Results from TALIS Starting Strong 2024

What is TALIS Starting Strong?

Introduction

The OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) uses questionnaires administered to staff and leaders to gather data about a variety of aspects related to their background, training and daily work. For example, TALIS Starting Strong collects data about staff and leader demographics (e.g. age, gender) and ECEC settings’ characteristics (e.g. size, location). Staff also provide information about their working hours; professional development; contract modalities; practices with children and families; and their well-being, job satisfaction and career intentions. Additional information on the areas covered by the survey can be found in the TALIS Starting Strong 2024 Conceptual Framework (OECD, 2025[1]).

How is TALIS Starting Strong implemented?

The TALIS Governing Board (TGB) leads the overall TALIS programme, with an Informal Group within the TGB focused specifically on TALIS Starting Strong. The TGB is composed of a representative from each country and territory that participates in the survey. The TGB oversees the OECD Secretariat, which in turn manages a consortium of international actors that together develop and implement TALIS Starting Strong.

A diverse group of ECEC experts, guided by the TGB and TALIS Starting Strong Informal Group, drafts the questions that appear in the survey. Each question is translated into the national languages of every participating country and subnational entity. The questions are tested to verify their translations and their functioning.

Each country and subnational entity chooses to administer TALIS Starting Strong in one or two levels of ECEC: pre-primary (International Standard Classification of Education [ISCED] level 02) and settings for children under age 3. Within each level in each country or subnational entity, a representative sample of roughly 1 200 staff from 180 ECEC settings are asked to complete the survey along with their setting leaders.

Which countries and subnational entities participate in TALIS Starting Strong?

TALIS Starting Strong 2024 includes 15 countries and subnational entities at the level of pre-primary settings (ISCED level 02): Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, the Flemish Community of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the Republic of Türkiye (hereafter “Türkiye”). In addition, eight countries and subnational entities are included at the level of settings for children under age 3: the Flemish Community of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Israel, New Brunswick (Canada), New Zealand, Norway and Quebec (Canada).