Current Issues on Policy Management, Professional Development of Teachers, and its Relationships in Early Childhood Education and Care

Abstract

This study discusses trends in early childhood education（ preschool education）, particularly from ages 3 to 5, and the Early Childhood Education and Care （ECEC） teachers who are responsible for it. The field of ECEC is being actively approached not only from pedagogy and ECEC studies but also from economics and other fields that recognize the value of investments in the field. In the past, there was a strong interest in improving access to early childhood education (ensuring quantity), but as the prospects for securing this situation have become more promising, the international trend has shifted from ensuring quantity to quality, and various measures, such as the establishment of preschools, are now being proposed. Meanwhile, to follow this trend, Japan also faced a major shift from quantity to quality around 2020. This discussion is having a direct impact on the nature and trends of childcare facilities, such as kindergartens, daycare centers, and ECEC centers, as well as on the roles and training of childcare personnel (qualified kindergarten teachers and nursery teachers) who work in these facilities. The contents of the National Curriculum for Kindergarten Education, the Guidelines for Nursery School Education and Care, and the National Standards for ECEC center have become interlinked, and a new qualification system for ECEC teachers has also been considered. On the other hand, the current situation is one of dualization in many areas, and each site is under pressure to make a difficult decision.Uchida (2016) has already raised these trends and issues in JSSTE Annual Report No. 25. This paper examines Uchida’s discussion and examines the latest trends and issues considering subsequent trends and changes.