The quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) is crucial for shaping children’s lifelong learning and development. Assessment tools such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) are widely used to evaluate and enhance ECEC quality, yet a comprehensive review of ECERS applications and validations has been lacking.
Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, this review synthesizes evidence from 154 studies on ECERS use over the past two decades. Findings indicate that ECERS has been applied to measure children’s academic and non-academic outcomes, assess ECEC quality, evaluate interventions, complement other methods, and explore cultural nuances. The review highlights gaps in addressing psychological well-being and the need for culturally sensitive adaptations.
These insights underscore the importance of using multiple assessment tools and standardized approaches to enhance comparability, reliability, and the effective evaluation of early childhood environments.