Environmental influences on children\u27s physical activity in early childhood education and care

Background: To examine the relationship between attributes of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings and children\u27s physical activity and sedentary behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 490 children aged 2-5 years from 11 ECECs. The ECEC routine, size of the outdoor environment, and time spent in the outdoor environment were calculated for each center. Children\u27s physical activity and sedentary time were measured using accelerometers. Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine associations of the attributes of ECEC centers with the outcome variables, adjusting for the effects of center clustering and gender. Results: Children in ECECs that offered free routines (where children can move freely between indoor and outdoor environments) had lower levels of sedentary time (28.27 min/h vs 33.15 min/h; P = .001) and spent more time in total physical activity (7.99 min/h vs 6.57 min/h; P = .008) and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (9.49 min/h vs 7.31 min/h; P = .008). Children in ECECs with an outdoor environment \u3e400 m2 had less sedentary time (28.94 min/h vs 32.42 min/h; P = .012) than those with areas children

A review of Australian Government funding of parenting intervention research

Objectives: Parenting is central to children's optimal development and accounts for a substantial proportion of the variance in child outcomes, including up to 40% of child mental health. Parenting is also one of the most modifiable, proximal, and direct factors for preventing and treating a range of children's problems and enhancing wellbeing. To determine the effectiveness of new approaches to parenting intervention, and to evaluate how to optimise reach and uptake, sufficient funding must be allocated for high quality research. Method: We reviewed funding awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) for parenting intervention research during 2011–2020. Results: Parenting intervention research received 0.25% of the NHMRC and ARC research budgets. Conclusions: There is a substantial mismatch between the funding of parenting intervention research and the impact of improved parenting on short‐ and long‐term child outcomes. To rectify this, it is critical that Australian Government funding schemes include parenting interventions as priority areas for funding. Implications for public health: Changes in allocation of funding to parenting research will support the establishment of evidence for the effective development, implementation and dissemination of parenting interventions to maximise health outcomes for children and their families

The Relationship between Educator Engagement & Interaction and Children’s Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education and Care Services

Background: High levels of physical activity (PA) and low levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) are important for children’s health and wellbeing. Many children attend early childhood education and care (ECEC), yet in these settings many children are not meeting recommended guidelines for PA and SB. ECEC settings are complex environments, with a number of potential factors influencing PA and SB of young children. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between selected ECEC-related factors and children’s PA and SB whilst in ECEC. Methods: A systematic review on the correlates of children\u27s PA and SB in ECEC was conducted. An observation study was then undertaken to examine the relationship between ECEC-related factors including routines, time spent in outdoor environments, size of outdoor environment, and educator behaviours and children’s PA and SB. Children and educators in ECEC were recruited from the Illawarra region of NSW, Australia in 2015. The observation study used Actigraph accelerometers to objectively measure PA and SB, the Classroom Assessment and Scoring System (CLASS) to measure the quality of educator and child interactions, and surveys to collect descriptive data and information about the experiences of educators. The ECEC routine and the time spent in outdoor environments was collected through observation of centre programs and direct observation each day. Data were analysed using linear regression models examining the association between children’s PA, SB and routine, time in outdoor environments, size of the outdoor environments and educator PA and SB

Educator perceptions of free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care

There is ongoing interest in free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care settings (ECEC), however little is known about educators’ perceptions of free-flowing routines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of educators regarding free-flowing routines. A focus group and five semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four main themes were identified: learning outcomes, learning opportunities, team characteristics, and pedagogy and practice. Free-flowing routines may offer additional affordances for children’s learning compared to structured routines, such as greater independence and agency for children, sustained time to engage in child-led learning, and deeper engagement in learning. Quality pedagogical practice was perceived as being highly important in free-flowing routines. It is recommended that ECEC settings implement an aspect of free-flowing routines for part, or all of the day, and be open to the learning opportunities that this may present for children. With further research, there is potential to better understand routines that best support children’s learning and development in ECEC, as well as opportunities to influence national and international policy and curricula

Quality Interactions in Early Childhood Education and Care Center Outdoor Environments

Quality interactions are crucial for children\u27s learning and development. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers have the opportunity to support children\u27s learning and development, yet the quality of interactions and influences on the quality of interactions in outdoor environments is not known. Research findings: this study assessed the quality of educator interactions in outdoor environments using the CLASS Pre-K assessment tool. 11 ECEC centres participated in the study, which included 110 educators and 490 children. 87 observations were collected to measure the CLASS Pre-K domains (1-lowest to 7-highest). Mean domain scores were 6.02 (emotional support), 5.23 (Classroom Organization) and 4.46 (Instructional Support). Regression analyses show free routines had significant relationships with Teacher Sensitivity (p = 0.03) and Instructional Learning Formats (p = 0.03), and increased amounts of time spent outside had the most significant relationships with Teacher Sensitivity (p = 0.001) and Behavior Management (p = 0.001). Practice or Policy: The major recommendations that would serve to improve the quality of interactions in outdoor environments include providing a free routine and increasing the amount of time spent in outdoor environments. As these recommendations are modifiable practices, they are potentially the easiest to alter and therefore, with minimal change, could enhance the quality of interactions between educators and children