Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the impediments of the ECD programme with the intention to develop an integrated strategy. The study was qualitative. The study used applied research. Within the context of applied research, exploratory-descriptive a" multiple-case study research design was utilized to accomplish the goal of the study." In this study, the researcher" utilized two sets of the population to participate in the study. The study used "non-probability sampling and, specifically, purposive sampling. The criteria to select the participants were used. The participants included in the study were, Early "Childhood development Practitioners and social workers coordinating the ECD programme in Vhembe District Municipality. The focus group interviews and one-to-one individual interviews (structured one-toone interview) was used to collect data from the participants. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study findings revealed that ECD centres have different types of impediments that affect the smooth-running of the ECD programme. The following are issues that impede the proper implementation of the ECD programme in Vhembe District Municipalities: infrastructure (e.g. no running water, no electricity and no proper building), poor financial support from the government, lack of resources within the centre, lack of community support and inadequate financial support by local businesses. The findings reveal that other ECD centres were established without basic training by the government. The study found that ECD centres admit children that exceed the expected number. Secondly, the ECD practitioner-child ratio was not considered. The study revealed that ECD practitioners from all municipalities showed different perceptions and attitudes towards services that are rendered, which is also based on the treatment that they get from social workers and the poor support received from the parents of the children. The study also found that ECD centres are being monitored by three different offices, the district office; NPO, and the local social worker. An ECD integrated strategy was developed to address the impediments that impact the proper implementation of the ECD programme. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS)

One of the biggest challenges in early childhood development (ECD) centres in rural districts is that teachers are not trained adequately and therefore they cannot create learning environments in which young children can develop to their optimal potential. In many cases a large group of children is placed in a classroom and no stimulation is given to them, because the ECD practitioner does not have the knowledge or skills to use what is available in the classroom to stimulate the children and facilitate learning. These teachers are desperately in need of guidance to plan age appropriate and suitable activities that will benefit the overall development of learners and prepare them to be ready for school. By promoting service learning at ECD centres, especially in rural districts, both the in-service and pre-service teachers will benefit from the teaching experience taking place. Since 1994 a great deal of attention has been drawn to the importance of early childhood development and the important role pre-primary education plays in the development of young learners. Early childhood development has the potential to play a crucial role in the socioeconomic transformation of South Africa. By improving the social and economic transformation of the country, more people will be educated, leading to fewer problems with aspects like school readiness and school dropout. Against this background the study will explore service learning as a way of promoting quality learning environments in Early Childhood Centres in rural districts. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

One of the biggest challenges in early childhood development (ECD) centres in rural districts is that teachers are not trained adequately and therefore they cannot create learning environments in which young children can develop to their optimal potential. In many cases a large group of children is placed in a classroom and no stimulation is given to them, because the ECD practitioner does not have the knowledge or skills to use what is available in the classroom to stimulate the children and facilitate learning. These teachers are desperately in need of guidance to plan age appropriate and suitable activities that will benefit the overall development of learners and prepare them to be ready for school. By promoting service learning at ECD centres, especially in rural districts, both the in-service and pre-service teachers will benefit from the teaching experience taking place. Since 1994 a great deal of attention has been drawn to the importance of early childhood development and the important role pre-primary education plays in the development of young learners. Early childhood development has the potential to play a crucial role in the socioeconomic transformation of South Africa. By improving the social and economic transformation of the country, more people will be educated, leading to fewer problems with aspects like school readiness and school dropout. Against this background the study will explore service learning as a way of promoting quality learning environments in Early Childhood Centres in rural districts. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

ABSTRACT Background: Bolivia has a high child mortality rate and many children´s living conditions are inadequate. In order to reach the Millennium Development Goals non-governmental organizations play an important role when the governmental efforts are insufficient. ChildFund Bolivia works with the Early Childhood Development [ECD] program in order to reinforce the development, growth and health for children under the age of eight. Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate factors that affect the care given by health workers working with the ECD-program in the urban area of La Paz, Bolivia. Method: An empirical study with qualitative method was performed, using participant observations with an ethnographic approach. The data was analyzed through inductive content analysis where different themes were developed. Results: The results are presented in five themes, Creativity, Different needs, Environment, Continuity and Love and passion. All five themes showed sign of significant health promotion strategies that conform to Nola Pender´s Health Promotion Model. Conclusion: This study illuminates how ChildFund’s health workers in La Paz care for children through the globally used ECD-Program. This contributes to the shared global objective to reach the Millennium Development goals by enhancing children´s opportunity to grow and develop.  