Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
International Journal of Early Childhood
ISSN 0020-7187 · eISSN 1878-4658 · Springer Nature · 3 issues per year
International Journal of Early Childhood: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 183 days to acceptance (76 articles, last 24 months); 63 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Early Childhood is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Early Childhood Education and Development, Children's Rights and Participation and Child Development and Digital Technology, together about 45% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Early Childhood (IJEC) aims to bring the global early childhood community together to facilitate exchange of research knowledge. Its purpose is to contribute to scientific debate and research in early childhood fields of practice in early education and care. Articles published in this journal have a primary focus on children aged from birth to eight years. While not limited to the following topics, IJEC welcomes methodologically and culturally diverse articles with a shared emphasis on learners aged birth to eight, in early childhood education and care contexts (ECEC): Comparative experiences of young children (aged birth to eight years) in education and care (ECEC) contexts across the globe Young children’s participation and learning in/across diverse curriculum contexts and cultures Social, economic and environmental sustainability for learners - now and into the future Policy analyses and/or comparison across contexts and cultures Professional practice, pedagogy, philosophy and/or theory Inclusive, rights-informed, ethically attuned ECEC for diverse populations of young children Indigenous perspectives and possibilities Impacts and implications for ECEC in the polycrisis (i.e. digital, environmental, and/or political convergences) Early Childhood Citizenship, Dialogic and/or Democratic Education Digital and postdigital learners, including the pitfalls and potential of AI for ECEC Professional Collectivism and Activism Diasporic learners and the role of ECEC in responding to equity diversity and difference
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editor-in-chief E. JaynePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 8%); most named Australia 6, New Zealand 6, Mainland China 2, Norway 2, United States 1 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences27.7%
- Children's Rights and ParticipationSocial Sciences9.6%
- Child Development and Digital TechnologySocial Sciences7.8%
- Parental Involvement in EducationSocial Sciences5.1%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.7%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology3.6%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology3.5%
- Environmental Education and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.53LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 49OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 313OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.3OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.54%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 59LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 291,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,526 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 77 | 37 | 16 |
| 2025 | 63 | 30 | 99 |
| 2024 | 23 | 18 | 97 |
| 2023 | 41 | 23 | 232 |
| 2022 | 38 | 17 | 388 |
| 2021 | 26 | 16 | 397 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
183 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 139 days – 269 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 220 days
- Sample
- 76 articles with submission and acceptance dates (148 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- book reviewes), unless negotiated with the Editor. Book reviews should not exceed 1,200 words in length and should be submitted directly to the Main Editmain text ≤ 1,200 words
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- research articlets such as .docx or LaTeX. Paper Length Research articles should not exceed 6,500 words in length at submission (for main text and references), unlmain text ≤ 6,500 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
Research articles max 6,500 words Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Open Choice copyright remains with author Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in International Journal of Early Childhood, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 3 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0020-7187
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-4658
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 58, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Early Childhood
What CAS zone is International Journal of Early Childhood in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Early Childhood is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Early Childhood?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3, h-index 49.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Early Childhood?
Based on the dates recorded on 76 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 183 days (interquartile range 139–269 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Journal of Early Childhood?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Early Childhood based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (6), New Zealand (6) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Early Childhood?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Early Childhood is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Early Childhood open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Early Childhood is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .