The suitability of training and professional learning communities for professional development in early childhood education

This study examines how two contrasting professional development (PD) formats for daycare practitioners–a traditional expert-led training program and a Professional Learning Community (PLC)–enacted core PD principles and supported practitioners’ abilities to foster high-quality play and dialogic interactions in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Five PD groups (N = 49 practitioners) participated in either training or PLC sessions comprising 20 hours of workshops and coaching. Video-recorded sessions, participant evaluations, and observation tools were analyzed to compare program structure, educator and participant roles, and theory–practice integration. Results show that the training model provided strong structure, expert PD educator, and pre-designed tools based on theory that facilitated rapid uptake into practice. PLCs, in contrast, fostered ownership, collaboration, and reflective inquiry but required more time to establish shared goals, inquiry routines, and participant-led use of theory. Across formats, collaboration and reflection emerged as universal mechanisms of professional learning. However, the relatively short duration of both programs raises questions about the sustainability of improvements without ongoing organizational support or continuous PD structures. Findings suggest that training and PLCs offer complementary strengths–precision versus agency, structure versus reciprocity–and highlight the potential of both PD approaches to cultivate lasting improvements in interaction quality.