This document summarizes research on early childhood education programs in the Netherlands. The research examined how programs were implemented, targeted high-risk young children, and aimed to prevent educational disadvantage. It found that while programs were well-intentioned, there was immense variation in implementation between municipalities. Targeting of groups was inconsistent and screening tools were unreliable. Programs lacked evidence that they were effective, and staff qualifications varied. More collaboration and alignment of programs is needed, as well as evidence-based tools and greater parental involvement to improve quality and outcomes.

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Dr. Geert Driessen
ITS, Radboud University Nijmegen
The Netherlands
g.driessen@its.ru.nl www.geertdriessen.nl
ECER, September 17 - 21, 2012, Cádiz, Spain
Early Childhood Education:
Starting Early to Prevent
Educational Disadvantage

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
ECE programs
Target group: young children at risk
Aim: prevent educational disadvantage
Contents: development, language
Methods

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Main research questions
How have ECE programs in the Netherlands been
implemented regarding:
• the definition of the target group
• recruitment children to participate in ECE
• types of programs and methods employed
• alignment of the pre- and early school phase
• qualifications staff
• parental participation
• collaboration, bottlenecks, improvement points
Methods

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Method
Quantitative and qualitative data from fifty municipalities:
• local policy plans, accountability reports, etc.
• in-depth interviews with policy officers of schools,
childcare centers, playgroups and municipalities
• evaluation reports drawn up by the Inspectorate of
Education (including information on individual childcare
centers, playgroups, schools)
• national ECE monitoring reports
• an email survey among municipalities

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
The organization of ECE in the NL
0 2,5 4 6
Ages
Kindergarten
Playgroups
Daycare
Early Childhood Education
School boards
Municipalities
Decentralization

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Main findings: Decentralization
Policy: autonomy and freedom
Partners mostly highly motivated
Immense variation in implementation of ECE;
differences between and within municipalities

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Main findings: Target groups / indicators
• Childcare centers, playgroup organizations:
- actual developmental delays
- psychosocial problems of child
- parental educational level
- parental immigrant status
- home language
- psychosocial problems of parents
- neighborhood status
• Schools:
- parental educational level
Screening instruments used not reliable and valid
No continuity

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
• early childhood health care centers
• information meetings childcare centers, playgroups,
schools
• home visits
• immigrant consultants, own language, own neighborhood
• immigrant organizations, mosques
Target group often immigrant background:
specific approach can help
Main findings: Recruitment parents and children

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
• early school phase:
many teachers attend ECE program-specific courses
• preschool phase:
many staff lack sufficient schooling re pedagogical and
didactical competencies and proficiency in the Dutch
language
Level preschool staff is a huge problem as the core of
ECE is language and development
Main findings: Staff

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Main findings: ECE programs
• home-based and center-based
• commercially developed, locally developed
• different methods / approaches and different
developmental domains addressed
• no program is ‘evidence-based’, has scientifically been
proved to be effective
No evidence that programs work
N

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Main findings: Parental participation
• leaves a lot to be desired
• municipal and institutional policies are lacking
• the parents’ and child’s intake process is unclear, no
protocol
• no active stimulating of the child at home

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Dr Geert Driessen: Early Childhood Education: Starting Early to Prevent Educational Disadvantage ECER 2012
Major implications
A lot of work has already been done, BUT:
• Much more collaboration and alignment is needed
• Stop re-inventing the wheel
• Develop / use evidence-based instruments and
programs
• Partly recentralization
• (Immigrant) Parents should be more and actively
involved
This would probably lead to more efficiency, better
quality and cost reduction