The corporeal turn in developmental psychology has rekindled interest regarding how early motor development contributes to and enhances cognitive development across the first years of life. By highlighting embodied perceptual-motor engagement with the world, embodied cognitive learning emphasizes the importance of experience and perceptual-motor mechanisms in modulating the development of person-environment systems. The field currently calls for research that combines such conceptual frameworks with the complex everyday material and sociocultural landscapes that resource infants\' developmental trajectories. We, therefore, aim to connect the conceptual refinement of bodily-anchored exploration to the contextual reality of everyday settings of early childhood education (ECE)-here situated in the Brazilian context-as relevant social and cultural suppliers and modulators of the developmental trajectories of babies. Secondarily, we ponder on the premises of national pedagogical curricula and their role in mediating the quality of experiences and systems of person-environment relations more closely. Cultural-historical psychology, in dialogue with the principles of Ecological Psychology, constitutes the theoretical framework that underpins the microgenetic analyses conducted. By analyzing episodes of exploratory actions of a focal baby situated in the ECE context, we seek to apprehend motor-perceptual indicators of embodied cognitive processing by considering the modes of appropriation entailed in episodes of embodied exploration. We reflect on pedagogical implications considering official national documents of early childhood education. This work contributes by providing complementary insights into the nature of infants\' everyday sociocultural embodied experiences and their development in pedagogically oriented settings.

This study builds on the increasing evidence that the multimodal nature of adult-child interactions and the use of objects play an important role in early linguistic development. Most of these studies analyzed dyadic interactions at home, whereas few research has been conducted in early childhood education and care settings. In this paper, we characterized the multimodal nature of teachers\' communicative bids during classroom-based group interactions in nursery schools. Observational data of circle-time activities was collected from 16 Spanish nursery school classrooms, comprising 16 teachers and 161 children between two and three years of age. We analyzed teachers\' communicative bids (i.e., verbal utterances and verbal-gestural bids) considering the frequency of use of different types of gestures, to whom are they addressed (i.e., the whole group or a single child), the extent to which they involve the use of objects, the classroom layout, and the relationship between the communicative bids and the number of children that participated in each classroom. Teachers\' communication with toddlers is highly multimodal and rely on different types of gestures, although the use of objects in our sample was scarce. Descriptive analysis suggest that certain classroom layouts may favor teachers\' use of some types of gestures over others. In this article, we discuss the implications of both the use of objects and space for understanding how adults shape the linguistic contexts of young children, and the potential opportunities and limitations they pose for classroom interactions.

There is a strong, positive relationship between childhood literacy and physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Through primary care-based literacy interventions, pediatricians reach children and their families long before they enter traditional education venues. In so doing, pediatricians play a key role in children\'s school readiness and in turn health outcomes. The current state of childhood literacy in United States defines an increasingly urgent platform for the healthcare profession generally, and pediatricians specifically, to embrace. Through reviewing the existing literature on the impact of childhood literacy on physical, mental, and social-emotional health outcomes, we hope to highlight the need for increased collaboration between the education and medical fields to further promote the literacy interventions in pediatric healthcare settings.

