Love-Based leadership in early childhood education

Abstract

A day care center is not just any place where children can spend their day while parents are at work. How to ensure that children have good childhood experiences and how to sup-port their positive development from the very beginning of their educational career? In this study, we introduce the concept of love-based leadership and discuss its role and implemen-tation in early education. Love-based leadership in early education is a method that renews teachers’ professional skills. The Finnish early childhood education system offers favorable premises for love-based leadership in early education. The method should also be included in the curriculum of future early childhood education teachers.

The Caring Responsibility within the Pedagogical Environment

“…To learn kindness, students must experience kindness, compassion, tolerance and acceptance. These are all central to love-based leadership [33]. Educators who use love-based leadership seek to balance student competencies with school-related opportunities, perspectives, and challenges [33].…”

“…These are all central to love-based leadership [33]. Educators who use love-based leadership seek to balance student competencies with school-related opportunities, perspectives, and challenges [33]. Research subject TE2 acknowledged: "Educators need to know how to work with students and identify their needs.…”

Educational Psychological Perspectives on Sustainability Education

“…By leaning on positive psychology, it is possible to discover new tools to promote such educational change, a change that is currently needed for the well-being of students and teachers, and for human and environmental health. The goal could be sustainable happiness [37], "happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations" [37], which should become a visible and explicit part of teaching and curricula at all levels of education [39][40][41][42]. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has already been infused into teacher education [43], and a more recent recommendation from the UNESCO Chair for Reorienting Teacher Education for ESD is to bring well-being into the mix [44].…”