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Nature-based daycare centers offer young children valuable opportunities to establish a meaningful connection with the natural world. These opportunities frequently remain underrealized as caregivers often lack adequate skills in effectively integrating the natural environment into their daily pedagogical practices. This study evaluated the impact of a one-year Community of Practice training program to enhance the pedagogical use of the outdoor area of nature-based daycare centers. It examined the impact of the program on children's stress levels, wellbeing, involvement, and behavior in the outdoor area, among a total sample of 133 children aged 0–4 years. The program aimed at strengthening caregivers' pedagogical interaction skills in the outdoor area with a focus on vulnerable groups including the youngest and oldest children and boys. Measures of children's hair cortisol, and observations of wellbeing, involvement, physical activity, social behavior and play behavior during free play in the natural outdoor playground were collected post-program at 6 intervention and 7 control locations. Results indicate positive impacts of the program for boys in terms of their stress levels, wellbeing, involvement, physical activity, and creative play behavior. Youngest children at interventions showed more functional play behavior, while the oldest children showed more creative play. Children at locations with a high-quality outdoor area seemed to benefit more from the intervention than children at locations with a low-quality outdoor area. These findings underscore the importance of the pedagogical use of the outdoor natural area as a contributor to the effectiveness of nature-based daycare, alongside considerations of environmental qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that early investments improve outcomes for disadvantaged children. Targeted early childhood interventions aimed at vulnerable children have lasting positive impacts throughout the participants' life course, consequently reducing inequalities. However, results from targeted programs cannot be generalized to universal Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). Universal ECEC, available to all children, may increase inequalities given stratification in access to nationwide programs. In order to analyze whether universal ECEC has the same equalizing effects as the targeted programs, this study uses a systematic review and meta-analysis of quasi-experimental evidence to examine the impact of universal ECEC on children's outcomes throughout their lives, focusing on how it affects children from different socioeconomic statuses (SES). The findings indicate that universal ECEC is an effective policy strategy for equalization, as it reduces inequalities by benefiting more children from disadvantaged families. Low SES children benefit more in the non-cognitive domain than high SES children. Starting ECEC before age three improves the chances of better outcomes for disadvantaged children. The results demonstrate significant variability across regions, with European programs standing out in delivering positive outcomes for children from vulnerable backgrounds. The study emphasizes the importance of equitable access to universal ECEC to reduce inequalities and foster long-lasting positive impacts on children's development and life chances. • Universal ECEC is an effective policy strategy for equalization. • Disadvantaged children benefit from ECEC throughout their lives. • Low SES children benefit more in the non-cognitive domain than high SES children. • Starting ECEC before age three is important for disadvantaged children. • European programs stand out in delivering positive outcomes for children from vulnerable backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research comparatively ranks OECD countries’ statutory policies of leave, early childhood education and care (ECEC), and flexible work arrangement, in terms of their levels of supportiveness and gender equality based on the Supportiveness and Gender Equality Indices. Among 33 countries, Sweden ranks 1st based on both Indices, while the United States ranks 30th for Supportiveness and 29th for Gender Equality. Mexico, Switzerland, and Turkey rank last for both Indices. Four types of policy regimes are identified. Among them, state-oriented caring regimes that challenge gendered opposition of paid work and unpaid care work through policy provisions are more likely to address work-family conflict, promote gender equality, and enhance child well-being. To better support working parents, leave would best be well paid and equally shared between fathers and mothers motivated by incentives; an entitlement to ECEC and flexibility has to be granted before or at the end of well-paid leave.

This study investigated whether interaction quality in toddler groups, when children were age three, was associated with changes in children’s social competence from age three to age five years in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). ECEC groups (n = 206) were observed with the Infant/ Toddler Environment Rating Scale Revised (ITERS-R). The subscale Interaction was used for this study, including four items: supervision of play and learning; peer interaction; staff-child interaction; and discipline. Children’s social-emotional competence was rated by ECEC teachers using the Norwegian Lamer Social Competence in Preschool scale (LSCIP) with six dimensions: prosocial behavior, self-control, assertiveness, adjustment, empathy, and fairness. Multilevel models were applied to investigate the associations between the ITERS-R scale and social-emotional competence at age three and age five. Results showed an association of interaction quality with empathy at T1, and a marginally significant association between interaction quality and self-control at T2. No other associations were found between interaction quality and social-emotional competence. The paper discusses why the associations between interaction quality and outcomes are limited and the need to revise and expand quality measures especially in Norwegian ECEC. This study also stresses the need to further investigate quality of interactions between staff and children, and its associations with children outcomes.