Health workers cared for the children with multiple strategies within the common method of the ECD-program. Implications for clinical practice: The outcome of this study might give people better knowledge about similarities and areas of diversity in pediatric nursing care worldwide, hence enjoy better knowledge in global nursing. / SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Barnadödligheten i Bolivia är hög och många barns levnadsförhållanden är otillfredsställande.  För att nå Millenium målen spelar icke-statliga organisationer en viktig roll då de statliga insatserna är otillräckliga. ChildFund Bolivia arbetar med Early Childhood Development-programmet för att införliva utveckling, tillväxt och hälsa för barn under åtta års ålders. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa faktorer som påverkar hälsoarbetares omvårdnad då de arbetar med ECD-programmet i det urbana La Paz, Bolivia. Metod: En empirisk studie med kvalitativ metod har gjorts, baserad på deltagande observationer med en etnografisk ansats. Informationen analyserades med en induktiv innehållsanalys där olika teman arbetades fram. Resultat: Resultatet presenteras i fem teman: Kreativitet, Olika Behov, Miljö, Kontinuitet och Passion och Kärlek. Samtliga fem teman visade prov på betydande hälsofrämjande strategier som överensstämmer med Nola Penders hälsofrämjande model. Slutsats: Den här studien belyser hur hälsoarbetare hos ChildFund i La Paz ger omvårdnad till barn genom det globalt använda ECD-programmet. Detta bidrar till det gemensamma globala målet att nå Millenniemålen genom att förbättra barns möjlighet att växa och utvecklas. Hälsoarbetare använde ett flertal olika strategier för att ge barnen omvårdnad, samtliga giltiga för ECD-programmets metod. Klinisk betydelse: Studiens resultat skulle kunna ge sjuksköterskor bättre kunskap om likheter och olikheter inom pediatrisk omvårdnad världen över, och därmed även ökad kunskap om global omvårdnad.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The present study is about stakeholder participation in Early Childhood Development in Polokwane Circuit, Limpopo Province. The main aim of the study was to investigate poor stakeholder participation in ECD programme. The objectives were to evaluate the extent of stakeholders participation in ECD programmers, to assess the attitude of stakeholders towards ECD programmes, and to determine the impact of lack of resources on ECD projects and to suggest probable solutions to problems facing ECD programmes. Structured interview questionnaires and literature were used to collect data. The study concluded that some stakeholders namely parents and educators fully participate in ECD programmes while officials in the Department of Education are not fully participative.

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In current literature of child public health, a growing number of studies has been dedicated to early childhood development with a focus on child developmental health measured via the teacher completed Early Development Instrument (EDI). Using multilevel modeling as the optimal statistical method to analyze hierarchical EDI data, this study determines the strength of the effect and significance of predictors of children’s 5 EDI outcomes, vulnerability, and the multiple vulnerability by taking into account the hierarchy present in its design. In addition, this study conducts an extensive epidemiological review of the risk factors associated with a child’s developmental health at each level of the hierarchy, at cross-levels of the hierarchy and their variations across different levels of the hierarchy. This cross-sectional study considered 9045 Saskatchewan children who were ages 4-8 years in the 2008-2009 school years. Individual child characteristics, EDI domains, and vulnerability data were collected by the Ministry of Education teachers in the provincial 2008 EDI project; neighborhood contextual Census data were compiled by SPHERU staff at the University of Saskatchewan. Multilevel linear and logistic models were used to analyze the data. According to the results, individual characteristics, such as being Aboriginal, an ESL learner, male, and being absent from school; neighborhood characteristics such as income inequality; and geographical characteristics such as living in a large city have negative effects on EDI scores and exacerbating the odds of vulnerability. Compounding effects of Aboriginal-special skills, large city-Aboriginal, and large city-neighborhood median income were positive on the above outcomes with considerable either significance or strength, while those of neighborhood income inequality-Aboriginal, and large city-neighborhood income inequality were negative with notable significance and strength. Furthermore, neighborhood contextual variables contribute to a considerable proportion of health outcome variations and the results associated with neighborhood income inequality give further evidence of the income inequality hypothesis. The findings of this study recommend provincial child public health policy makers’ extended attention to Aboriginal children, children with ESL status, those children living in neighborhoods with high income inequality and children from Regina.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning / Hyung Jin Kim / Nature-based play is gaining attention in early childhood education because of the social, physical, and cognitive benefits from interacting with nature at a young age (International Play Association 2014). Some studies provide strong evidence to suggest that nature-based unstructured play can have a positive benefit on early childhood development and improve the socialization, problem solving, confidence, creativity, autonomy, and self-awareness in children as well as their physical health (Fjortoft 2004, Louv 2005). The purpose of this study is to identify differences in play behavior among preschoolers that may influence early childhood development between standard or traditional playgrounds and playgrounds designed with interaction with nature, or access to nature, and, thus, to suggest design solutions for play environment, which responds to the issues this research identifies. This is a comparative observational study on play behavior between two study settings, including nature-based and standard/traditional-play environments with nature-access . Comparative observations were conducted at the Center for Child Development (nature-based) and Hoeflin Stone House Early Childhood Center (standard) at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Preschoolers’ play behaviors and behavior-environment interactions in both settings were compared using behavioral mapping and time-lapse observation (20 minutes per subject) techniques in which their location, activities, and interactions were recorded. Findings suggest that children in nature-based playgrounds are more likely to be physically active and creative with their play. Also, movable and manipulative play elements (“loose parts”) allow children to engage in more social activities than standard anchored playground element vs. standard playgrounds, however, allow children to explore games with rules and provide valuable development for motor and social skills. Therefore, this study suggests a design approach that is a hybrid between designed nature and standard play in a way that utilizes the positive aspects of both types of play. These findings will lead to a call for research and design into the direction of creating outdoor play environments that infuse standard play structures with natural environments.