Experiential education is an approach that promotes initiative and creativity in students. Many preschool education programs in countries around the world are applying this approach to educational innovation. However, teachers\' competencies and readiness to implement experiential education are irreplaceable in determining Mathematics activities\' frequency and effectiveness. This dataset surveyed 678 preschool teachers across five cities and provinces in Vietnam from 24 Sep 2023 to 22 Dec 2023. The survey sample was randomly selected, representing different regions of Vietnam. The dataset includes six main sections: (i) Demographics; (ii) Teachers\' know-how about Mathematics in early years and experiential education; (iii) Teachers\' competencies; (iv) Conditions to implement experiential education; (v) School policies; and (vi) Teachers\' readiness to implement experiential education. This dataset can be used by educational policy researchers and early childhood education researchers to study experiential educational practices in early childhood education in Southeast Asian countries or regions of Asia.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood educators play a critical role in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time in childcare centres. However, early childhood educators receive limited specialised pre- and in-service learning opportunities relating to these behaviours and may lack the capacity to effectively engage children in healthy movement behaviours. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of an e-Learning course on increasing early childhood educators\' physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related capacities.
METHODS: A two-group parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with early childhood educators in Canada (Mage = 41.78, 97% female). Participants randomized to the intervention group were asked to complete a physical activity and sedentary behaviour e-Learning course within a 4-week period. Participants randomized to the waitlist control condition were assigned to a waitlist to receive the intervention after the testing period. Participants reported on their self-efficacy, knowledge, intentions, and perceived behavioural control relating to physical activity and sedentary behaviours at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 months follow-up. Linear mixed effects models were estimated to determine difference in changes in outcomes from baseline to post-intervention, and follow-up.
RESULTS: A total of 209 early childhood educators participated in the study (intervention n = 98; control n = 111). The TEACH e-Learning course was found to be efficacious at improving all of the examined outcomes, with standardized effect sizes ranging from d = 0.58 to d = 0.65 for self-efficacy outcomes, d = 0.66 to d = 1.20 for knowledge outcomes, d = 0.50 to d = 0.65 for intention outcomes, and d = 0.33 to d = 0.69 for perceived behavioural control outcomes post-intervention. The intervention effects were sustained at follow-up for all outcomes apart from perceived behavioural control to limit screen time. Additionally, the magnitude of the effect for knowledge outcomes decreased at follow-up, with standardized effect sizes ranging from d = 0.49 to d = 0.67.
CONCLUSIONS: The e-Learning course was highly successful at improving early childhood educators\' capacity pertaining to physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Providing training content through e-Learning may be an efficacious approach to providing continual professional learning opportunities relating to physical activity and sedentary time to early childhood educators on a large scale.

Food-based learning (FBL) is the use of food as a teaching tool in the classroom, which can expose children to healthy foods to improve preference and consumption. However, more research is needed on the use and perception of FBL in the Head Start (HS) preschool classroom. In an online survey, we explored associations between North Carolina HS teachers\' (n = 168) experiences (e.g., resources, challenges, needs, and preferences) with FBL, how frequently teachers implemented it, and how much they prioritized it. We used frequencies and chi-square tests of independence to assess associations between study variables. Teachers reported using FBL regularly with access to FBL resources (e.g., books and center play materials) and experiencing challenges (e.g., lack of funding and material resources). Teachers partnered with parents and farmers markets and expressed a need for additional FBL professional development. Our needs assessment findings revealed specific resources, challenges, and perceptions significantly associated with how often teachers used FBL and their priority level. Additional research should investigate how to alleviate FBL challenges and strategies to create policy and environmental changes that facilitate early FBL.

UNASSIGNED: The immediate implementation of early childhood education (ECE) for children with disabilities in South Africa and Kenya has been impeded by obstacles. Major gaps in implementation remain. We investigate, firstly, the widely held, but in our view fallacious, belief that the implementation of inclusive ECE can be progressively realised only when there are available resources. Secondly, we examine the other fallacious belief that children with severe and profound intellectual disabilities are ineducable, and thirdly, the belief that the provision of inclusive ECE is merely a regulatory governmental function, implying that accessibility and reasonable accommodation requirements for children with disabilities do not rest primarily on the state.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to investigate the gaps in both countries between the policies and legislation and effective implementation, to show that these gaps are exacerbated by the perpetuation of these fallacious beliefs and by information vacuums at governmental level.
UNASSIGNED: A critical analysis of inclusive ECE was undertaken on relevant law and policy processes in both countries to expose both governments\' reasons for their lack of effective implementation of inclusive ECE.
UNASSIGNED: The factors contributing to the lack of immediate and significant implementation of inclusive ECE for children with disabilities in both countries have been investigated.
UNASSIGNED: Accountability and transparency need to be implemented at the governance level to ensure that both governments fully implement and prioritise inclusive ECE.
UNASSIGNED: This article establishes that mistaken premises and information vacuums may be used by governments in an attempt to renege on their international and constitutional obligations to implement inclusive ECE.

