Guest post by Cecilia Wong and Natasha Tania Stansilas Image by Google. (2026). Gemini (July 2026 version) Child-centred, participatory practice is now widely endorsed. Yet in real classrooms, participatory practice stays uneven, often squeezed out by institutional pressures and daily behaviour-management demands. Singapore preschools operate under stringent government guidelines and quality-assurance frameworks. Educators often face…
Guest post by Deniece Toh For many educators, supporting children with diverse learning needs is not a question of commitment but of capacity. Inclusive practice can easily become another expectation layered onto an already demanding role. Yet inclusion need not be experienced as additional workload. When it is intentionally embedded into curriculum design, responsive teaching…
Guest blog post by Nina Hogrebe and Solvei Wiederhold, TU Dortmund University, Germany Photo by Solvei Wiederhold “We’re being told: ‘Please work in a highly professional way.’ But in the end – to put it very bluntly – you still only get your babysitter pay.” This statement from a German home-based childcare provider captures a…
Guest post by Sharmin Heena Quality pre-primary education (PPE) is now seen as essential for children’s lifelong learning and well-being. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.2 highlights the importance of quality early childhood education for building literacy, numeracy, social-emotional skills, and school readiness. While many countries have expanded access to PPE, ensuring consistently high-quality learning environments…
Guest post by Mariana Estrela and Rita Rovisco Can babies participate democratically even before they acquire verbal language? Our research suggests they can. Through a series of arts education ateliers developed in a day-care centre, we explored how babies exercise agency, communicate through their bodies, and co-construct pedagogical experiences, challenging traditional understandings of participation in…
How social scaffolding and blended pedagogy are shaping quality early childhood education for the digital age. Guest post by Yasotha Veerappa Educators providing social scaffolding during an interactive, technology-aided language learning session with a diverse group of preschool children. Image created via Google AI Image Generation. The Evolving Landscape of Early Literacy As digital technologies…
Guest post by Debi Keyte-Hartland Over the past two decades, I have had the privilege of working alongside educators in nurseries, schools, and international settings as a pedagogical coach-mentor. Across these diverse contexts, I have noticed a recurring pattern. Meaningful pedagogical change rarely begins with a new framework, policy document, or instruction to do something…
Guest post by Alessandra Pimentel and Mônica Appezzato Pinazza The PALUDICON Research Group (Program of Playful Activities in Different Contexts), originally created as a university extension program, aims to promote professional development through playfulness, grounded in Historical-Cultural Theory (HCT) and the Reggio Emilia Approach. Between 2022 and 2025, the program was carried out by a…
Guest post by Shuolin He Photo by Robo Wunderkind on Unsplash Digital technology is now part of many young children’s everyday lives, both at home and in educational settings. In early childhood education, however, its use remains a complex and sometimes contested issue. While digital tools may support communication, documentation, literacy, creativity and home-school links,…
