Defining Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education in Lebanon

Abstract

A nation’s licensing criteria and regulations are the most basic of policies that ensure children’s safety (Gormley, 1997); when these regulations are being met, a level of quality at the very least is being maintained. Thus, given the proportion of children who spend significant portions of their day in settings outside their immediate family context, it may be fairly accurate to say that the main aim of public regulation of childcare centres is to ensure that children's rights are respected and their safety and well-being is maintained as a priority in their daily experience at the childcare center. Considering this value given to quality in early childcare settings, the following study explores the meaning that policymakers and other stakeholders give to quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Lebanon. The question is “how is quality defined by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and other stakeholders as seen through the licensing requirements for childcare centres in Lebanon. The study is explored through a series of semi-structured interviews and through document analysis of the licensing policy provided by the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. The data could possibly serve as an evidence based document about the quality of early childcare centres, that could also potentially activate a discussion about quality of education for the years 0 to 3.