In countries and subnational entities surveyed by TALIS Starting Strong, most staff report receiving some form of training in the last year. More than 80% of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) staff say they took part in professional development in the prior 12 months. However, key areas are largely omitted. Many ECEC staff report receiving little or no training on how to support children with special educational needs.
While staff often receive training in areas like child wellbeing, promoting play and supporting social and emotional development, special educational needs training is often overlooked. This is important as many staff are clearly crying out for support in this area. For example, more than a third of staff in pre-primary settings in Colombia, Germany and Morocco report a “high” need for professional development to work with children with special educational needs. In Chile, the proportion tops 50%. In Japan, a massive 76% of staff say they need training in this area. Overall, across 15 training topics considered in the survey, supporting children with special education needs ranked as a top training priority.
The findings suggest that substantial numbers of staff do not feel equipped to work effectively with children who have developmental delays, behavioural challenges or disabilities. This is a major source of stress for staff. In fact, in pre-primary settings in Colombia and Finland and in settings for children under age 3 in Quebec (Canada), accommodating children with special education needs is the main source of stress. However, stress does not simply arise from lack of training. It is also shaped by workload, staffing ratios, administrative expectations, and the emotional demands of managing complex groups. In many settings, staff face these pressures without consistent access to multidisciplinary teams, such as psychologists and speech therapists, who could share responsibility for early identification and intervention with issues.
There are lots of reasons why staff feel ill-equipped in this area. General training programmes that cover the bulk of children, in the form of courses, seminars and workshops, are the priority. Many ECEC providers operate on tight budgets, making specialised training a luxury rather than a standard. And even if the training is available, the lack of people to cover shifts means staff cannot always take advantage of the opportunity. According to TALIS Starting Strong data, insufficient staff to fill-in for absences is the standout obstacle to staff training. But capacity constraints run deeper than training logistics. Many ECEC systems still operate with limited guidance on inclusive practice, unclear expectations for support staff, and minimal collaboration time built into the week. These structural factors often determine whether training can be translated into high-quality practice.
This situation has potentially far-reaching consequences. Children with special education needs are more likely to experience exclusion, both socially and academically, in their early years. This can hinder their development of essential interpersonal skills and self-esteem. Without trained ECEC staff who are equipped to recognise and respond to diverse needs, early warning signs such as speech delays or sensory sensitivities may be missed. This lack of identification can result in delayed interventions, which can be less effective if critical developmental windows have passed. The long-term costs - to the child, the family and the state - may be substantial. At the same time, effective support requires more than early recognition: it depends on coordinated systems in which specialists, families and ECEC staff work together. Training must therefore be complemented by stronger pathways for assessment, referral and ongoing collaboration.
Some countries seem to be doing better than others. Chile stands out as having high rates of participation in special needs training, according to TALIS Starting Strong data. ECEC centres in Chile also do a lot of work to connect with families, including visiting families at home and offering workshops for parents. But, for most countries, these kinds of actions remain exceptions rather than the rule.
Going forward, countries need to focus on making time for all professional development and ensure that special educational needs training is not neglected. This often requires ECEC leaders and authorities in charge of ECEC to find and allocate staff to fill-in for absences, which can be challenging. Regulations that secure time for staff professional development potentially help tackle this issue.
Enhancing the quality of online training can also help, particularly as virtual training is often regarded as inferior to in-person training. This can be achieved by developing standards for high-quality professional learning, across all delivery modes. In addition, novice ECEC staff should also receive sustained and tailored support for all training. If ECEC is to be truly inclusive, staff training must reflect the diversity of the children it serves. That means embedding special education needs expertise into the core of ECEC professional development as a foundational skill.
However, countries should not assume that more training hours alone will solve the problem. The effectiveness of training depends on quality, relevance, practical applicability and alignment with work organisation. Policies that strengthen collaborative planning time, improve access to specialist support and clarify responsibilities across roles may have just as large an impact.
Lastly, if countries allocated more budget to ECEC, one of the most important areas to consider would be supporting children with special education needs. This was highlighted by ECEC staff when asked to prioritise 11 potential areas for expanded funding. In some countries, supporting special education needs even ranked ahead of improving salaries. Reducing group size was another clear priority. When implemented together, these two policies can significantly enhance the quality of education and care, especially for children who require more individualised attention.
This blog is based on a chapter from the TALIS Starting Strong 2024 Insights and Interpretations brochure: talis3s2024-insights-interpretations.pdf.
The Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) assesses the issues impacting early childhood education and care (ECEC). In 2024, it surveyed the ECEC workforce in under-3 settings and in pre-primary settings, which typically care for children aged 3-6, in a total of 17 countries and subnational entities.