International Perspectives on Early Childhood Teacher Education in the 21st Century

This book provides significant information regarding the policies and provisions for early childhood teacher education programs in universities in fourteen different countries. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is expanding rapidly across the globe with unprecedented numbers of children attending EC centres, requiring the investment in educators to provide good quality ECEC. Yet, there is an inconsistent approach to early childhood teacher preparation and the quality of existing programs is not known.

Each country’s contributing author/s is/are well known in their field for their in-depth knowledge of early childhood teacher education programs including content, structure, and professional experience that works within the scope of policy and registration agencies. The chapters address the current situation of staffing—shortage or oversupply—of early childhood teachers in their country. The book informs policy regarding content of early childhood teacher preparation programs and provides evidence of current courses across many under-represented countries throughout the world. It makes a significant contribution to understanding the environment for early childhood teacher programs.

• contemporary perspectives for early childhood teacher education
• early childhood teacher education in contemporary times
• early childhood teacher education programs
• policy perspectives
• professional experience in early childhood
• quality outcomes for children
• early childhood workforce
• effective early childhood teachers
• policies and provisions for early childhood teacher education
• quality early childhood education
• attracting early childhood university trained teachers
• retaining early childhood university trained teachers

• Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia

  Wendy Boyd

• Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

  Susanne Garvis

Dr Wendy Boyd is Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education at Southern Cross University. Her research focuses on provision of quality early childhood programs to support the optimal development of all children. This includes parents’ perspectives on early childhood programs; the effectiveness and development of the early childhood workforce; and the provision of sustainable practices in early childhood education. 

Professor Susanne Garvis works in early childhood education and is the Chair of the Department of Education at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She has worked in Australia, Sweden, Finland and Norway as an academic. Her research interests are based within policy, quality and learning within early childhood education and care.

Policies and ethics