ABSTRACT
Research tells us that to be effective for young children early years experiences need to be of a high quality. To recognise and enhance quality our understandings must be informed by the most up-to-date data in respect of the role the environment plays in how young children develop and learn. This chapter explores what is meant when we talk about high quality, noting that defining the quality of early childhood experiences is difficult. Historically, quality has been considered across two domains, distinguishing between the more static and measurable aspects of quality, known as structural quality and the more fluid aspects of quality, known as process quality. Structural quality refers to the visible and measurable elements including the adult/child ratio and the environmental, health and safety aspects of a setting. Process quality, on the other hand, is more difficult to capture and measure and is the focus of this chapter. It refers to unique features of a particular setting and includes such things as the nature of relationships and interactions, the ethos of settings, the responsiveness to individuality within the group and the realisation of curriculum. The early childhood educator and the quality of their practice is central to process quality.
