Applying Conceptualisations of Child Well-being to Early Childhood Education and Care: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Abstract

‘Well-being’ and ‘child well-being’ are broad terms with little consensus amongst numerous definitions. Applications of the term, particularly for children aged birth to six, are vague due to the lack of conceptual clarity. The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise the recent literature on young children’s well-being, drawing on perspectives across disciplines to propose relevant considerations for promoting child well-being in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) contexts. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping studies, 55 articles gathered and published between 2018 and 2024 were reviewed. Two key themes emerged from qualitative analysis of the articles..