To react and solve the conflict between children or to let them face the problem on their own? Where is the line between promoting children’s autonomy and maintaining order and harmony in the group? Joanna, an ECE professional from a public crèche in Łódź, Poland, shares her experiences and reflection on this dilemma. After the…

Toddlers are experimenting with clay and water. Katie is building complicated waterways using plastic blocks. Her younger friend Anna looks at it in silence. ‘What are you doing, Katie?’ – the teacher asks. ‘The water is flowing fast!’ Placing her hand in the water, the teacher smiles and comments: ‘Yes! That’s right, the water is…

This blog post was contributed by Katarzyna Gajek, PhD, (University of Lodz, Poland) ECEC professionals’ understanding of the child’s socio-cultural background and the role of mother in the family may be an important pillar for building trustful relationships between practitioners and parents. This post refers to the role of mother as perceived by Polish contemporary…

In Poland there are no specific legal regulations defining what constitutes high quality ECEC provision for children up to the age of three (the discourse refers mainly to the formal and technical conditions of the services). Therefore there have been several bottom-up initiatives undertaken across the country in order to elaborate guidelines for professionals working…

During the first year of a child’s life, it builds a primary bond with the closest family members (usually mother and father). Relationship with a close adult gives children a sense of security, enables them to engage in new tasks and undertake risks. This means that in order for a child to be able to…

This blog post was contributed by Olga Wysłowska (University of Warsaw). Up-to-date research provides solid evidence on the positive relation between high quality ECEC provision and development and educational outcomes of children (especially from disadvantaged families) [1]. Hence, one may claim that the main goal of practitioners should be to facilitate high quality day-to-day experiences…

This blog post was contributed by Olga Wysłowska (University of Warsaw). Within the last decade educare services for children between zero to three years of age, became an increasingly popular topic of educational research across the world. Nonetheless, the role of this sector in different countries before the era of scientific exploration and cosmopolitan ECEC…

This blog post was contributed by Olga Wysłowska (University of Warsaw). In a group of two-year-olds, children paint with small sponges. A teacher sitting at one of the tables with three children encourages them (or that is what she intends to do) saying: Great! Bravo! Beautiful! Meanwhile I am wondering: What’s great? Who and what’s…

Kasia doesn’t want to sit down at the table at lunchtime. First, she screams loudly: No, no! She moves away from the group. The caregiver tries to encourage her to come back. Kasia screams louder and louder, finally pushes the chair and throws herself on the floor, kicks, and swings her arms… When the caregiver…

Sophie does not want to put on her jacket and shoes to go out to the playground. She is walking around the cloakroom complaining. The teacher tries to talk to Sophie, but it only makes the girl angry. She is unhappy and nervous. It is not the first time this has happened. When Sophie’s dad…