Neoliberalism and early childhood

Sims, Margaret

doi:10.1080/2331186x.2017.1365411

Cited by 99 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The relevance of this to the early childhood sector is profound [25] and enacted differently across different nation states.…”

Section: Exploring Neoliberalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, as noted by Ring, Mhic Mhathúna, Moloney et al, [46] in a context where school teaching is considered to be more valued and as having more status than early childhood employment, it is not surprising that many ECP acquiesce to the education-discourse positioning of their work. Yet, this positioning undermines key elements of early childhood ideology relating to children's rights, and the concomitant requirement to value children for who they are right now rather than for the compliant neoliberal citizens they are being educated to become [25]. Here we draw upon Urban and Swadener [47] who refute testing of children in early childhood, noting that.…”

Section: Neoliberalism and Children's Rightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resisting Neoliberalism: Professionalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care

Moloney¹,

Sims

Rothe

et al. 2019

IJEEDU

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Despite the relevance of early childhood services to children, families and nation states, the sector is largely undervalued and under resourced and, is not recognised as an established profession. Using collaborative auto ethnography, researchers from six different countries (Australia, Chile, England, Germany, Ireland and the United States) all members of the EECERA Professionalisation Special Interest Group (P-SIG) share their reflections on the professionalisation of early childhood. While professionalisation is associated with discretionary decision making that is premised upon an accepted body of knowledge, neoliberalism imposes constraints from on top, identifying through various forms of curricula, legislated standards, and policies what is appropriate and desirable practice. As a consequence, early childhood personnel are restricted in their professional agency and, their work is characterised by tension, as they strive to balance external expectations from a neoliberal stance and their own perspectives that prioritise a children's rights perspective. This paper questions how the sector manages the constraints imposed on it in a neoliberal political and social world. It calls upon those in the profession to resist neoliberalism and, to make a stand in terms of what is considered best practice. It further argues that ongoing debate is required as to the boundaries of what would be called the early childhood profession: considerations of ways in which the different sectors (education, health, and welfare) contribute to a holistic approach in working with children balanced against the requirement for a profession to have an identified and discrete body of knowledge. The implications of this for professionalisation of early childhood are widespread and, worthy of debate. While the inclusion of different sectors for example, addresses the holistic nature of early childhood work, it risks creating a broad and diffused knowledge base that might make it difficult to claim professionalisation. We hope that this paper contributes to reenergizing conversations on the professionalisation of the early childhood sector.

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“…The relevance of this to the early childhood sector is profound [25] and enacted differently across different nation states.…”

Section: Exploring Neoliberalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neoliberalism and Children's Rightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resisting Neoliberalism: Professionalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care

Moloney¹,

Sims

Rothe

et al. 2019

IJEEDU

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…And curriculum, broadly, 'is now viewed in terms of human capital formations, rather than as a way of developing an informed national citizenry' (Rizvi and Lingard 2011, 12) with a lack of autonomy for educators, described as de-professionalisation (Sims et al 2014). Following this neoliberal framing of curriculum, many nations have developed early childhood curricula (Sims 2017), such as the Australian, New Zealand and US curricula that this articles analyses. Previously, curriculum content was the professional judgement of early childhood teachers.…”

Section: Neoliberalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though Australian, New Zealand and US curricula writers did not intend to produce prescriptive recipes, the curricula are often used in this way, as compliance behaviour of educators increases due to accountability measures enacted through surveillance of practice by external bodies (e.g. see Sims and Waniganayake [2015]; Sims [2017]). 'Freedom of speech, once considered the bastion of education, is now positioned as one of the greatest threats to the state, resulting in increasing compliance enforcement throughout the education sector' (Sims 2017, 3).…”

Section: Neoliberalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States

Phillips

Ritchie

Adair

2018

Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education

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Recognition of young children as citizens is relatively new in sociology, with translation emerging into education. Discourses of children and childhood shape ideas of young children as citizens and national discourses of citizenship frame what civic participation can be. The authors analysed national early childhood education curricula frameworks of Australia, New Zealand and the United States to understand how discourses authorise constructions of children as citizens and opportunities for young children's civic participation. They sought to locate how children are positioned as citizens and what opportunities there are for young children's citizenship participation in national early childhood curricula documents of Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Illustrative examples of children's citizenship membership and participation from the three nations' early childhood curricula were critically read to locate how prevalent discourses of children, childhood and citizenship in each nation define children as citizens and shape possibilities for citizenship participation for young children.

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“…Logical and critical thinking is no longer valued in employees but conformity is. Questioning employer decisions is positioned as the quickest route to career suicide and the focus of education is solely to create compliant, neoliberal citizens whose goal in life is to earn sufficient money to consume (Sims, 2017). In Australian early childhood we see this in leaders whose focus is more on how to best implement the early childhood framework, part of the new national standards, rather than on engaging in debate about improvements (Sims et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Discourses Relating to the Purpose of Early Childhood Are Shaping the Work of Early Childhood Practitioners in Three Different Contexts: UK, Bhutan and Fiji?

Sims¹,

Alexander²,

Pedey³

et al. 2017

JEL

Self Cite

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We explore the way dominant political discourses are perceived to influence developing professionalisation of early childhood in three contexts. The UK is strongly influenced by the neoliberal agenda which positions managerialism, bureaucracy, accountability and control as necessary to drive quality improvement. Bhutan has been exposed to western ideologies for a short time (as time counts in human history) and is attempting to manage tensions between western ideologies and the philosophy underpinning Gross National Happiness. Fiji has a history of colonisation. With a growing commitment across Pacific nations to postcolonialism, Fiji professionals are struggling to manage the intersection between their neoliberal western history and their own postcolonial ambitions. We argue a better understanding of the ways in which dominant ideologies impact on the development of early childhood professionalisation will uncover unintended, taken-for-granted assumptions and illuminate potential risks, thus better positioning readers to make informed choices about their work and the development of their profession.

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Neoliberalism and early childhood

Cited by 99 publications

References 44 publications

Resisting Neoliberalism: Professionalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care

Resisting Neoliberalism: Professionalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care

Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States

What Discourses Relating to the Purpose of Early Childhood Are Shaping the Work of Early Childhood Practitioners in Three Different Contexts: UK, Bhutan and Fiji?

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