A policy problem is a discursive construction, and the way in which the problem is framed determines both the nature of the policy responses and the possibility of resolving it. In this paper, drawing on critical frame analysis, we examined three major equity policies in the Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. In mapping out framing and reasoning devices of the policies, our analytical interest is to highlight the representation of inequality as a problem and unmask underlying assumptions of the equity responses. The findings show that disadvantage in Australia's ECEC sector has been framed as a lack of access, limited navigational capacity and cultural exclusion; and the framings are underpinned by economic, educational and social rationales. The analysis also reveals problematic categories, issue-omissions and conceptual shifts within the texts. The paper draws practical implications of the frame contradictions and silences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The CHEERS is a self-administered tool to measure gaps, weaknesses, and strengths of an early childhood education and care (ECEC) centre-based nutrition and physical activity environment. ECEC settings have the potential to profoundly influence early dietary and physical activity behaviours. Content validation of the CHEERS tool has been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to develop reliability and validity evidence for the CHEERS audit tool and the proposed subscales of food served, healthy eating environment, program planning, and physical activity environment in ECEC centre-based programs.Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 2 phases: Phase 1 included inter-, intra-rater and Cronbach's α. A subset of this sample was invited to participate in a second survey (Trial 2) for intra-rater assessment within 3 weeks of completing the first survey (Trial 1). Phase 2 included concurrent validity assessment between a nutrition expert and the ECEC director using within a one-week period.Results: One hundred two directors and 85 educators (total of 187) returned the survey. Of these, there were 75 matched pairs for inter-rater reliability analysis providing a CHEERS ICC score of 0.59 and ICC scores ranging from 0.40 to 0.58 for the subscales. The ICC for intra-rater reliability of the CHEERS score was 0.81 for 40 participants completing the survey a second time and a range of 0.72 to 0.79 for the subscales. The CHEERS tool demonstrated very good internal consistency (α = 0.91) and α scores ranging from 0.73 to 0.79 for the subscales. In phase 2, concurrent validation was ICC = 0.65 (n = 30) CHEERS scores with a range of 0.42 to 0.69 for the subscales.Conclusions: This study provides evidence of inter-, intra-rater reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of an environmental assessment audit tool to assess the nutrition and physical activity environment of ECEC centre-based programs. The results demonstrate that the self-administered CHEERS instrument is stable overtime and between evaluators at the same ECEC centre. The scores obtained with CHEERS self-administered audit tool are reasonably accurate compared to an expert rater (dietitian) assessment. This study adds additional support to establishing the psychometric soundness of the CHEERS tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on video observations of three-year-old children's empathic expressions in the context of playful interactions in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions in Norway. The data were analysed within a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, searching for a system of the children's self-initiated empathic expressions in their play and interaction. The findings show that young children's inherent empathy largely appears as an embodied intonation in the other's emotional state, expressed through facial and bodily intersubjective expressions, followed up with empathy-related responses adapted to the context through physical communication. This study reveals that funny behaviour and play invitations are empathically motivated actions, making peers happy again and confirming relationships. This new insight contributes to a broader understanding of young children's empathy and may contribute to developing the knowledge of how ECEC's educational work can support children's empathic development based on an understanding of the body's phenomenology and integrated in children's play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review looks at the current state of research on early childhood education and care (ECEC) from a sociological stance. We summarize how children's experiences and benefits from participation in ECEC are related to their families' socioeconomic position in modern industrial nations. By bringing together child development and intervention research from economics, education, and psychology with a sociological, social stratification perspective, our report focuses on ECEC as a policy strategy for equalization in early childhood. We argue that two major stratifiers, families and country-specific ECEC settings, need to be considered more closely when we seek to understand the efficacy of early educational interventions in modern societies. While well-targeted educational programs are found to lowerachievement gaps among children from different social backgrounds, a disproportionate use of early education by socioeconomically privileged families may offset the benefits of early interventions. In addition, the current stratification patterns in various nationwide ECEC contexts may further strengthen the gaps in children's (early) achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on children's participation in community and the research question is as follows: What do children describe as hallmarks influencing their ability to participate in the ECEC community? The study is based on a qualitative hermeneutic analysis of semi-structured group interviews with 12 five-year-old children from three different Norwegian ECEC institutions. How children express that they are included, mutually accepted and engaged with others are interpreted as hallmarks for participation. The main theoretical basis is Biesta's view of democracy as both action and a mode of togetherness, and also his understanding of education as socialisation, qualification and subjectification. The analysis of the group interviews resulted in five broad categories of the children's descriptions of their prerequisites for participation: trust, responsibility for others, adapting to the institutional