Early childhood education and care programmes provide opportunities to enhance children’s learning and development, especially when high-quality learning experiences and educator-child interactions are embedded within them. However, the quality of early childhood education programmes varies greatly. Quality in early childhood education and care is conceptualised in three domains: structural, process and system. Understanding how to drive quality improvements in early childhood education and care relies on clear, consistent evidence concerning each of these domains, however, the current literature is not comprehensive. This scoping review maps the extent and consistency of the research literature in each domain of quality to identify knowledge gaps and inform future research. Through a search of the peer-reviewed literature, 85 meta-analyses and systematic reviews meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. We found a wide variation in the number of included studies in each domain and sub-domain of quality. We found the greatest number of meta-analyses and systematic reviews related to programmes, interventions, and curricula (process quality) and professional development and support (structural quality). The literature included in this scoping review is heterogeneous and of varying methodological quality, with inconsistent or contradictory findings. The research is most consistent in relation to pedagogy, professional development and support, and programmes, interventions, and curricula (process quality) and learning environments (structural quality). Interactions between the different domains of quality are complex and future research should focus on the associations between different features of quality in early childhood education programmes and practices that are critical to implementing successful continuous improvement initiatives.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) as an essential service for families and the economy. However, it also exacerbated persisting challenges for the sector which impact educator well-being. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that investigated Australian early childhood educators’ perspectives about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges and supports for educator well-being. A sample of 214 ECEC professionals responded to an online survey and 15 educators participated in subsequent focus groups. Five themes were identified in the data from open-ended survey questions and the focus groups: (1) threats to physical, emotional and financial health; (2) self-care and access to well-being resources; (3) connection with children and families; (4) a supportive professional community; and (5) acknowledging the value of early childhood education. These themes are elucidated using the ‘voices’ of educators, providing insights into how educator well-being can be supported during and beyond the pandemic.

The years from birth to five are critical for building the emergent literacy skills that precede learning to read and write. Early childhood education and care services are in a unique position to support emergent literacy development, particularly for children in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. This article reports the findings of a small cluster randomised controlled trial of the Let’s Read professional development program involving 12 centres and 223 educators in Australia. Through eLearning and on-site coaching, the program of relatively short duration and intensity supported educators of children from birth to school age. While the small sample size means the results must be interpreted with caution, the findings were promising. Despite variation in the fidelity of implementation, educators and centres in the intervention group showed more positive scores after participating in Let’s Read than those who did not across all areas of educator practice and classroom quality. Changes were most encouraging for educators of infants and toddlers. These results suggest there is measurable value in professional development involving coaching for improving emergent literacy-promoting practices of early childhood educators, including those working within disadvantaged communities. Concurrent fidelity and impact research should be undertaken with any wider implementation.