Reexamining quality in early childhood education: Exploring the relationship between the work environment and the classroom

Research has found that high-quality early education experiences are positively associated with long-term academic and social outcomes for children that last through adulthood, especially for low-income children. Unfortunately, low-income children in the United States tend to experience low-quality early educational experiences. Most efforts to improve quality have focused exclusively on teachers and classrooms, and have shown only modest effects. These small effects may reflect the narrow focus of such efforts. In particular, previous efforts have not considered the larger environments in which teachers and classrooms are embedded. The primary aim of this study is to apply an ecological theory of organizational climate to early childhood, more specifically to examine the relationship between the early childhood work environment for teachers and classroom quality in centers that serve low-income children. Thirty-seven classrooms were assessed using the ECERS-R observation measure of classroom process quality, and 37 teachers completed two different measures about the work environment (the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey which assesses ten dimensions and the overall work environment; and the Organizational Climate Descriptive Questionnaire which focuses on the relationships within the organization, specifically leadership and collegiality). Regression analyses demonstrated a significant association between overall work environment and classroom quality such that classrooms located in centers with better work environments as measured on ten dimensions (collegiality, professional growth, supervisor support, clarity, reward system, decision making, goal consensus, task orientation, physical setting, and innovativeness) were of higher quality. This association existed even when controlling for teacher education, Director experience, Director education, and teacher-child ratio. In addition, an interaction between years of teaching experience and work environment was identified. A stronger relationship existed between work environment and classroom quality among teachers with more teaching experience. Also, a significant interaction between teacher education and the work environment was found. More specifically, the association between work environment and classroom quality was lower among teachers with more education. Implications for policymakers and practitioners, and future research suggestions are provided.