rules, freedom to choose and refuse community, and common ground. At the end the findings are discussed and seen in relation to some implications for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to open up the rationales that are used to argue for an increase in male participation in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Two theoretical concepts are highlighted and compared: gender balance and gender flexibility. An ethnographic study was conducted in one unusual nursery that has five male workers, using focus groups, one-to-one interviews and observations with male and female practitioners, managers and parents. Some practitioners used a discourse of gender balance to justify the value of the male contribution to the workforce, based on heteronormative ideas about the division of gendered labour within the traditional family. Others emphasised the importance of the highly versatile ECEC practitioner and linked a value for identity versatility with gender flexibility. Our findings lead to recommendations about the need to recruit, train and retain practitioners who are gender conscious and can respond to young children in gender-flexible ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Pädagogik is the property of Julius Beltz GmbH & Co. KG Beltz Juventa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several authors have argued that early childhood education and care (ECEC) is essentially an ethical practice based on certain values and conceptions about the purpose of education. Is this also the case for educational practices surrounding the highly valued notion of curiosity? While psychological approaches portray it as neutral, this article aims to explore curiosity's normative connotations. To do so, an ethnographically informed approach and video-stimulated recall focus-group interviews have been used to gather Norwegian ECEC practitioners' reflections on the importance of curiosity. The reflections have been analysed using the concept of ethical rationalities and can be grouped into four approaches to valuing curiosity: the relational approach, the virtue approach, the consequentialist approach and the essentialist approach. The analysis suggests that different practices for nurturing curiosity are constrained and others are enabled, depending on the preferred ethical rationality. To prevent the nurturing of curiosity from being based on an assumed and restricted range of theoretical and ethical perspectives, it is necessary to invite practitioners' reflections on values associated with curiosity. SHORT ABSTRACT While psychological approaches portray it as neutral, this article aims to explore curiosity's normative connotations in the daily practices of ECEC. To do so, an ethnographically informed approach and video-stimulated recall focus-group interviews have been used to gather practitioners' reflections on the importance of nurturing curiosity. These have been analysed using the concept of ethical rationalities and can be grouped into four approaches to valuing curiosity: the relational approach, the virtue approach, the consequentialist approach and the essentialist approach. To prevent the nurturing of curiosity from being based on a restricted range of theoretical and ethical perspectives, it is necessary to invite reflection on its value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Manure application increased soil organic matter and thus pH buffering capacity. • Manure application increased the resistance of soils to acidification. • Carboxyl protonation was main mechanism for increase in pH buffering capacity. • Carboxyl protonation led to the decrease of soil effective cation exchange capacity. Abstract Soil pH buffering capacity (pHBC) plays a crucial role in determining soil acidification rates and the amount of lime required to ameliorate soil acidity. However, it remains poorly understood how soil organic matter affects soil pHBC. Here, Alfisol and Ultisol samples from long-term fertilization experiments (control, chemical N, P, and K (NPK), manure only (M), 1/2 NPK plus 1/2 M (1/2NPKM), and NPK plus M (NPKM)) were used to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of manure application on the pHBC and soil resistance to acidification through simulated acidification experiments. The results indicated that the application of manure increased pHBC and the resistance of soils to acidification in both the Alfisol and Ultisol. The pHBC of the Alfisol in the M and NPKM treatments was increased by 81 and 60% compared with the control, respectively. Similarly, the pHBC of the Ultisol in the NPKM treatment was 66% higher than that of the control. The extent of protons consumption by the Alfisol followed the order: M > NPKM > 1/2NPKM > NPK ≈ control during stimulated acidification, which was consistent with their pHBC. These results suggested that manure application increased the resistance of the Alfisol to acidification by increasing soil pHBC. The protonation of organic anions from the dissociation of weakly acidic functional groups on soil organic matter to form neutral molecules was the main mechanism responsible for the increase in pHBC and soil resistance to acidification induced by manure application. During this process, some exchangebale base cations were released from negatively charged sites on organic matter into soil solution. This mechanism was confirmed by the experimental observations: the release of base cations from soils increased, while soil exchangeable base cations and effective CEC decreased as soil pH decreased. The results are of fundamental significance for understanding the role of organic matter in retarding soil acidification through long-term manure application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mismatch between the demand side and the supply side in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector has been a recurring pattern for a long period of time. Unlike the other levels and types of education, over 60% of provision in the ECEC sector comes from private organizations in China. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, challenges have emerged in the high-level customer contact services and the classic labour-intensive industries. From the "regular epidemic prevention and control" point of view, regulatory reform is necessary, such as translating the "price cap regulation" into the "rate of return regulation", enforcing the demand side incentive, combining regulatory innovation and technical innovation, and creating good conditions for the professional development of teachers in the ECEC sector.

