Quality of the ECEC Workforce in Romania: Empirical Evidence from Parents’ Experiences

• Published in: Education sciences Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 2 - 15
• Main Authors: Matei, Aniela, Ghenţa, Mihaela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-03-2018
• Subjects: Child Care; Child Development; Early Childhood Education; early childhood educators; Educational Change; Educational Policy; Educational Quality; educational skills; Foreign Countries; Health Services; Interviews; Labor Force; Mixed Methods Research; Parent Attitudes; Parents & parenting; Preschool Teachers; Questionnaires; Romania; social policies; Teacher Effectiveness; Workforce; Young Children; Romania
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci8010002

The quality of the early childhood workforce is central to service provision in this area, being a major factor in determining children’s development over the course of their lives. Specific skills and competencies are expected from early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Well-trained staff from ECEC settings are an extremely important factor in providing high-quality services which will positively influence the outcomes of children. The present paper analyses the quality of early childhood education and care workforce from the parents’ perspective in the context of Romania’s early childhood reform agenda. A critical review of the specific situation of the early childhood system in relation to the workforce from this sector is made in the first part of the paper in order to highlight the complexity of this issue. In the second part, the authors will present the results of empirical research developed in 2017 using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to assess the activity of early childhood education and care staff. The main challenges in this field as they emerge from research will be analyzed, the findings having implications for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of ECEC services.