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Early childhood development has been recognised to be the most important contributor to long-term social and emotional development. Whatever occurs in a child‘s life in the early years may be an indicator of the child‘s developmental trajectory and life-course. Therefore positive parenting is paramount to foster quality parent-child interaction. However, previous research shows that for parents to adopt a positive parenting style, some degree of parental knowledge is required. The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between knowledge of child development and parenting styles in low and high socio-economic groups of parents in early childhood development centres. The study used a mixed methods approach with a two-phased sequential exploratory design. A systematic review was conducted in phase 1 followed by a quantitative study for phase 2. The sample consisted of N = 140 parents with children between 2-5 years old from low and high socio-economic groups. The participants completed the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI-P) and Parenting Styles Dimension Questionnaire (PSDQ). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. Findings of the study show that the authoritative parenting style is the prevalent parenting style in both low and high socio-economic groups. Furthermore the results indicate that parents are fairly knowledgeable across all subscales for both the low and high socio-economic group with a significant difference in degree of knowledge with the high socio-economic group being more knowledgeable than the low socio-economic group. The findings also show that there in no correlation between knowledge of child development and authoritative parenting styles. However correlations do exist between the other variables.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Schools, world-wide, have been regarded as important settings for health promotion and health education. Research indicate that schools constitute a crucial setting for programmes that aim at promoting the health of children, young adults, their families and their community, and could make a positive contribution to the overall health of the society. The psychosocial theory of human development proposes to understand and describe the importance of psychosocial health and well-being of children, in their different stages of development, across the life span, as well as how the different environments of the child's rearing could either add, or hinder, optimal development. Healthy Early Childhood Development, which includes physical, social-emotional, as well as linguistic/cognitive development, is fundamental to success and happiness, not only during childhood, but throughout the course of life. This study, therefore, aimed to design a School Health Index Score Card that assesses psychosocial health and well-being in Early Childhood Development at primary schools in the rural Western Cape. The School Well-Being Model serves as a conceptual framework for this study and is based on Allardt's Sociological Welfare Theory,which assesses well-being as an entity in a school setting. This model takes into account the impact of family, social relationships, personal self-fulfilment and health aspects of children. This study used a mixed methodological sequential explanatory design that consisted of two distinct phases (with 2 stages in each phase) within a participatory action research framework. A needs assessment and a systematic review was conducted in phase 1 followed by phase 2, action planning-design of a school health index score card and a Delphi technique study. Quantitative, numeric, data were collected and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences V23 (SPSS) for descriptive and inferential statistics first, while the qualitative data were collected and analysed secondly in sequence for this design. The qualitative process helped to explain, or elaborate, on the quantitative results obtained from the respondents by means of a self-administered questionnaire that consisted of three sections; demographical information and the adaptation of the (i) Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and (ii) Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The data were collected from teachers, principals, community leaders, parents/primary caregivers, members of school governing bodies, school nurses, social workers, health promotion officers, experts in early childhood development and school psychologists of learners in Grade R to Grade 3 at three primary schools in the rural Western Cape, South Africa. The systematic review of previous studies revealed that, (i) instruments are often designed to identify physical ailments, the individual’s ability to adjust to particular situations, psychiatric diagnosis, educational and intellectual abilities, as well as the personal characteristics of children over their entire lifespan, (ii) that promotion of psychosocial health and well-being challenges in early development does promote positive child development outcomes in later life, and (iii) the use of a valid and reliable instrument to assess psychosocial health and well-being in schools could have a number of advantages for children, their families, teachers and the community. The findings of the current study also indicated that, (i) parents/primary perceived their children to be experiencing challenges in school functioning, social functioning and physical functioning continually and, (ii) teachers perceived the learners to be experiencing social behavioural, hyperactive and behavioural challenges continually at school. Schools play an integral part in the lives of children and their families, by supporting children to form social and emotional relationships at school. Overall, this current study suggested that the School Health Index Score Card was considered to be user friendly, as well as a useful tool to assess the psychosocial health and well-being challenges of learners at primary schools in a South African context. / National Research Foundation (NRF) / 2020-04-30