Abstract Background In Australia, 61.5 % of children aged 3–4 attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs. Children’s experiences within these programs vary widely and impact directly on educational wellbeing and social development. Research has shown that higher quality programs enhance children’s learning and developmental outcomes, foster social participation and have long-lasting effects on their productivity as adults. Quality matters, yet we do not know what components of ECEC result in a quality program. Effective Early Educational Experiences (E4Kids) is a 5-year longitudinal study designed to identify and assess the impact of mainstream ECEC programs and program components on children’s learning, development, social inclusion and well-being. E4Kids sets out to measure quality ECEC; identify components that add value and positively impact children’s outcomes; evaluate the effects of child, family, community and environment characteristics on programs; and provide evidence on how best to invest in ECEC. Methods/design E4Kids follows a sample of 2,494 children who have experienced a variety of approved care programs (long day care, kindergarten, family day care and occasional care), as well as 157 children who have not accessed such programs. Children are tracked to the first point of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing at Year 3. The study presents a multi-level design in which ECEC programs were sampled from two states – Queensland and Victoria – then randomly sampled from two greater metropolitan regions and two regional and remote locations. Parents, centre directors, educators and carers complete questionnaires to provide information on demographics and children’s progress. Data collected also include the make-up and organisation of ECEC programs and schools children attended. The quality of adult-child interactions is directly assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and direct testing of children’s cognitive abilities and achievements is undertaken over 3 years and linked with NAPLAN scores. Discussion Findings from the E4Kids study have the potential to influence the quality of ECEC available in Australia by providing up-to-date evidence on the impact of ECEC programs and program components to inform future policy decisions and research.

The purpose of this article is to illuminate various pedagogic identities in Norwegian White Papers directed to Early Childhood Education and Care institutions. In this article, I present a study of eight White Papers concerning ECEC in Norway. I place emphasis on political efforts related to learning in ECEC institutions and further on, identify various learning discourses. I have chosen to place emphasis on a period of 40 years to identify if and in what way the learning discourses have changed. Further, I discuss various learning discourses based on Bernstein’s theory of pedagogic identities and shed light on various ideologies in ECEC policy. Bernstein’s theoretical framework is fundamental in this article.

A growing body of research has been documenting environmental factors that support preschoolers’ vocabulary skills. However, less is known about how environmental factors are related to morphological skills of dual language learners (DLLs) and single language learners (SLLs). We examined connections with preschool experiences by investigating the effects of duration of preschool attendance, classroom quality, and classroom composition variables (percentage of DLLs and percentage of children from families with a low socio-economic status) on preschoolers’ expressive morphological skills. Several multilevel regression models were estimated using cross-sectional data from 835 children (n = 255 DLLs) aged 30–47 months. These children were nested in 169 preschool classrooms in Germany. As a control task, we also investigated children’s phonological processing abilities, for which we found, as expected, no differences between DLLs and SLLs. Our main finding was that DLL children scored lower in expressive morphological skills than their German monolingual peers, but this difference was considerably smaller in classrooms that scored high in instructive teacher–child interactions (measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for pre-kindergarten children; CLASS Pre-K). Taken together, these results support the notion that supportive teacher–child instructive interactions have a positive impact on the development of DLLs’ morphological skills.

