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Can Home-Based Care Offer High Quality Early Childhood Education?

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Abstract

The nature of quality within home-based early childhood education (HBECE) services is important, since all children have the right to access high quality ECE whether it is centre or home-based. HBECE services are increasing more rapidly than other EC services in New Zealand, and their flexible hours, local contexts, and favourable ratios and group size, are attractive to many parents. Yet recently the Early Childhood Taskforce was critical of the quality of education and care provided in HBECE, especially the lack of educator training. Research suggests that the following are critical components of quality in HBECE: educators’ general education, specialized EC training (especially recent), professional development opportunities, supervision by visiting teachers, networking opportunities and professional attitudes and practices. HBECE services can be of high quality, provided that there are opportunities and incentives for educator training and networking, and visiting teachers have frequent contact with educators, offering support and monitoring.

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Notes

  1. While I was a member of that taskforce, I did not necessarily agree with all of its recommendations.

  2. Observational record of the caregiving environment.

  3. Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment.

  4. Family Day Care Rating scale.

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  1. University of Otago College of Education, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Anne B. Smith

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  1. Anne B. Smith
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Correspondence to Anne B. Smith.

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Smith, A.B. Can Home-Based Care Offer High Quality Early Childhood Education?. NZ J Educ Stud 50, 71–85 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-015-0009-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-015-0009-9

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