شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

Research on early childhood programs has demonstrated social, cognitive and economic benefits for children. With highly qualified teachers who hold college degrees, children learn best. But having a degree is necessary, yet not sufficient to ensure that all children from birth to age 8 learn and develop to their highest potential. What matters is the quality of teacher preparation programs. Using phone interviews, document reviews and surveys, this paper explored key features of early childhood programs in selected universities in Lebanon along interconnected elements such as program content, faculty characteristics, field experiences, and institutional support. The paper also identified challenges to the programs. Findings point to the variation in coursework, field experiences, faculty characteristics, and age-group focus. (Published Abstract)