Artikkelen sammenstiller og drøfter forskning på spenningen mellom institusjonelt mangfold blant eiere av norske barnehager, og myndighetenes ambisjoner om å gi et likeverdig barnehagetilbud til alle barn. Med basis i 14 forskningsartikler og rapporter fra perioden 2004-2017 finner jeg at private eiere av barnehager har stort handlingsrom og påvirkningskraft i barnehagesektoren. Både lovregulering og institusjonaliserte normer for et godt barnehagetilbud bidrar til at en ser små forskjeller etter eierskap. Disse normene utvikles og vedlikeholdes i nettverk som inkluderer private barnehager. Det har vært lite forskning på disse nettverkene og på de mykere styringsformene i sektoren. Det er spesielt behov for mer kunnskap om hvordan kommunene som forvaltningsorganisasjoner håndterer møtet med større og mer profesjonelle private barnehageeiere. This article reviews research on the tension between institutionally diverse owners of Norwegian early childhood centers/kindergartens and the governments ambitions of providing an equitable, high-quality service to all children. Based on 14 research articles and reports published between 2004 and 2017 I find that private owners of early childhood centers have considerable influence in the Norwegian ECEC-sector. Both legislation and institutionalized norms of what constitutes a good ECEC-service contribute to small differences according to ownership. These norms are developed and maintained in networks including also private early childhood centers. Few researchers have taken interest in the networks and other soft forms of governance in the Norwegian ECEC-sector. We need more knowledge on how the municipalities interact with large, professional private ECEC-owners.

Background: Many children today are growing up in environments that predispose them to develop noncommunicable diseases. While no single preventive solution exists, evidence supports interventions in childcare settings for establishing good nutrition and physical activity behaviors as a "critical window" that could reduce the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases later in life. Emerging eHealth tools have shown potential in promoting best practices for nutrition and physical activity environments in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings., Objective: The primary objective of this review is to map the breadth of available evidence on eHealth tools currently available to assess and support best practices for nutrition, physical activity, or both in ECEC settings and to highlight potential research directions., Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Scoping Reviews with adherence to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist guidelines. Eligibility is based on the Population, Concept, and Context criteria as follows: (1) early childhood educators (population); (2) eHealth (digital) technology, such as websites, smartphone apps, email, and social media (concept); and (3) measurement and intervention tools to support best practices for nutrition, physical activity, or both in ECEC settings (context). The information sources for this review are the bibliographic databases PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, ERIC, and Embase in English and French with no date restrictions. Following this, a scan of gray literature will be undertaken. The electronic search strategy was developed in collaboration with two librarians. Two independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts of all relevant publications against inclusion criteria, followed by a full-text review using a data extraction tool developed by the reviewers. A synthesis of included papers will describe the publication, assessment, and intervention tool details. A summary of the findings will describe the types of eHealth assessment tools available, psychometric properties, eHealth intervention components, and theoretical frameworks used for development., Results: Preliminary searches of bibliographic databases to test and calibrate the search were carried out in May 2023. Study selection based on titles and abstracts was started in August 2023. The developed search strategy will guide our search for gray literature. The findings will be presented in visualized data map format, waffle chart, or tabular format accompanied by a narrative discussion. The scoping review is planned for completion in 2024., Conclusions: A structured review of the literature will provide a summary of the range and type of eHealth tools available for ECEC programs to assess and improve nutrition environments, physical activity environments, or both in order to identify gaps in the current evidence base and provide insights to guide future intervention research., Trial Registration: Open Science Framework XTRNZ; https://osf.io/xtrnz., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/52252., (©Joyce Hayek, Katharine Elliott, Makayla Vermette, Lynne MZ Lafave. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 24.10.2023.)

