Variability in Educator Behaviors and the Experiences of Young Children in Childcare Center Classrooms

• In Event: Classroom Observation SIG Roundtable

Abstract

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) quality is generally assessed at the classroom level. We examined variability within classrooms in educator behaviors and in children’s experiences in terms of the quality of educator-child interactions. Data consist of snapshot observations of 810 children and 388 educators across 103 classrooms serving preschool-aged children from 64 centers in Toronto, Canada. We examined how levels of the ECEC systems (children, educators, classrooms and centers) contribute to different experiences children have in ECEC settings. Findings suggest that classroom-aggregated indicators of child-educator interactions might not be a valid way to represent quality in ECEC setting. This has important implications for research, policy and practice relating to ECEC quality.

Authors

• Samantha Caitlin Burns, University of Toronto

• Olesya Falenchuk, OISE/University of Toronto

• Michal Perlman, University of Toronto