Experiences in early childhood form the bedrock of future human potential. In impoverished settings, structured early childhood education (ECE) in preschool years can augment overall childhood and later human abilities. The current study evaluates preschool learning exposure and childhood cognition, using longitudinal follow-up of a community-based birth cohort in Vellore, south India. The birth cohort study site in Vellore recruited 251 newborns between 2010 and 2012 from dense urban settlements and further followed up into childhood. Preschool enrolment details were obtained from parents. Childhood cognition was assessed by Weschler\'s preschool primary scale of intelligence (WPPSI) and Malin\'s intelligence scale for Indian Children (MISIC) at 5 and 9 years of age respectively. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed with adjustments for socio-economic status (SES), maternal education, stunting status and home environment. Out of 251 new-borns recruited into the MAL-ED birth cohort, 212 (84.46%) and 205 (81.7%) children were available for the 5 year and 9 year follow-up respectively. At 5 years, structured ECE of 18 to 24 months duration was significantly associated with higher cognition scores, with the highest increase in processing speed [β: 19.55 (11.26-27.77)], followed by full-scale intelligence [β: 6.75 (2.96-10.550)], even after adjustments for SES, maternal cognition, home factors and early childhood stunting status. Similarly adjusted analysis at 9 years showed that children who attended 1.5-2 years of structured ECE persisted to have higher cognition, especially in the performance domain [β: 8.82 (2.60-15.03)], followed by the full-scale intelligence [β: 7.24 (2.52-11.90)]. Follow-up of an Indian birth cohort showed that structured ECE exposure was associated with better school entry cognition as well as mid-childhood cognition. Strengthening ECE through a multi-pronged approach could facilitate to maximize cognitive potential of human capital.

A plethora of programming platforms purports to teach preschool-aged children computational thinking (CT) and coding skills. However, the empirical evidence to support their effectiveness is still in its early stages. A three-week didactic intervention using ScratchJr was conducted to investigate its effectiveness in fostering CT and rudimentary coding skills in a cohort of preschool children (N = 34, aged 4-6 years). While the initial performance mean of the control group (M = 7.07, SD = 2.58) exhibits a statistically significant elevation t (22.64 = 2.23, p = 0.036) vis-à-vis the experimental group (M = 5.35, SD = 1.58), t (22.64) = 2.23, p = 0.0 the terminal performance means of both groups converge closely. However, meticulous data analysis unveils a statistically notable enhancement among preschool participants exposed to the educational intervention involving ScratchJr. Notably, both instructional modalities appear commensurate in nurturing elementary computational tenets, namely modularity and control structures. The experimental cohort outperforms the control group with statistical significance in comprehending potent ideational constructs encompassing representation, algorithms, and hardware/software interplay. Conversely, the control group performs better in grasping the debugging concept than their experimental counterparts. The outcomes lend substantive credence to the efficacy of the distinct programming milieu offered by ScratchJr, underscoring its effectiveness in cultivating CT and coding proficiencies within the preschool demographic.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the comprehensiveness (scope of nutrition guidance) and strength (clarity of written language) of centre-based nutrition policies (CBNP) within early childhood education (ECE) centres. To also consider the applicability of an existing CBNP assessment tool and policy alignment with best practice food provision and feeding practices.
METHODS: Cross-sectional online study to assess written ECE CNBP using the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool.
METHODS: Licenced ECE centres in the state of Victoria, Australia.
METHODS: ECE centres (operating at least 8 h per d, 48 weeks per annum), stratified by location (rural and metropolitan), centre management type (profit and not-for-profit) and socio-economic area (low, middle, high).
RESULTS: Included individual CBNP (n 118), predominantly from metropolitan centres (56 %) and low-medium socio-economic areas (78 %). Policies had low overall Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool scores, particularly strength scores which were low across all four domains (i.e. nutrition education, nutrition standards, health promotion and communication/evaluation). The nutrition standards domain had the lowest strength score. The communication/evaluation domain had the lowest comprehensiveness score. Content analysis indicated low scores may relate to the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool applicability for the Australian context due to differences in best practice guidance.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the presence of written nutrition policies in ECE centres, many showed weak language and lacked comprehensiveness and strength. This may relate to poor implementation of best practice food provision or feeding practices. Low scores, however, may partly stem from using an assessment tool that is not country-specific. The redevelopment of country-specific tools to assess ECE CNBP may be warranted.