Preparing Early Childhood Educators

Using a critical interpretivist approach, this chapter examines how early childhood educators develop digital teaching competencies through literature review, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Guided by the TPACK and DigCompEdu frameworks, it views educational technology as integration within developmentally appropriate practices. Findings reveal that purposeful use of digital tools, such as storytelling and technology-enhanced documentation, fosters creativity, engagement, and individualized learning. Educators demonstrated innovative, inclusive practices, yet faced persistent challenges including limited infrastructure, inadequate professional development, ethical concerns, and misaligned policy, especially in rural areas. The chapter highlights hybrid learning, family partnerships, and peer mentoring as effective supports and recommends context-specific professional learning, ethical guidance, improved infrastructure, and teacher-research collaboration for equitable, sustainable digital integration in early childhood education.