Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care for Children under Three: Sound Foundations

Mathers, Sandra; Ereky‐Stevens, Katharina

doi:10.4135/9781526402004.n31

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…The fundamental importance of partnership with parents is clear in research reviews (Dalli et al . , 2011 ; Mathers, Eisenstadt, Sylva, Soukakou, & Erkey-Stevens, 2014 ). Ahnert and Lamb ( 2003 ) have shown the importance of a partnership that enables close liaison between the two sets of adults in the baby's dual social worlds of family and nursery.…”

Section: Pedagogy In the Managers’ Narratives Of Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

Elfer

Page

2015

Early Child Development and Care

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The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. European Journal of Education, 47(4), 508–526.] concept of the ‘competent system’ is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present.

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Section: Pedagogy In the Managers’ Narratives Of Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

Elfer

Page

2015

Early Child Development and Care

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“…In spite of support for investment in ECE, and claims that the EYFS is doing ‘a good job’ (Mathers et al, 2014: 38), it has nonetheless, excited considerable and increasing amounts of criticism. Most of the criticism targets the EYFS’ assessment arrangements.…”

Section: Possible Implications For Young Children’s Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is suggested that the EYFS’ assessment arrangements and accompanying inspection frameworks, while nominally espousing equality, actually shape the curriculum and pedagogies in ways that may potentially serve to undermine young children’s well-being. First, it has been argued that play has become appropriated in the service of policy narratives that privilege the measurement of children’s learning, cognitive learning especially (Mathers et al, 2014: 39). So, while free play is considered to be essential to children’s well-being (Wood and Hedges, 2016), it has been highlighted that the EYFS promotes play as long as it aligns with curriculum goals and demands for outcomes-led policy drivers (Kane, 2016; Roberts-Holmes, 2012).…”

Section: Possible Implications For Young Children’s Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theorising child well-being: Towards a framework for analysing Early Childhood Education policy in England

Street

2020

Journal of Early Childhood Research

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‘Well-being’ is increasingly used in child rights discourses and early childhood education (ECE) policy contexts as a desirable outcome for young children. In spite of its ubiquitous use, however, child well-being remains largely under-theorised, thereby contributing to implicit understandings within policy arenas. This paper contributes to attempts to address this gap by proposing a theoretical framework of child well-being. The framework is developed in stages. First, two prominent approaches to well-being are described: distributive and relational approaches. Distributive approaches are subdivided into primary goods theory and capability theory. These theories focus on differential approaches to resource distribution. Relational approaches to well-being are then considered. These focus on the intrinsic importance of the processes of well-being. Second, the concepts privileged by each of these well-being theories are further developed into a framework by reflecting on children’s rights to provision, protection and participation as promoted by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Following this, the framework is used to analyse ECE policy with a specific focus on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum and measurement requirements. Academic literatures examining ECE policy is then reviewed to extrapolate understandings of the potential implications of this policy for young children’s well-being. The findings suggest that the EYFS theorises well-being in ways that are limited and may be limiting of young children’s well beings and doings. The associated measurement practices and curriculum goals, in particular, may undermine practice supportive of young children’s well-being.

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“…This was a historically, educationally and, ultimately, morally important moment – the first time that infants and toddlers were included in a formal educational policy which catered for both care and education. Yet, within the context of childcare expansion rhetoric (Department for Education and Skills, 2004), concern continued to be raised about professional qualifications (Mathers et al, 2014), and the ability of the workforce to provide suitable educative experiences for children came under severe scrutiny (Her Majesty’s Treasury, 2009).…”

Section: The English Early Years Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reframing infant-toddler pedagogy through a lens of professional love: Exploring narratives of professional practice in early childhood settings in England

Page

2017

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

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There is an increased international interest in how close attachment interactions with infants and toddlers are realised and interpreted by early years professionals. It is troubling for those who work in early years settings with infants and toddlers to know how best to demonstrate healthy loving attachment behaviours as an expectation of their professional caregiving role when 'standing in for parents'. This paper reports the interview findings from a mixed methods study which examined practitioners' views on love, care and intimacy within the English early years policy context. It draws on Attachment Theory and Relational Ethics to analyse the narratives of practice drawn from eight in-depth interviews with infant toddler professionals to reveal the extent of their challenge as well as their beliefs about attachment and professional love. The responses highlighted the level of concern about the place of love and intimacy in non-familial pedagogical relationships with young children, against the backdrop of child protection and safeguarding following the global concern about infant abuse. The study suggests that there is a need to embrace an infant toddler pedagogy to include the lens and the language of attachment and professional love and to provide early years professionals with training and guidance on how to safely interpret these theories into their everyday practice.

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Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care for Children under Three: Sound Foundations

Cited by 9 publications

References 65 publications

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

Theorising child well-being: Towards a framework for analysing Early Childhood Education policy in England

Reframing infant-toddler pedagogy through a lens of professional love: Exploring narratives of professional practice in early childhood settings in England

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