A body of studies, which are mostly based on parental reports, have documented gender differences in early language proficiency, and girls tend to outperform boys in both language production and language comprehension. In this study, staff in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care institutions observed language comprehension, word production, and participation in adult-driven language activities in 1005 thirty-three-month-olds (489 girls and 516 boys). Significant gender differences in favor of girls were found in all aspects explored. Children with high language scores participate more in language activities than children with low language scores, and boys are overrepresented in the last-mentioned group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a first peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, early childhood education and care (ECEC) again plays an important role in the educational system in Austria. Over 90% of 3-5-year-old children attend non-familial institutions such as preschools. A consequence of this development is that new challenges arise, which have become the subject of scholarly discussions and education policies. A first challenge refers to the academization of the training of preschool teachers. A second challenge focuses on the need to improve interaction quality in preschools. A third challenge relates to improvements in the degree of collaboration between preschool and primary school. A fourth challenge is the need to establish a research infrastructure in ECEC in Austria to gain country-specific research evidence. This contribution aims to elucidate and examine these challenges, along with current education policies to improve ECEC in Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Šolsko Polje is the property of Solsko Polje and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Existing Substances Regulation Risk Assessments by the European Union (EU RA) generated new toxicity data for soil organisms exposed to Ni added to sixteen field-collected soils with low background concentration of metals and varying physico-chemical soil characteristics. Using only effective cation exchange capacity (eCEC) as a bioavailability correction, chronic toxicity of Ni in soils with a wide range of characteristics could be predicted within a factor of two. The objective of the present study was to determine whether this was also the case for three independent data sets of Ni toxicity thresholds. Two of the data sets were from Community Based Risk Assessments in Port Colborne ON, and Sudbury ON (Canada) for soils containing elevated concentrations of Ni, Co and Cu arising from many decades of Ni mining, smelting and refining. The third data set was the Metals in Asia study of soluble Ni added to field soils in China. These data yielded 72 leached and aged EC 10 /NOEC values for soil Ni, for arthropods, higher plants and woodlot structure and function. These were reduced to nine most sensitive single or geometric mean species/function endpoints, none of which were lower than the HC 5 predicted for a soil with an eCEC of 20 cmol/kg. Most of these leached and aged EC 10 /NOEC values were from soils co-contaminated with Cu, in some cases at its median HC 5 as predicted by the EU RA from soil characteristics. We conclude that the EU RA is protective of Ni toxicity to higher-tier ecological endpoints, including in mixture with Cu, before the assessment factor of 2 is applied. We suggest that for prospective risk assessment, the bioavailability based PNEC (HC 5 /2) be used as a conservative screen, but for retrospective and site-specific risk assessment, the bioavailability based HC 5 is sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica is the property of Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Children’s play and exploration involves risk and a possibility for being injured. Early childhood and care institutions (ECECs) should provide children with physical challenges in a safe environment. Over the past years, the attention towards playground safety and injuries in ECECs has increased. Norwegian practitioners have a liberal approach to children’s risk taking in play, raising questions on injury prevalence in Norwegian ECECs. The aim for this study was to gain knowledge about the injury prevalence and characteristics of the injuries in Norwegian ECECs. Managers from 2105 institutions completed an electronic questionnaire retrospectively asking the managers to report injuries and accidents the past year. The results indicate that injuries are rare in Norwegian ECECs, and that most of the injuries are minor and do not require a follow-up from professional medical personnel. The moderate and severe injuries are very rare, and often mishaps. There are some indications that boys experience injuries more often than girls do. The main cause of moderate injuries is falling, both outdoors and indoors.

Copyright of Rivista Italiana di Educazione Familiare is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this commentary, we draw on examples from the thematic issue 'Longitudinal studies in ECEC-challenges of translating research results into policy actions' to discuss how research from longitudinal studies in ECEC can potentially inform policy making. Thereby, we point out the challenges in the relationship between research and policy and suggest three key factors that can promote the impact of meaningful research in policy decisions. The first factor comprises aligning research questions with policy priorities as well as research and policy making processes. In an attempt to systematise existing forms of research and policy interaction, we present ideal-typical models of collaboration and relate them to studies in this thematic issue. Second, we argue that research used in policy decisions should rely on sound methodology, including state of the art techniques of sampling as well as reliable and valid measures. While acknowledging that various research designs are required to get a bigger picture of the complexity of ECEC, we call attention to the particular potential of longitudinal studies to inform policy making. Third, we stress the importance of disseminating research results to different stakeholders and outline challenges of translating research findings into policy decisions. Finally, in the outlook, we discuss how collaboration between ECEC research and policy making can be increased and which barriers need to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses gender issues in the practice of ECEC through research with children. The research examines children's perspectives of kindergarten practice, acknowledging the importance of the child's perspective in critical investigations of this nature. In total, fifty children from thirty kindergartens across Serbia participated in the research involving the Mosaic method. Qualitative analysis through three iterative phases helped identify emergent themes. The themes were not imposed by the researchers but emerged from the children's narratives generated around photographs and drawings they had produced, map-making and kindergarten tours. One of the emergent themes captured in the children's narratives related to gender issues and helped us map the three pathways of data synthesis: gender segregation and stereotyping, gender discrimination, and close friendships. The examples of children narratives indicate that no particular gender discourse informed the teachers' practices nor did they critically re-examine gender issues. This consequently led to the perpetuation of gender segregation and stereotyping, as well as gender discrimination against boys and girls. Thus, we argue that ECEC practices should be further re-examined to with a view to improving gender equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]