De Universiteit Utrecht voert in opdracht van de Gemeente Utrecht onderzoek uit naar de pedagogische kwaliteit van de voor- en vroegschoolse voorzieningen (VVE) in de stad. In het Utrechts Kwaliteitskader (UKK) - dat is (door)ontwikkeld in samenwerking met het werkveld (opvang en onderwijs), de gemeente en de Universiteit Utrecht - staat opgenomen wat de stad verstaat onder een goede kwaliteit voor de educatie van het jonge kind. De kwaliteitsmeting brengt via een gestratificeerde steekproef van 30 voorscholen en 30 kleuterklassen in kaart hoe de kwaliteit in de stad verankerd is. Hierbij wordt gekeken naar de pedagogische kwaliteit op de groep, kwaliteit in de samenwerking met ouders, kwaliteitszorg op organisatieniveau en samenwerking in de stad, en de kwaliteit van de doorgaande lijn van 2 tot en met 6 jaar.  Daarnaast wordt er extra stil gestaan bij de stimulering van de taalontwikkeling van het jonge kind en de aandacht die er binnen het Utrechtse VVE veld is voor diversiteit en inclusie.

• dr. Martine Broekhuizen
• prof. dr. Paul Leseman
• Lieselotte Oudega

A consortium of Utrecht University and Sardes Ltd has been commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to conduct research to monitor the pedagogical quality of different types of child care provision and developments therein. The new study continues the study by the Dutch Consortium for Child Care Quality Research (NCKO) of the past years and uses partly the same measurement instruments. New instruments are added to address recent developments in the child care sector. New is also the inclusion of non-familial home based care by 'host parents' in the quality monitor. Each year, a nationally representative sample of child groups and caregivers in center-based child daycare, playgroup centers, preschools, and after school care centers will be studied through standard observations and interviews. In addition, families providing non-familial home based care will be sampled each year and similar observation and interview procedures will be applied. Over the years, an increasingly reliable and representative picture will emerge of child care quality in the Netherlands. Moreover, the annual measurements allow for the early detection of trends in child care quality. The study runs until April 2026.

• prof. dr. Paul Leseman
• dr. Pauline Slot

• IJsbrand Jepma
• Paulien Muller

ISOTIS addresses the nature, causes and impact of early emerging social and educational inequalities in the context of socioeconomic, cultural and institutional processes. Quasi-panels and pooled longitudinal datasets will be used to examine the variation in early educational gaps and developmental trajectories across countries, education systems and time. To disentangle the complex interactions between characteristics of systems and target groups, ISOTIS will study significant immigrant, indigenous ethnic-cultural and low-income native groups, associated with persistent educational disadvantages. ISOTIS will examine current resources, experiences, aspirations, needs and well-being of children and parents in these groups in the context of acculturation and integration, and in relation to local and national policies. ISOTIS aims to contribute to effective policy and practice development by generating recommendations and concrete tools for: (1) supporting disadvantaged families and communities in using their own cultural and linguistic resources to create safe and stimulating home environments for their children; (2) creating effective and inclusive pedagogies in early childhood education and care centres and primary schools, including multilingual support; (3) professionalization of staff, centres and schools to improve quality and inclusiveness; and (4) establishing inter-agency coordination of support services to children and families.

• prof. dr. Paul Leseman
• dr. Pauline Slot
• dr. Martine Broekhuizen
• dr. Thomas van Huizen
• prof. dr. Janneke Plantenga
• dr. Ryanne Francot