Skip to main content

Increasing the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care Through Organizational Development and Professional Learning

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care through Leadership and Organizational Learning

Abstract

High-quality early childhood education and care environments are particularly important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Indeed, high-quality environments in terms of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provide children with greater opportunities for development, which is fundamental to fostering equal opportunities. Providing high-quality ECEC where it matters the most is, therefore, a key issue for both policymakers and practitioners. This chapter explores two cases concerning the development of high-quality ECEC in areas with high numbers of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. To determine how the organization of the two cases influenced the quality of the ECEC provided, the chapter examines why projects with the same goals (i.e. to provide children with better opportunities) can have different outcomes based on the utilised organizational development and professional learning processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bradbury, H. (2015). Introduction: How to situate and define action research. In H. Bradbury (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of action research (3rd ed., pp. 1–12). SAGE Publications Ltd.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Burger, K. (2010). How does early childhood care and education affect cognitive development? An international review of the effects of early interventions for children from different social backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 140–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. D.C. Heath and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J., & Bentley, A. F. (1949). Knowing and the known. In J. A. Boydston (Ed.), John Dewey, The Later Works, 1925–1953. Vol. 16 1949–1952 (pp. 1–289). Southern Illinois University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietrichson, J., Ringsmose, C., Christoffersen, M. N., & Svinth, L. (2021). Participatory professional development and preschool quality: Evidence from a mixed-methods study. Nordic Studies in Education, 41(2), 80–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, J. (2006). Skill formation and the economics of investing in disadvantaged children. Science, 312, 1900–1902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, J. B., Frimann, S., & Sunesen, M. S. K. (2020). Aktionsforskning i et læringsperspektiv [Action research from a learning perspective]. Hans Reitzels Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazzari, A., & Vandenbroeck, M. (2013). The impact of early childhood education and care on cognitive and non-cognitive development. Transatlantic Forum on Inclusive Early Years. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2645.6004

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Minervino, J. (2014). Lessons from research and the classroom: Implementing high-quality pre-k makes a difference for young children. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/lessons%20from%20research%20and%20the%20Classroom_September%202014.pdf.

  • Ministry for Social Affairs. (2016). Børns Tidlige Udvikling og Læring. Forskningsrapport. https://www.videnomlaesning.dk/media/2025/forskningsrapport_boerns-tidlige-trivsel-udvikling-og-laering.pdf

  • Nielsen, H., Jensen, P., Bleses, D., Ostersen, J., Dybdal, L., & Breining, S. (2017). Forskningsbaseret evalueringsrapport om fremtidens dagtilbud: Undersøgelse af indsatsens implementering og effecter [Research-based evaluation report on the future of day-care services: An examination of the implementation and effects of the effort]. Børne- og Socialministeriet. https://dk.ramboll.com/-/media/files/rm/rapporter/forskningsbaseret-evalueringsrapport_-fremtidens-dagtilbud.pdf?la=da

  • Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2006). Starting strong: Curricula and pedagogies in early childhood education and care. Five curriculum outlines. OECD. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/36/31672150.pdf

  • Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2018). Engaging young children: Lessons from research about quality in early childhood education and care. OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). Review education policies: Equality. OECD Education GPS: The World of Education at Your Fingertips. https://gpseducation.oecd.org/revieweducationpolicies/#!node=41746&filter=all

  • Ringsmose, C., & Breinholt, A. (2022). Udvikling af Virkningsfuldt Pædagogisk Arbejde [Development of effective pedagogical work]. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift/Dansk Psykologisk Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringsmose, C., & Kragh-Müller, G. (2020). KIDS 2.udg. – Kvalitet i Daginstitutioner. Dansk Psykologisk Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringsmose, C., & Svinth, L. (2019). Virkningsfuldt pædagogisk arbejde i dagtilbud [Effective pedagogical work in day care]. Danmarks Pædagogiske Universitetsforlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siuraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2004). The Effective Provision of Pre-School education (EPPE) Project. Final Report. November, Great Britain. Department for Education and Skills.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., & Siraj, I. (2015). Effective pre-school, primary and secondary education project (EPPSE 3–16+). UCL Institute of Education, University College London, Birkbeck, University of London, University of Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2017). For every child, early moments matter. Early childhood development Programme. https://www.unicef.org/media/files/UNICEF_Early_Moments_Matter_for_Every_Child_report.pdf

  • United Nations. (2015). Take action for the sustainable development goals. UN Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

  • Vandenbroeck, M., Lenaerts, K., & Beblavý, M. (2018). Benefits of early childhood education and care and the conditions for obtaining them. EENEE Analytical Report No. 32. European Commission. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/14194adc-fc04-11e7-b8f5-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anja Overgaard Thomassen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Thomassen, A.O., Ringsmose, C. (2023). Increasing the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care Through Organizational Development and Professional Learning. In: Hansen, L.S., Ringsmose, C. (eds) Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care through Leadership and Organizational Learning. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 41. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39419-5_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39419-5_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-39418-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-39419-5

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics