Developmental and educational goals of early childhood education and care – perspective of Warsaw caregivers

Olga Wysłowska

doi:10.18778/2450-4491.05.07

Authors

Olga Wysłowska Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9597-6230

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2450-4491.05.07

Keywords:

early childhood education and care, beliefs, educational and developmental goals, caregiver

Abstract

The following inquiry aims at exploring the beliefs of caregivers from the Public Crèche Network in Warsaw, the biggest network of this type in Poland, on the importance of fostering different developmental and educational goals in the youngest children. The participating caregivers (N = 449) completed a structured, Internet-based questionnaire on the significance of supporting the development of social, cognitive, physical, emotional and personal goals of 0–3-year-olds in early childhood settings. Also, information on practitioners’ educational background and work experience was collected to investigate whether their beliefs differed depending on these background characteristics. The results revealed no associations between the caregivers’ beliefs and their formal pre-service training (higher education diploma vs none or vocational training) or their work experience (5 years or less experience of work in early childhood settings vs over 5 years of work in the ECEC sector). The findings of the study are discussed with regard to the Polish legal context and potential practical implications.

Author Biography

Olga Wysłowska, Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw

M.A., is a Ph.D. candidate and holds a Junior Researcher position at the Department of Education Policy and Social Research on Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw. Currently she is involved in two international research projects: Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequali- ties in Europe (ISOTIS) – a collaborative project funded by the European Union within the Horizon 2020 program; How and under what conditions does quality in early education and care matter? (QualityMatters; project reference PTDC/MHCCED/5913/2014) – a study across 4 European countries. She is a former ECEC teacher and teacher educator, an author of several publications for teachers-to-be and ECEC professionals.

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