In a European context of rapidly expanding early education/care provision for young children, the staffing of these services is a critical quality issue. What are the requirements for professional education and training? How alike or how varied are the qualification profiles and fields of work? Through detailed country reports and comparative analyses across 27 countries, this book provides answers to these questions. Following comparative analyses of specific characteristics of the early education/care and professionalisation systems, the 27 country reports, with references and additional sources, follow the same three-step format, which is: * The early childhood system in context: e.g. a brief history of early education/care; demographic trends affecting early education/care; mothers in employment; parental leave and family benefits; regulation and administration of early childhood services; current issues and challenges. * Profiles of early education/care provision: e.g. levels of provision and enrollment rates; profiles of varying kinds of provision (kindergarten, infant-toddler centers, etc.

); curricular framework; children with special educational needs; parent participation; child and center assessment; transition to primary/elementary school. * Staff profiles: individual profiles of core practitioners in the varying country-specific settings; professional studies and fields of work; continuing professional development; current workforce issues.