The Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) provides early childhood staff and centre leaders with an opportunity to share insights on their professional development; pedagogical beliefs and practices; and working conditions, as well as various other leadership, management and workplace issues. TALIS Starting Strong is the first international survey of the ECEC workforce.

The survey seeks to identify strengths of and improvement opportunities for early childhood learning and well-being environments across different countries and jurisdictions, while identifying factors that are open to change. The survey also builds on the OECD‘s study of the teaching profession, the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).

TALIS Starting Strong compares early childhood settings within and across countries, highlighting diversity within systems and identifying points of commonality. Information gained from the data informs and facilitates policy discussions about staff’s working conditions and training needs, helping to enhance the overall quality of the workforce.

The Survey is part of the OECD’s long-term strategy to develop early childhood education and care data.

Building a High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce

This second volume of findings from TALIS Starting Strong analyses factors that influence the skills development of ECEC professionals, their working conditions and well‑being at work, and leadership in ECEC centres. As evidence accumulates on the strong benefits of investing in early education, countries need effective policies to attract, maintain and retain a highly skilled workforce in the sector. The report explores the makeup of the ECEC workforce across countries, assessing how initial preparation programmes, in‑service training and informal learning activities help staff to upgrade their skills, and what staff say about their working conditions, sources of stress and satisfaction with their jobs. It also examines leadership and managerial practices in ECEC centres and the ways in which they can contribute to improving the skills, working conditions and working methods of staff.

• Read the full report
• Country notes

Quality Early Childhood Education and Care for Children under age 3

The experience of children under age 3 with early childhood education and care (ECEC) is crucial for their learning, development and well-being and for parents’ return to work. This thematic report focusses on ECEC for children under age 3, an option of TALIS Starting Strong in which four countries (Denmark, Germany, Israel and Norway) participated. The report answers many questions that are important for parents, actors in the field, and policy makers.

• Read the full report

Providing Quality Early Childhood Education and Care

This first volume of findings from TALIS Starting Strong examines multiple factors that can affect the quality of ECEC and thereby can influence children’s learning, development and well-being. For most children, early childhood education and care (ECEC) provides the first experience of life in a group away from their parents. This experience plays a crucial role in children’s learning, development and well-being. The benefits of high-quality ECEC are not restricted to children’s first years of life. However, little is known about this first experience. What do children learn and do in ECEC settings? With which staff do children interact at their centres? Do all children have the same opportunities to enrol in high-quality settings? What are the main spending priorities to raise the quality of ECEC? These are key questions for parents, staff and policy makers.

• Read the full report
• Country notes

• OECD Education Policy Perspectives: Staff teams in early childhood education and care centres

 TALIS Starting Strong Survey Participants

• Nine countries completed data collection with staff and leaders working in "pre-primary education" (i.e. ISCED level 02) in 2018: Chile, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Turkey. ISCED level 02 settings typically are for children ages 3 to 5.
• Four of those countries (Denmark, Germany, Israel, and Norway) also surveyed the staff and leaders working with children under age 3 in registered ECEC settings.