Overall conclusion

• Quality of early childhood education was found to depend heavily on staff and leaders
• ECEC staff were highly committed and satisfied but faced persistent stress and systemic challenges

Center staff

• Focus of practices
  • Strong emphasis on social and emotional development (e.g. helping children express feelings)
  • Literacy and numeracy activities occurred less frequently in many countries
  • Staff spent most of their time in direct contact with children (68%–90% depending on country)
  • Limited dedicated time for planning; longer hours often linked to preparation tasks
• Job satisfaction and stress
  • High job satisfaction
    • Over 90% felt satisfied and valued by parents and children
    • Most would choose the profession again
  • Perceived societal recognition varied widely across countries
  • Stress
    • Work-related stress was significant in some systems (up to 75% in Germany)
    • Main stress sources: excessive workload and multiple simultaneous tasks
    • Stress contributed to staff shortages and intentions to leave the profession
• Training and professional development
  • Most staff were formally trained (87%–99%), though assistants could have had lower qualifications
  • Higher education correlated with greater self-efficacy and lower stress
  • Professional development was common but dominated by courses and seminars
  • More effective formats (e.g. coaching, job-embedded learning) were less widely used
  • Strong demand for training and resources for special education needs

Center leaders and settings

• Roles and challenges
  • Leaders supported staff and reduced stress but faced heavy administrative burdens
  • Many reported needing more support from authorities
  • Public settings often faced greater challenges than private ones: more vulnerable children, poorer physical conditions, and less family engagement
• System challenges and workforce issues
  • Staff shortages and lack of substitutes limited staff participation in training
  • Leaders identified shortages as a key barrier to quality ECEC
• Equity and system structure
  • Public settings were more common in disadvantaged or rural areas
  • Private (including for-profit) settings often received government funding