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In this report, Martin Woodhead takes the four local studies conducted as part of the Bernard Van Leer project on 'The Environment of the Child' as a starting point for examining issues of quality development in early childhood programmes. These studies took place in Venezuela, Kenya, India and France. The aims of the publication are to (i) make explicit the frameworks of thinking that underpin judgements of quality, (ii) explore the possibility of working towards a shared frame of reference, which is context sensitive and allowing for diversity and (iii) apply this framework towards a better understanding of the quality issues that confront large scale early childhood programmes. The concept of 'the environment of the child' focused on those cultural variables relating to communities and individuals, directly affecting the development of children growing up in poverty. The author argues that sensitivity to diversity and to one's own preconceptions should be key elements informing all early childhood work