Using a qualitative descriptive design, researchers describe andidentify similarities and differences in the professional preparation of infant-toddler care and education (ITCE) teachers at university based teacher education programmes in Hong Kong China, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the USA. Researchers overview the ITCE landscape, describe statutory regulations, and consider major documents and prevalent ideas influencing ITCE teacher education in their respective countries. Key findings are presented from each researcher’s analysis of the teacher education programmes at their own institutions and then summarised in descriptive narratives around four major themes: (1) country-specific values, (2) pedagogical elements, (3) curriculum focus, and (4) teaching practicum expectations. On the basis of a dialogic deliberative process, the three researchers then discuss the findings together by deliberating upon how culture in the forms of norms, values, prevailing beliefs, and expectations, appeared to–intentionally or unintentionally–shape the three different approaches to preparing students to become fully-qualified teachers of infants and toddlers. Copyright © 2023 TACTYC.

This study examined the dynamic association between teacher–child relationship quality and Chinese toddlers' developmental functioning. The participants, located in Hong Kong, consisted of 82 Chinese toddlers and their teachers. With a two-wave longitudinal design, teachers rated the children's developmental functioning and their own relationships with each child. The results showed that the relations between teacher-child relationships and developmental functioning differed across aspects of child development. Specifically, teacher–child relationship quality predicted and was predicted by toddlers' comprehension and personal-social skills; teacher-child relationship quality predicted but was not predicted by motor and self-help skills; finally, expressive language skills predicted but were not predicted by teacher-child relationship quality. Follow-up analyses suggested that the observed relations operated similarly for boys and girls, but differently between younger and older age groups. We conclude by discussing the study's limitations and offering suggestions for promoting developmentally appropriate childcare experience for toddlers. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study examines the quality of Hong Kong centre-based childcare services with the aim of identifying areas for further improvement. With the use of the Chinese version of the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ITERS-R), the quality of the classrooms in nine non-profit centres located in different districts of Hong Kong was systematically assessed. The findings revealed the global quality of the childcare centres in Hong Kong and indicated the relative strengths and weaknesses of the specific areas of childcare services compared with findings from the international community. The results showed that the quality of centre-based care servicesfor infants and toddlers in Hong Kong was minimal. Compared to other countries, the health and safety practice in Hong Kong scored higher. However, the scores were especially low in space and furnishings, listening and talking, activities and programme structure. These results revealed that Hong Kong faced challenges with the quality of its centre-based care servicesin general. It was also surprising to find a negative correlation between the quality of the childcare centres and the teachers’ experience. The findings also indicated the importance of early childhood education training and continuous professional development. Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.