Singapore has witnessed vast changes in the past two decades. One of the key policy aims is to improve classroom quality. To ensure a rigorous evaluation of the quality of early childhood environments in Singapore, it is important to determine whether commonly used assessments of quality are valid indicators across…

Gross motor and physical activity opportunities in early childhood are important for promoting health and development. We conducted two studies with the following aims: (1) to describe the quality of gross motor/physical activity early learning environments in Washington (WA) state, USA and (2) to study the relationship between the quality of…

The purpose of this correlational study, which took place in a Central Florida school district, was to investigate the relationship between the quality of the early childhood education (ECE) programs and students' kindergarten readiness scores. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which states that a child's environment, culture, and language are…

Given that there is a lack of children's active involvement in the school design process, the aim of the present multimethod study was to gather data in relation to children's active involvement towards the improvement of their own school's physical environment. Over a period of three months, twenty-nine children aged 4-5 years participated in…

Since 2002, university students from the United States have had the opportunity to enroll in practicum experiences in Denmark while studying abroad. The dilemmas raised by the American students in practicum in Denmark provide a unique window through which to view pedagogical practices from different cultural perspectives. The students are able to…

Preschool education became a part of general K-11 education only very recently. This change has been documented, and it is reflected in the organization and funding of the preschool departments of schools. The welfare of preschool departments within community K-11 organizations depends on the number of parents that they are able to attract.…

The purpose of the study was to examine outdoor environments to understand whether or not young children had access to play materials and loose parts to enhance their playful experiences. This study sought to gather the availability of SAFE and quality play opportunities in early childhood outdoor environments. The study took place in one state of…