Beyond Child Care—How Else Could We do this?

Abstract

Beyond child care-how else could we do this? Sociocultural reflections on the structural and cultural arrangements of contemporary Western child care Margaret Brennan Vctora Unversty of Wellngton sOCIOCulTuRAl ThEORIEs pROpOsE that social context and more experienced cultural members are integral to children's development and enculturation into their communities. However, the argument is made that the current Western cultural and structural arrangement of group public child care impedes the successful implementation of sociocultural-based curricula because of its individualised and separatist nature. Furthermore, accepting this current cultural and structural arrangement at the theoretical level means that we lose sight of the fact that young children want to be part of adults' lives and included in their communities. Separating young children and their teachers from adult communities also presents challenges for teachers when attempting to establish authentic relationships with young children and their families. The case is made that we need to reconceptualise theories to more closely align with contemporary enculturation practices and life situations if we are to reflect a truly sociocultural approach to teaching and learning.